CLASSIFICATION AND MARKETS. 59 



Of the Western tobacco, about half is Barley, and the 

 demand for that type is rapidly increasing. This is 

 manifested in the changes made for the requirement of 

 the French Regie, for 1896, which called for 8,038,530 

 pounds of Burley, as against 5,894,922 pounds in 1895; 

 1,339,755 pounds of heavy Kentucky, as against 1,607,706 

 pounds in 1895; 8,842,383 pounds of light Kentucky, 

 as against 15,005,256 pounds in 1895; and 1,607,706 

 pounds Virginia, as against 2,277,584 pounds in 1895. 

 The demand for Burley was increased by about 2000 

 hogsheads. The demand for Maryland tobacco was also 

 increased, but no call was made for the tobacco of north- 

 eastern Ohio. 



It will be seen that there is a considerable varia- 

 tion in the character of the tobacco taken by the French 

 Regie. Usually the French demand may be reduced to 

 two distinct lines of classification, as heavy and light, 

 with considerable irregularity as to grade, and deficiency 

 as to distinctiveness in type. Two things are usually 

 insisted upon: The stem must be absolutely free from 

 mold, and the leaf must be supple enough to open freely. 

 There are types of both heavy and light, known as A's, 

 B's and C's. Type A consists of a leaf from twenty- 

 three to twenty-five inches long, of moderately smooth 

 appearance, dark brown in color, and heavy or light, ac- 

 cording to the classification. This type is supplied by 

 White Burley, Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee to- 

 bacco. Type B is of the same quality as type A, except 

 as to length, which may be from eighteen to twenty-two 

 inches. Type C consists of good, sound, clear lugs, or 

 common leaf of moderately heavy body, running from 

 the Clarksville and western Kentucky type of medium 

 weight and body, to the lower Green River product 

 of medium weight of body. 



It is said that France puts up the best smoking to- 

 bacco in Europe, and the product is made absolutely 



