ALKON NEWS
BULK CURING EDITION
Alkon: Pioneering manufacturer of tobacco bulk curing equipment; Continued leadership through proven engineering improvements.
_ January, February, March, 1961 No. 1
Vol.I
ALKON INDUSTRIES
MANUFACTURES
HASSLER SYSTEMS
Alkon Industries, Inc., is en
gaged in the manufarture and
sale of all types of steel build
ings, ineluding the "Ilassler" cur
ing systems for the hulk curingof
Flue-eured tobacco. With more
experimental tests, the curing
systems may Tie adapted to cure
other crops such as: peanuts,
sweet potatoes, peppers, and
perhaps grain. However, the
Ilassler system is manufactured
for the primary purpose of cur
ing Flue-eured tobacco. For the
time being, any other uses of
the system w ill be at the risk of
the user.
Alkon Industries, Inc., is
proud of its pioneering develop
ment work carried on with North
Carolina State College over tin
past several years, in develop
ing a fire-resistant building for
the “Ilassler” system.
Air-Handling Unit By
American Air Filter
Company, Inc.
Tlu' dependability of the
Hassler curing system for suc
cessfully curing tobacco is the
air-handling unit designed and
built according to Alkon’s speci
fications by the Herman Nelson
Division of American Air Filter
Company, one of the world’s
largest manufacturers of air
moving and beating equipment.
Several engineers have devoted
full time to perfecting the sys
tem. Every part of the Hassler
system has been made for a
reason and engineered to do a
specific job. That is why Alkon
industries can state that the
Hassler curing system will cure
Flue-cured tobacco with un
iformity and good quality when
properly operated.
YOUNG FARMERS
LIKE MECHANICAL
FARMING BETTER
Look about you and see the
age of the person who operates
the curing process on your farm.
How many young farmers un
der the age of 30 years can you
name? Aren’t most of the men
over 50 years of age? The I lass
ler curing system is another
step toward mechanizing the
farming operation. Young farm
ers are interested in mechanics,
and an easier way of doing
things. The day of ample, lab
orous hand labor is passing from
the American farm. This system
will help keep smart farm bovs
on the farm.
Official Specifications
Name:. Hassler curing system
Purpose: Prosifies a system (patent pending) for hulk curing Flue-cured
tobacco.
Method: Hot air from oil fired air handling unit is supplied to curing
chambers within the system through floor ducts; is distributed evenly
and forced up through tightly racked leases.
Temperatures, humidity, and air movement, are rn hanically or au
tomatically controlled.
Size: Curing chamber approximately 18' \ 12’ \ 8V; overall outside size
approximately 19’ x 24’ x Hty..
Amount: Handles corresponding amount of conventional 20' x 20’ barn.
Cures: Tests show average of 3 cures every 15 days.
Life: Concrete and steel—many years.
Upkeep: Only known upkeep would be for periodic cleaning and possible
adjustment of burner in oil firetl air handling unit.
Racks: 84 to each system.
)
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
...WITH PROVEN PERFORMANCE
(Hear view ot s\ slcm)
The Hassler Curing System has been
proven successful by farm tests.
Flue-cured Tobacco
Valuable, Perishable
Tin* Hassler curing system
lias been developed to properlv
handle and cure Fine-cured to
baeco. It is too valuable a cash
crop to damage or lose. Thous
ands upon thousands of dollars
lunc gone into the development
of this system. It works. The
Company extends a word of
caution about farmers trying to
improvise, or make any changes.
The system w ill be installed by
trained erecting crews and ready
to receive the tobacco. Every
thing about the system has been
carefully engineered for a rea
son . . . the size of the air duct
with the location of its openings,
the amount of air moved through
the tobacco, the size of the mo
tor. the location of the partitions
in the system, the size of the re
turn air duct, the controls on
the air-handling unit . . . all
have a definite purpose and
function.
Until such time as any change
from this system has been prov
en, it is suggested that no
“home-made” improvements be
made. If the system is tam
pered with in any way, it is
done at the user’s risk.
If competition comes on the
scene, two things should be
borne in mind. ( 1 ) The manu
facturer of Hassler system has a
patent pending. (2) The dis
tinguished John Huskin made
this statement: “There’s hardly
anything in the world that
someone can not make a little
worse and sell a little cheaper—
and the people who consider
price alone are this man’s law
ful prey.”
LADIES WILL
APPRECIATE
ADVANTAGES
Customs, at harvest time, vary
in different areas. In those
areas where the farm wife pre
pares the noon-dav meal for all
workers, it sometimes means
feeding 25 to 30 people a day.
This not only is a lot of work
hut also just about eleans out the
home freezer. (When full the
freezer has around $400 worth
of food in it.) Compare this
with the number of workers re
quired when the Hassler euring
system is used . . . two workers
at the system, or at most four, or
il the tobacco is placed in the
racks in the field, then no work
ers are required at the system.
Another important feature of
the Hassler euring system is the
important period between yel
lowing and color-setting. With
this system, the man responsible
for what happens in the system
can relax and let the tobacco ful
ly yellow (an extra half-day or
full day) before setting the col
or. Yes, sir, the man will not
have any reason to be so nervous
and anxious. He should be a lot
easier to get along with.
