xt7zs756gc6r https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7zs756gc6r/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.  journals kaes_circulars_004_555 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 555 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 555  2014 true xt7zs756gc6r section xt7zs756gc6r Harvesting, C uring
  and Preparing
Dark-fi red Tebacce (
  for Market
¢
  I
i
By GEORGE EVERETTE  
it ur~uvERs|TY or KENTuc| A for air to enter the barn. ·
3 ak Ridge ventilators may not be needed on barns with shingle roofs
tthe . as the openings in the roof may permit suilicient circulation of air
most when proper bottom ventilators are installed. However, tight roof
al in barns, particularly those with sheet metal roofs, need a ridge or top
’h of ventilator.
tum TOPPING AND SUCKERING »
Vlad; ` Dark tobacco should be topped as soon as the flower bud appears, 9
atm leaving 12 to 16 leaves, depending on lateness in the season, land l
gf its capability based on past performance, the analysis and quantity of
tem fertilizer used, spacing of the plants, and soil moisture. To get a good l
ldom “fill” on the leaves, keep the suckers closely pulled and never allow l
3 900 them to become large. Hand suckering is the best method of sucker
; the control in the production of high quality tobacco. Close suckering, l
gy. although time consuming, tends to improve quality and is desirable in I
dark tobacco. This will usually require completely suckering the crop
three or four times. Because of the labor required in suckering dark I
have tobacco, some growers have resorted to use of oils or chemicals to I
_ retard sucker growth. Suflicient experimental data using sucker in-
Lr fi; hibitors have not been obtained to recommend their use. A
· ma HARVESTING AND HOUSING  
IPM? A Tobacco should not be cut until ripe. Ripe tobacco cures much  
MEN more easily and usually with a better color. Dark tobacco is ready l
10 ' t fOr harvest when the leaves begin to lose their intense green color and l
mm Small yellow areas begin to appear. At this stage, the leaves have a
ylgegl · Slight yellowish cast, and crack readily when doubled between the
O1 5  H¤g€fS. When ripe, the leaves are brittle and break or bruise easily.
mc ee Extfelne care should be taken to reduce loss due to leaf breakage
Eciie and to puncturing the leaf on stubble during harvesting.
’ ’ N Dark tobacco may be harvested either by splitting or spearing.
3

 However, splitting the stalk increases the rate of moisture loss and Curil
promotes rapid curing. In splitting or in spearing, place 5 or 6 plants A bw
on a stick.
Well wilted tobacco is easier to handle and cure. Many problems
in the soft cure method can be avoided if the tobacco is well wilted (
before housing. Scaffolding dark tobacco to wilt is a very desirable gem
practice. In this way, wilting may take place in a few hours if the SPM
weather is warm and dry, but may take overnight under less favorable aftcl
conditions. Leave the tobacco on the scaffold until it wilts well, but Ifis
in no case longer than four days. The advantage of scaffolding is that mba
it allows the tobacco to wilt without danger of serious injury from ting
sunbum, whereas tobacco on a standing stick, or split and turned
upside down, often sunburns before wilting. It is a good practice to ·]
cover the sides of the scaifolded tobacco with old canvas or burlap Hum
bags to prevent sunburn on the lugs. In case of rain serious damage desi]
is less likely to occur with scaifolded tobacco. A good practice is to bod,
cut and scaffold one day and house the second morning if the tobacco yeué
is properly wilted. ycuc
After the tobacco has properly wilted and housing has begun, fill IOW
the barn as quickly as possible. This practice tends to promote uni- are _
formity in curing. For curing in August and September, place the sticks um]
12 to 14 inches apart on the tiers. In housing tobacco in late September Hu 1
it is advisable to place the sticks from 8 to 10 inches apart on the tiers. mqu
The tails of the tobacco should not lap over the butts of that on the Very
tier below. Very large tobacco may be housed by alternate hanging `Vhil
of the sticks so that the tails hang freely between the butts of that hous
on the lower tier. It is also a good practice when housing to space the
plants uniformly on the sticks and shake out any folded or matted V
leaves. This promotes free circulation of air and lessens the danger to al
of houseburn. It is helpful also to leave a few places in the barn where Bring
one can climb up in the tobacco and inspect it frequently. Hm
Although the tobacco plant has been cut and hung in the barn, the t€mP
leaf cells are still alive and chemical changes are still taking place. This
These chemical changes are necessary for a proper cure and require be 3
definite temperatures. If the temperature drops below 60°, the curing   shou
process or yellowing virtually stops and the tobacco may continue t0 Colm
dry out but is not cured. If the temperature goes much above lOO°
undesirable colors may be permanently “set” and the desired color L V
usually cannot then be obtained. Since the bottom tier is not repre- to b
sentative of temperature up in the barn, the thermometer should be l d A
placed well up in the housed tobacco.   hx;
SOFT-CURING DARK-FIRED TOBACCO   main
Since the experiments conducted at the Princeton Substation have l HWY
shown that there is no significant difference in the two methods Ol} it $h<
4  

