St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-12-01
How 70 Cure Tobacco.

When my tobacco IL hung in my
barn, it is no better than hundreds Of
other obacco-growers' in this county
at hat stage. but ell my crop from
four 10 six dollars per hundred higher
than they do. Why Is this sop Be.
cause one is cured and handled - II
should be, while the others have moi
been. I have q barn eighteen fee,
high; don't crowd my tobacco on the
sticks, nor do I crowd The stickA
want room for the hot air 70 pass up
through the tobacco. Barns should b
built tight except at tho top. where
there should be plenty Of ventilation.
90 that the damp air can pass ont y
the hot. dry air pushes It up and there
should be some ventilsxi0a on the
ground. To b partially closed in high
winds.
When my tobacco ripens fast and
pushes me, 1use sca6olds to gain time.
but I prefer to house it Is I cut. il ]
can. q don't like sun-burnt tobacco.
II my tobacco has been on the scaffold
for two or three days, when hung in
the barn it will be ready for slow fires.
but when hung in the house from the
field. il should have few days to vel
low. Then slow fires commence in
either case. Before this year had al
ways fired With open fires; this year
used no open fires, curing my crop
from the start with curera My aim
was to furnish the same heat at the
different stages as I had done here.
tofore With open fires The curers
worked admirably in furnishing
. slow and steady heat with.
out any attention except to Ill
with wood and cut the draft down.
Then went out to work. I increase
my heat Is soon a tobacco is yellow
enough to stand hot fire without in.
juring. At this stage want hea,
enough to prevent house burn and nc
moro. II l can tell what that is. and
think can n the tobacco IL hung ga
the heat can pass up Without hindrance.
One hundred and forty degrees will be
ample for the first twenty hours. the
next twelve hours twenty degrees less.
and rs the danger Of house-burn be-
comes less decrease the heat In two
and . half Or three days the leaf will be
dry. Then II the weather is dry
stop firing; II wet. dry half the
stem before the fires are drawn.
When the leaf comes in case
/ let It remain In that condition
about two days; then fire up the
furnaces with . slow fire and run them
two to three weeks, until the stem and
stalk are cured up. During this time
only saw the curers morning. noon
and night, when I wooded up. and
don't think that I ever had as finely.
cured tobacco As / have this year. and
know cured it with less than hal
the labor and no uneasiness about fire
You sec that my aim is TO give the
stalk all the chances possible to feed
the leaf. The stalk is feeding the lea,
under the slow fire at the start, and
Keeps it up until the leaf gets dry under
the hot Ore. When the fire Is drawn
the stalk brings the leaf in case and
continues 10 feed il both In quality
and weight, while the dow fires are
preventing the evaporation from the
Leaf. Is would be the case when air
cured. and slowly brings the curing -
= close. Why is.a leaf OF tobacco,
broken from the stalk. when cured,
chaffye Because it had no stalk to feed
II.
Crowd barn full of tobacco. jam the
sticks close together, and then it will
require = big heat to save it. All small