SORTING OF LEAVES. 271 



consideration in the factories, some of them receiving large 

 pay ; thus for instance, the official escojedor, or chooser, gets 

 from five to seven dollars (gold) per day, and the torcedores, or 

 twisters, from two to four, the workmen being paid so much 

 per thousand cigars, generally from two to four dollars. To 

 show how very careful the maker must be in cutting out the 

 leaf to make the most of it : Mr. del Yalle was explaining 

 to me the process of manufacture, arid directed the maker 

 to cut the leaf. This the man did drawing his knife in the 

 manner denoted by the dotted lines in the engraving. This 

 it appears was not making the most 

 of the fine part of the leaf, for Mr. 

 del Yalle. annoyed, took the knife 

 himself, and after rating the maker 

 soundly for his carelessness, showed 

 him how to cut it properly, as defined 

 by the black line, the difference 

 being, as far as I could judge, a slight 

 TOBACCO LEAF. inequality of color between the two 



parts. The manufacture of the cigar 



is very simple. The cigar maker, being seated before a low 

 work table, which has raised ledges on every side except that 

 nearest him, takes a leaf of tobacco, spreads it out smoothly 

 before him, and cuts it as in the drawing. He then lays a 

 few fragments of tobacco (tripa) in the centre or a leaf strip 

 and rolls the whole into the shape of a cigar, and taking 

 then a wrapper, rolls it spirally around the cigar. If the 

 workman is skillful, he makes it of just the right length and 

 size, without any trimming of the knife. The cigars are 

 assorted, counted, and done up in bundles of generally 

 twenty-five each, and then packed in the boxes, ready for 

 market, under their different names of Londres, Regalias, 

 etc. These names are generally understood to have the 

 same meaning throughout the trade, the ' VeguerosJ for 

 instance, being the plantation cigars, made at the regas, and 

 much esteemed by smokers, though they are rarely to be 

 met with for sale, or, if so, at an exhorbitant price. The 

 'Regalia Imperial? the finest and best, is nearly seven 

 inches long, the price varying from one hundred and fifty 

 to three hundred dollars per thousand (gold). The ' Regalia ' 

 is not so large but fine, the ' Trabuco? short and thick ; the 

 * LondresJ the most convenient in shape, and most smoked 

 in this country and England ; the ' Dama J the small sized one 

 used by ladies(?) or by men between acts of the opera (entr* 



