Abstract: A system for minimizing manual handling of tobacco leaves for bulk cure comprises a container for use in forced air curing of tobacco in bulk, a kiln having a floor arrangement to effect better control of air flow in achieving forced air cure in such containers and apparatus to facilitate handling of containers from the field, placement in and removal from a kiln. The bulk cure container sidewalls have a plurality of projections to define internally of the container a plurality of obstructions which impede the flow of air along container sidewall interior filled with tobacco in bulk form. The kiln has a floor arrangement which provides a plurality of cavities adapted to sealingly engage container bottoms. The apparatus for handling the containers includes a mobile frame supporting a pair of spaced-apart rails. Such rails cooperate with corresponding pairs of rails in kiln so as to be interconnectable therewith.