The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-09

kept separate during the curing,
 The tobacco for export Is put into four general classes the German, the Italian, the Austrian and the French. The heaviest and darkest types go to 1 Germany. The color in demand Is not always the same, but the Germans al- ways want a very fat leaf with e heavy body and fine stems and fiber German saucer" Is used In making plug tobacco and gets It's name from being treated with certain liquors or sauces,
 The English market calls for almost the same type as the German But be- cause of the English tax on tobacco it's weight is reduced as much as possi- ble before being exported to that coun- try Much of 1t is stemmed and the midrb cut out The leaf Is bulked with only enough moisture to keep it from breaking when handled, The heaviest type of tobacco grown goes to England for navy plug
 The Italian type Is a little lighter than the German, not so fat, but smooth and silky, The Austrian type Is slightly lighter than the Italian, but the two are very similar, Under the 1 type of wrapper classed as Austrian may be included that sent to SWit2er- land for wrappers, by many considered the very best type of dark tobacco These wrappers are 26 to 20 inches long. are broad. silky, of fine fiber and stem, and chestnut brown In color Not much is shipped to Switzerland but what does go brings the highest prices
 The type demanded by France Is lighter in color, thinner, not so fat ol elastic; in most ways the poorest Of the four types. A clear. even leaf however, is insisted on. The Spanish trade takes nondescript and low-grade leaf and Jugs of all types, colors and mixtures. They call for very little good leaf
 Probably in no two parts of the country is tobacco handled exactly alike. Sometimes the whole stalk IS cut. the time being chosen to catch as many leaves as possible at the proper stage, for the whole plant does not ripen at once. In other places the leaves are picked separately, taking them as they ripen and making two plckings or primings of it. This is tho way the Sumatra tobacco Is treated. In Florida the gathering of the leaves of Sumatra tobacco often lasts from June until September
 The process of curing differs accord Ing to locality and the kind of tobac- | co. Almost always 1t Is hung up In barns to dry but neither barns nor the drying processes are alike In the Connecticut valley tho siding of the barns is vertical. and every alternate board Is loose at the bottom. so that 1t can be opened out a little or fasten- ed down tight, according to the mois- ture or dryness wanted
 Bulking tobacco is bling It in a compact mass or bulk on platform or in bins and leaving 1t to ferment or sweat. The bulk has to be taken down every few days and the tobacco shak- en out Then 1t is built up again. the process being repeated sometimes, eight or ten times, depending entirely on the condition of the tobacco.
 The room in which the bulking Is done is kept at n temperature of 70 degrees or so degNes. The great pile of tobacco, containing sometimes 5,OOO or 5000 pounds, will generate addi- tional heat so that it will reach tenn perature as high as 40 degrees With the filler the further this fermentation goes and the more intense tho action the stronger and finer will the tobac- co be for that purpose, provided the work Is carefully done.
 The Cuban filler leaves are often re- sweated and petuned. process which makes them darker and stronger II is done either by spraying or by dipping the tobacco The petuning liquid con sists of thick infusion of tobacco stems of the best quality, to which Is added molasses, cider. Jamaica rum oi sour wine. Other things are often add ed according to the fancy of the oper- ntor. This is secret of the Cuban method, the only part of it they are unwilling to divulge. The wrappers arc never treated in thls way,
 The bright yellow tobacco of Vir- gina and North and South Carolina is cured in tight barns with ilues cross. ing them not far from the ground, go' ing out from the furnace and return ing to the chimney. The barns arc from i6 to 22 feet square and arr never built closer than 100 feet apar on account of the danger of fire, Some times there will be as many as 20 o these barns on single plantation Three days and several cords of dry wood are needed to cure one of these barns of tobacco It is a mighty deli cate process, requiring the most care full watching day and night The hea must be increased very gradually ant must never be allowed to be checked It must never be intense enough t' cause sweating during the time tn leaf is being yellowed This takes iron IS to 36 hours Next the heat Is ralset five to 10 degrees at time and kep at each stage one or two hours until temperature of 115 degrees or 20 de grees is reached Finally it Is brough l up to 160 degrees or l15 degrees am , kept there until the stalk Is thorough z ly cured
 This gives only faint idea of tn
 amount of care and labor necessary { , the production of good tobacco am 5 does not even touch on tho earlle : work of seeding and growing Tobac , co seeds are so small that an ounce q l, then contains from 30O,OOo to 4OO,OC . seeds They arc so small that they ar mixed with ashes or meal when the l are sowcd--an ounce of seed to tw l quarts of the ashes or meal This { srwed evenly over a bed which Ina ' had $ slow fire burning over 1t until 3 is thoroughly baked or steamed to
 depth of several inches The soil , cooled and pulverl2ed before the seed