The picture shows the fermentation sheds in Padang-Boelan, a plantation located to the east of Medan. The fermentation sheds were permanent structures and had a strong wooden floor to bear the weight of the tobacco stacked in huge piles. Workers had to monitor the temperature carefully during fermentation. The temperature in these piles was recorded by thermometers kept in bamboo tubes reaching into the middle of the pile. As soon as the heat reached a certain level, the piles were taken down and tobacco leaves bedded down again in a new pile. In this manner, many piles were created and the final one could be tall and consist of nearly twenty to thirty metric tonnes of tobacco.
