134 WALL'S MANUAL 



about eight days. Next, break open your bulks, 

 spread the tobacco with the stems in one direction, 

 and dampen it with this water, in a gentle manner, 

 in order that it may not soak through the leaf, for, in 

 that case, the leaf would rot. A sponge is used in 

 Cuba for this delicate operation. Then tie the hanks 

 of from twenty- five to thirty leaves. 



This being done, spread the hanks in the tobacco 

 house for about twelve hours to air, in order that the 

 dampness may be removed, and afterward pack them 

 in casks or barrels, and head them tight, until you 

 wish to manufacture them. The object in dampening 

 the tobacco with this water is to give it elasticity, to 

 promote its burning free, to increase its fragrance, to 

 give it an aromatic smell, and to keep it always soft. 

 This is the great secret of curing tobacco for cigars, as 

 practiced in Cuba. 



We have here (St. Augustine, Florida) three cut- 

 tings from the original plant. The last will be of 

 rather weak quality, but which will be agreeable to 

 those who confine their smoking to weak tobacco. In 

 the "ratooning" of the plant, only one sprout ought 

 to be left ; all the other sprouts should be broken off 

 and destroyed. 



The houses necessary for curing this tobacco ought 

 to be roomy, with a passage- way running through 

 the center, from one extremity of the building to 

 the other, and pierced on both sides with a sufficient 

 number of doors and windows to make them per- 

 fectly airy. 



In order to obtain vigorous plants, the seed ought 

 to be procured from the original stalk, and not from 



