The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-08-15
HENDERSON, N. c., THURSDAY AUGUST l5 1895.

grees for four hours, and then advance
twa and a halt degrees evey hours,
until one hundred and ten degrees
are reached. Here you have reached
the most critical point in the difficult
process Of curing bright tobacco. The
condition and appearance Of the to-
bacco must now be the curer's guide.
No one successfully cure tobacco
until ne can distinguish the effect of
too much or too little heat in the ap-
pearance of the leaf. Too little heat,
in fixing the color, operates to stain
the face side Of the leaf dull brown
color and is called "sponging,'' and
may be known to the novice by it ap-
pcarance only on the face side Of the
leaf. Too much heat reddens the leaf,
first around the edge and then in spots
which are visible on 10th sites. Now,
to prevent sponging on the one hand
and spotllng on the other. is the aim
of the experienced curer. No definite
time can be laid down to run from
one hundred and ten to one hundred
and twenty degrees. Sometimes four
hours will suffice, then again eight
hours IS fast enough. While it is usual
at this stage to advance about five de-
grees every two hours OF medium to-
bacco, the condition of the tobacco
often indicates, to the practiced eye,
the necessity for slower or faster move
ment. But it is safe not to advance
above one hundred and ten degrees
until the tails begin to curl up at the
ends. Arrived at one hundred and
twenty or one hundred and twenty
flve degrees, this is the curing process.
The heat should remain at or near
these figures until the leaf is cured,
which will require from six to eight
hours, according to the amount of sap
in the leaf to be expelled. When the
Leaf appears to be cured, advance five
degrees every hour up to one hundred
and seventy degrees and remain until
stalk and stem are thoroughly cured.
10 run above one hundred and eighty
degrees is to endanger scorching the
tobacco and perhaps burning both
barn and tobacco.
10 recapitulate:
First. Iellowing process, 90 degrees,
from "a to 80 hours.
Second. Fixing Color, 100 degrees i
hours. Second. Fixing Color, 100 to
Ito * degrees every 2 hours.
Second. Fixing Color, 10 to 12O, + to
8 hours.
Third. Curing the leaf, 12O or 1875. 6
to . hours.
Fourth. Curings stalk and stem, 125 to
40, . degrees an hour. And continue
at one hundred and seventy degrees until
stalk and stem are thoroughly killed and
dry, which usually requires from twelve
to fifteen hours
IhE NEW METHOD.
The curing process for yellow to-
bacco, as heretofore laid down, was
first published in the year 1871, and
was the first systematic treatise given
TO the public on the difficult art of
curing yellow tobacco; and it has re-
mained substantially unaltered through
six editions of the pamphlet, aggregat-
ing largely over 100000 copies.
Thousands in several States have taken
it for their guide and been enabled to
learn to cure successfully, without any
other assistance. But the yellow to-
bacco industry has greatly progressed
and extended during the past decade,
and new light has come through ex-
perience to further perfect the art of
curing.
The following is given as the la
test improvements in curing tobacco:
House the tobacco as soon as
cut, and after warming up the barn
for two or three hours, at a tempera-
ture of about 90 degrees, advance the
heat rapidly up to 125 degrees-or as
high as it will bear without scalding
the tobacco-letting the heat remain
at I25 degrees only few minutes, and
then by drawing the fires and turning
the hampers, cut off the heat and let
the temperature of the barn descend to
90 degrees.
This is generally called "sapping."
The rationale of the process is this:
The heat, by expansion, opens the sap
cells and starts the water to the surface,
facilitates evaporation and hastens the
yellowing process.
The "lmbering up" process, ofhigh
heat at the start, must be of short du-
ration or else great injury will be done
to the tobacco.
Following this mode, the yellowing
process is greatly shortened, requiring
from four TO eight hours less to yellow
sufficiently, and also hastens the
second stage of curing-hxing the
color.
1t is we'll to state that there is so
great a difference in the character of
tobacco grown in different localities,
that no rule can be given for the yell
lowing process, applicable to all.
The tobacco Of middle and western
North Carolina, will yellow in much
less time than that grown IN middle
Virginia. Then again, tobacco will
bear higher temperature in the yellow
ing process during some years than in
others. Notably the season of 1884,
was SO dry and held SO little sap when
ripe, that many commenced yellowing
at 100 degrees, and had the leaf cured
in SO hours. But this is exceptional,
and for general practice would spoil
both color and tobacco.
The season, therefore, it must be
borne in mind, greatly determines the
amount of heat tobacco will require to
be yelloved and cured.
Some of the patented fiues are SO
constructed that the heat is easily con-
trolled, and the tobacco smoked or