Systems Available
For 1961 Crop;
Charter Certificate
There will lx* approximately
250 to 300 systems avail
able ior the 1961 crop. It is
hoped that one or two farmers
in each eonntv throughout the
Flue-cured Belt will buy one or
more systems. This w ill give the
Company an opportunity to com
pletely service each system and
make sure that everything works
satisfactorily, arid will prove
conclusively that the Hassler
curing system is the building of
tomorrow . . . today. Every
farmer who buys a Hassler cur
ing system this year will be rec
ognized as a Charter Member in
the movement to modernize the
handling of Flue-cured tobacco
at curing time. He will re-,
ceive a Certificate showing his
leadership in the pioneering
stages, and can display it to his
friends, neighbors, children and
grand children.
Major Break-through
In Mechanically Curing
Flue-cured Tobacco
Ten years ago, Dr. Francis J. Hassler, head of the
agricultural engineering department, North Carolina
State College, Raleigh, N. C., became interested in the
farmer’s problems of curing tobacco. In the near future
hundreds of Flue-cured tobacco farmers will be curing
tobacco an entirely new way in a new-type system that
will bear his name. Dr. Hassler has helped bring about
what is possibly the most important technological
advance in Flue-cured tobacco production in 100 years.
HASSLER SYSTEM
PRICED AT $4,485
F.O.B. RALEIGH, N.C.
Across tlu> Flue-cured belt
from Virginia to Florida, the
one and only objection to the
new Hassler curing system that
has made itself known is the
price of the system.
So . . . lets talk about price.
This system is made of concrete
and steel, fire-resistant and will
last many years. Some farmers
sav they can build one cheaper.
They are thinking of building it
with wood. Alkon experimented
with wood, and found that un
der the extreme conditions of
moisture, temperature and air
How, which must operate under
a static head, the building
would not stand up for a satis
faetorv length of time.
The building, racks, parti
tions, and air-handling equip
ment weigh around 9.(X)0
pounds. It is the “insides” that
make up the major costs.
The price of $4,485 includes
complete erection on the farm
ready for receiving tobacco
plus freight from Raleigh, N. C.,
and applicable state sales and
use tax. (Dealers have details
on tax and freight rates.) All the
farmer has to provide is level
ground and have electric service
serv ice panel extended to the lo
cation of the system.
The price of the system is no
more than a large tractor, and
about half the cost of self-pro
pelled cotton picker. The basic
problem is that prices for what
the farmer sells are too low. The
Hassler system lends itself to
lowering production costs, and
enabling the farmer to keep a
few more dollars for himself.
I hr hist hulk curing test oc
curred at Oxford, N. C., in 1955.
This was expanded into a pilot
operation in 195S and 1959, and
the first farm test was conducted
in I960. It was farm tested by
the Stone Brothers of Robeson
County, N. C. Farmer interest
in the' new development was ex
tremely high . . . the' farm hav
ing been visited by upward of
5,000 persons.
Chief feature of the new sys
tem is that it eliminates the need
for stringing tobacco on sticks,
three or four leaves at a time.
The tobacco is handled initiallv
by the armful and later in racks
h o 1 cl i n g approximately 130
pounds of uncured leaves. Two
men can stand on the ground
and load and unload the two
tiers of racks.
The1 llassler curing system is
equipped with an air-handling
unit burning fuel oil, fan, air
ducts, and thermostat. The
size of the curing chamber is
approximately 18 feet by IS)a
feet and HU feet high. The ov er
all outside dimension is approxi
mately 19 by 24 feet. Hot air
brought in through floor ducts
is forced up through the tightlv
packed leaves. Controlled tem
perature', humidity, and air
movement produces a uniform
cure. It is a highly controlled
operation, almost automatic,
with human judgment mini
mized. (An operators manual
provided with each system gives
complete details.)
Alkon Establishes
Raleigh Office
Sales headquarters for the
Hassler curing system is 410
Oberlin Road, Raleigh, N. C.,
!’• O. Box 10712. Phone number
828-7111. Visitors welcome at
all times.
COMPARATIVE COSTS
Bulk Curing versus Conventional Curing
1800 lbs. cured CONVENTIONAL
$16.20 Stringing or Hacking 108.6 hrs.
IS hrs.
hrs.
BULK
@ $ .90
none
3.1 hrs. (a) .90 2.79
4.1 hrs. @ .90 3.69
none
25.2 hrs. (Labor) $22318
No. 2 fuel oil,
150 gals. @ 1 3<; 19.50
Loading
Watching
Unloading
Unstringing
Totals
Fuel
1S00 lbs. @ 63c $1,134.00 Tobacco Price
19.5 hrs.
1S.2 hrs.
S.6 hrs.
9.4 hrs.
164.3 hrs!
Kerosene,
2.30 gals.
1800 lbs.
(iw
@
fin
<fti
$ .65
.90
.90
.90
.65
(Labor)
@ 16<*
<fp 60<*
70.59
17.55
16.38
7.74
6.11
$118.37
36.80
$1,080.00
bAVlINiift: liulk Lured over Conventional Cured
Labor — $ 95.69
Fuel — 17.30
Tobacco Yield — 54.00
Total $166.99 per cure
6 Curings — $1,002.00 per season
v.ar’es different sections of the Belt, but the comparisons
will r>e in relative proportion. Substitute your own figures and see bow it
will work out for you. On your farm, you may have seven or possiblv
eight curings.