What is the meaning of case weather?

Answer 1

Case weather is a tobacco farmer's term for the warming spell in WI. winter usually mid December creating damp air and fog. During this time, the tobacco plants that were cut in the fall and hung upside down on lathes then hung in a ventilated barn to dry are taken down and stacked in a steam room called the "strip room". This room has a wood stove with a big water reservoir on top. The leaves on the plants become warm and pliable "coming into case" in the steamy air and are stripped from the stalk and laid by hands-full into a press lined with brown paper. When the press is full a wooden top is put on and the leaves are pressed into a bale (about 40 # ) then wrapped with the paper and tied with string. These bales are inspected, priced and bought by the tobacco co. representatives.