THE MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO. 467 



long experience, good judgment, acquaintance with the 

 markets and with the tastes of the consumers. Two 

 weeks are required from the time the tobacco goes into 

 the factory until it conies out in the form of cigarettes. 



THE MAKING OF CIGARS. 



This is "'easy enough when you know how," but as 

 has been stated (Pages 71-75), the ins and outs of mak- 

 ing cigars are to be learned only by practical experience. 

 The selection of the qualities of leaf for the different 

 parts of the cigar requires a peculiar combination of ex- 

 perience, knowledge and taste, that brings to its happy 

 possessor a large salary in the great cigar factories. The 

 leaf, or part of ib for the cigar, is often treated with 

 sauces, or special preparations, to improve its quality, 

 to hide its inferiorities, or to suit certain tastes. It 

 must also be properly moistened to work nicely. In 

 Havana, Catalan wine is sometimes put in the water in 

 which fillers are immersed, to improve the quality. 



The regulations of the internal revenue bureau im- 

 pose strict accountability upon cigar makers, as well as 

 upon manufacturers of other leaf, for all of the tobacco 

 they use. Evasion of these rules is heavily punished, 

 and the system has been reduced to an almost perfect 

 state, to secure the utmost amount of revenue from the 

 taxes imposed, with the least interference with the 

 trade, or inconvenience to manufacturers. The maker 

 of cigars has to conform to government rules, and this 

 involves certain restrictions. The government even 

 limits the number of pounds of cigar leaf required for 

 certain purposes, and every bit of leaves, stems, waste, 

 etc., must be accounted for. The allowance is 25 

 pounds of .wrappers, binders and fillers for 1000 cigars. 

 The way in which this quantity is divided varies accord- 

 ing to the kind of cigars made and quality of product. 

 Two pounds of the very finest quality of Sumatran leaf 



