392 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo June, 191 i. 



16 ft. in length. This i.s inserted in a post or stump about 6 ins. 

 immediately over the press, blocks of wood are put on the lid of the 

 press, and the whole is pressed down by weighting the far end of the 

 lever with bags of sand, &c., until the tobacco is pressed to about i ft. 

 in depth. The lever and lid .are then removed and the box again filled to 

 the top. ' The process is repeated two or three times; and, previous to 

 the last pressure, a piece of hessian projecting 3 ins. on each side is placed 

 under the lid as it is put on the filled box, and after the tobacco is 

 pressed the lever is left on and the sides removed. The hessian on the 

 ground is then brought up to the top and sewn with twine to the piece 

 under the lid. The ends also should be sewn up. and haylashing is 

 placed round the whole close to each end, and round the centre, and drawn 

 tightly. It is also wise to rope round the bale longitudinally, where the 

 tobacco has to be taken any distance. 



Each bale should be branded with the grade of leaf contained, and 

 also numbered as it is finished, so that any one can be selected if required 

 for sampling or inspection. The bales should be stacked on a wooden 

 floor or platform and kept square, exposing as little surface as possible, 

 and covered with bags or hessian until sent to market. A bale should 

 contain from 150 lbs. to 250 lbs. 



BALED TOBACCO READY FOR MARKET. OPENED PRESS AT BACK. 



^^'here tobacco is prepared for export, packing in casks is preferable, 

 the tobacco being less likely to become damaged or wasted. Each cask 

 will hold from 1,200 lbs. to 1,800 lbs. of tobacco, the dimensions being 

 4 ft. 8 in. high, by 4 ft. diameter at the bottom and 3 ft. 6 in. 011 the top. 

 When packing in the cask the smaller end is on the ground and the tobacco 

 stacked in layers round the interior, the butts of the bundles or hands 

 being kept to the outside and the middle well filled. Pressure is applied 

 three times. The lid is forced down below the top about 3 ins. during 

 the final pressure, and a hoop nailed round inside the top to keep it in 

 place. The weight of the cask, including the lid and hoops, should be 

 taken before commencing operations so that the exact tare can be 

 estimated when weighing. 



The object of having the cask bigger in diameter at one end is for 

 the purpose of sampling. The outside hoops are cut on the larger ends 

 and the cask lifted off the tobacco, when inspection is required. Casks 



