CIGAR FACTORIES. 269 



those, and those only, that suit his taste. To the traveler in 

 Havana, this is easy enough, as he can there buy sample 

 boxes from any of the factories and of any of the brands. 

 There are, in addition to these hundreds of other cigar factories, 

 some of which, such as Cabargos, Figaros, Luetanos, Vic- 

 torias, etc., are first-class, three or four at least in whose 

 cigars every smoker may have perfect confidence, the brands 

 of which are known all over the world. These are : Cdbanos, 

 Uppmann and Partagas ; for whose brands, perhaps, one 

 pays something more, but has always the satisfaction of find- 

 ing them good. To the kindness of the gentlemen connected 

 with some of these factories I am indebted for most of the 

 information in this article, and particularly to Senor Don 

 Avulmo G. del Yalle, the present proprietor of the Cabanos 

 Factory, who was good enough to show me through his 

 establishment, carefully explaining to me its peculiarities. 

 As the process of manufacture and description of grades and 

 qualities are the same with all the best makers, I give here 

 a detailed history of this factory and its products. 



" The factory for Cabanos cigars has been established 

 seventy-two years the founder of it being Don Francisco 

 Cabanos, his son, Don deP. Cabanos, succeeding him, to whom 

 has succeeded his son-in-law, Senor del Valle, the present 

 proprietor and director of the factory. When it was founded, 

 the cigars were sold to the public in bundles of twenty, only 

 amounting to a total number per year, of four or five hun- 

 dred thousand cigars, the sales of which kept constantly 

 increasing until 1826, when there were sold two millions. 

 At this period the demand for exportation commenced, 

 increasing each year until 1848, when the number sold 

 amounted to three and a half millions. At this time, the 

 present director came in charge, and increased the sale to 

 eight millions per year, until, in 1866, the total sales by tins- 

 one house only, amounted to the enormous number of six- 

 teen million cigars, which went to different parts of the 

 world. The tobacco manipulated in this factory is, with 

 some few exceptions, that grown upon plantations in the 

 Yuelta Abojo, with the proprietors of which Senor del Yalle 

 has a special contract for their product. The most noted of 

 these places are known as ' La Lena] < San Juan aj Martin? 

 1 Los Pilotos? < Rio Hondo? The firm also own three vegas, 

 as do also Partagas, Uppmann, and others, in a greater or 

 less degree. The amount raised upon these vegas in connec- 

 tion with the Cabanos Factory, amounts to five thousand 