 and curing, the following may be used as a guide in curing dark—Iired to-
rnts , bacco by the “soft” or “slow” cure method.
gms V Spocing
.ted  A Give plants as much space in fire curing as in air curing. As a
lble A general rule, Eve or six plants may be put on each stick and the sticks
the spaced about 12 to 14 inches apart on the tiers. Fill the barn quickly
able after harvest has begun to assure even yellowing and ease in curing.
but It is not a good practice to house green tobacco with partially yellowed
that tobacco unless you plan to air-cure the first harvest until the late cut-
rom . ting has properly yellowed.
ned _ Yellowing
6 to The degree of yellowing before Hres are started has a direct in- l
rlap  i iluence on the color of the cured leaf. A brighter (browner) color is .
MSB desired on thin leaves than on heavy bodied leaves. Therefore, the
iS to body of the tobacco when put in the barn should govern the degree of
MCO yellowing before Hres are started. If weather conditions will permit,
yellow without using fires. If the temperature falls below 70°, add
M EU low heat to bring barn temperature to 78°- 82°. If weather conditions
unt ; are favorable for yellowing, delay fires under heavy—bodied tobacco
ticks until yellow spots appear. If tobacco leaves are thin, start fires when
Tiber all leaves are yellowed and the ripest plants begin to color. Time  
Um- required for yellowing may range from 5 to 8 days. In cool weather, ¤
l the very small fires may be necessary to cause tobacco to yellow properly, I
lglng while in warm, wet weather, open dry Hres may be needed to prevent
that 1 houseburn.  
6 the Coloring I
amd When yellowing is practically completed, brown spots will begin
mger to appear on most of the leaves. At this stage the tobacco is ready for I
Vhm firing and normally all ventilators should be closed. Begin with small '
fires as only enough heat should be used in the coloring to bring the
L th° temperature up to 80° to 90°, depending on the outside temperature. l
?la?€' This will usually require 6 to 8 hours. The temperature should not i
lqllml he allowed to exceed lOO°, A relative humidity of S5 to 88 percent .
Ugg Should be maintained until the leaf web begins to show a clear solid l
-u color. ?
Jill °~‘··¤_ . . . F
mpw When the tobacco on the bottom tier has turned brown, lt 1S time
pld be to begm driving the moisture out. Gradually bring the humldlty
` down by increasing the ventilation, and if necessary the fires, until a
humidity of 78 to 80 percent is reached. These conditions should be
maintained as closely as possible. The temperature during this period
, have may VQTY greatly as a result of outside weather conditions; however,
yds of A it should be kept at least 80° but not allowed to exceed 100°. These
5

 conditions should be maintained until the midribs color and darken, I mp
If the moisture is driven off too fast the midribs will cure up brighter I HM
than the leaf. y whe
Durkening Stems and Veins . dry.
If at this period the leaf has a solid color, continue with conditions I  
as outlined under “drying.” If the color is not running solid, i.e. has 3 ` the
greenish tinge or other off colors, allow the tobacco to come in order, and
and then proceed as outlined under “drying.” This procedure can be aut
repeated as many times as is necessary to obtain a solid color. ln Les;
bringing the tobacco in order, if weather conditions are such that the and
tobacco will not come in order within 12 to 18 hours, after pulling the e will
Hres, spray the walls of the barn, the floor under the tobacco and the be I
tails of the bottom tier if necessary to bring it in order. This can be whe
repeated as often as necessary to get a solid color. After a solid color
is obtained, proceed with temperature and humidity as described _
under “drying." _
Careful observation should be made during this period of curing, I
and if mold appears on the stems the tobacco should be dried at once. lil
Finishing Lecf git;
VVhen the stems have darkened, temperatures of 80° to 85° should I The
be maintained for two to three weeks with a large volume of smoke. com
Because of weather conditions this is not always possible. Finishing eek);
tobacco is done much easier in damp weather when the tobacco is in  _ out
order. For that reason, take every opportunity when the tobacco is in OH t]
order, even light order, to fire it out with a heavy smoke with all the keep
ventilators on the barn closed. During this stage of curing only about g prac
half as many Hres are needed as in the first curing, and these should ‘ If sp
be very low so the tobacco will stay in order as long as possible. Dur- time
ing this period the sawdust and barn floor are usually kept wet at all r the S
times.  
As soon as firing is completed, the tobacco should be bulked douu .
to preserve the finish and flavor, which are usually lost if the tobacco J V
is left hanging in the barn. tobm
CURING UNDER LESS FAVORABLE CONDITIONS the l
The basic principles of curing do not change and every eifori l bam
should be made to adhere to these principles. There are no sub- e sP€Cl
stitutes for ripe tobacco, proper wilting and a tight barn. Tobaccv j mlatl
should be yellowed at a temperature of 75° to 80°. It should be colored I If th*
at a temperature of 80° to 950. Drying may be done at higher temper? I Call l
tures if necessary but not over 100°. Eegel
Curing in Warm Weather bamo
Dark tobacco harvested in late August or early September should  _ Wink
be wilted well before housing is begun. Yellowing is usually v€fl“ 
6 .

 T rapid in warm weather and fires should ordinarily be started by the
irkm fifth day after housing. Small fires should be used in coloring and
lghtel ; when using sawdust it should not be wet unless the tobacco begins to
 . dry too fast. Close observation is necessary, as sweating is a serious
V problem in warm—weather curing. It may be necessary under these
iti<>¤s W Conditions to keep the top ventilators open continuously and to use
has 6  ‘ the lower ventilators periodically to maintain the correct temperature
01‘