Stick for curing tobacco.

Application filed. June 5, 1908. Serial No. 436,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James Gibson Sitakon, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Quincy, in the county of Gadsden 5 and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sticks for Curing Tobacco, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved tobacco io stick for use in suspending the leaves of tobacco for curing them, the object of the invention being to provide an improved device of this character which may be very quickly filled and locked and which will serve to 15 hold each leaf firmly and securely and keep it separated from the other leaves, and thereby avoid damage to the leaves while curing the same and also avoid damaging the leaves while they are being removed from the stick. 20 With the above and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:—Figure 25 1 is a plan view of a tobacco stick constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one bar or section of the stick, tobacco leaves being shown attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view 30 of my improved tobacco leaf curing stick.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the same showing the sections or bars separated. Fig. δ is a perspective view illustrating a modified construction.

In the- construction of my improved leaf tobacco curing stick I employ a pair of bars or sections 1, 2 which are detachably secured together at their ends by clips 3. In practice these clips are made of suitable metal 40 and are preferably galvanized to prevent them from rusting and to facilitate their application to and removal from the ends of the bars of the stick. The bar or section 1 is recessed upon its inner side nearly from end 45 to end to form an opening 4 between it and the bar 2 and to also form shoulders 5 at its ends to come in contact with the end portions of the bar or section 2. The bars or sections of the stick are preferably made of 50 wood. Their opposing inner edges are rabbeted as at 6 to receive the flange portions of channel bars or plates 7, 8 which are respectively attached to the bars or sections 1, 2. These channel bars or plates may be made of 55 tin or other suitable sheet metal and are preferably made of a metal or plated with metal which, will not corrode. They form reinforces for the opposing edges of the bars or sections of the stick and greatly strengthen the construction of such bars or (;o sections as will be understood and thereby enable the stick to readily bear the weight of the leaves suspended therefrom.

The channel, bar or plate 7 is provided with pins or prongs 9 which within the scope G5 of my invention may be of any suitable construction and are here shown as headed pins and having their heads disposed against the inner side of said channel plate or bar 7. The bar or section 2 of the stick is provided 70 with openings or recesses 10 in its inner edge to receive the points of the prongs or pins 9 and the plate 8 has similar openings for the same purpose. Within the scope of my invention the bar or section 2 may have a 75 series of openings for the reception of the prongs or pins of the other bar as shown in Fig. 4 or it may have a single continuous slot 11 for the same purpose as shown in Fig. 5. I do not desire to limit myself in this so particular. Each clip 3 is composed of two substantially U-shaped sections 13, 14 which are pivotally connected together as at 15. The sections” 14 of the clips are secured to the ends of the bar or section 1 and the sec- 85 tions 13 of the clips may be turned to engage or disengage the bar 2 as is clearly indicated in the drawings.