a knife that is shaped like a tomahawk. Each plant is speared, spiked or spudded (the terminology depending on the geographic location) onto a stick topped by a metal spear, spike or spud that fits over the stick. Each stick will contain five or six stalks. Sticks of green-cut tobacco are most often allowed to field-wilt for three or four days prior to hanging in a barn. Tobacco is allowed to air-cure for eight or more weeks, turning from the normal pale green to yellow and then to brown. Burley that cures too quickly will retain some of the yellow pigments, as well as chemicals that normally break down with a slower cure. The quality achieved by U.S. burley producers is primarily due to natural curing conditions. Once fully cured burley is taken down, sticks are removed and leaves are stripped from the plant into grades by stalk position. Leaves are baled by grade and taken to a receiving station run by a tobacco manufacturer or leaf dealer. Sweetening Burley contains little sugar, and has generally been cased (sweetened) with humectants, sugars, or other flavors for uses such as in American blend cigarettes. As a result, a broad ban enacted by Canada and proposed in many other countries would block the import of nearly all tobacco products containing burley. The situation resembles a dispute between Asian producers and the United States, which banned clove cigarettes. For each nation, banning components typical of tobacco manufactured abroad provides a powerful trade advantage, but may be prohibited by GATT trade agreements. The effect on American producers is limited, but not negligible, as most Canadian imports were already of flue-cured Virginia tobacco. See also Types of tobacco Tobacco References Tobacco Pipe smoking