CUBING. Ill 



and fingers, winding at the butt with a pliable leaf, 

 drawing the end through the hank to secure it." 



The Cuban system of sorting is described at considerable 

 length by Mitjen, whose remarks are interpreted by 

 Burton as follows. The operation consists in " separating 

 one from the other the different leaves, according to their 

 strength and quality, and dividing the produce of the 

 crop into various classes. These are, in practice, styled 

 Libra, 1st quality ; Quebrado, 2nd quality, broken ; 

 Injuriado de primer a; Injuriado de segunda, de tercera, de 

 cuarta, de quinta, de sexta, de setima; Libra de pie, and 

 capadura. 



" Under this classification it is presumed that attention 

 has been bestowed, not only to the special quality of the 

 leaf, but also to its size, and its state, whether whole or 

 broken ; but it is very seldom that exactness is found in 

 this classification, because but very few persons possess 

 the requisite skill which such a complicated mode of sort- 

 ing requires. Moreover, by the abuse of mixing in one 

 heap all kinds of leaves, frequently brought in from the 

 fields all mixed together, the proper sorting of tobacco 

 becomes a very complicated affair. 



" This kind of classification and nomenclature is, more- 

 over, absurd, and does not positively represent fixed 

 qualities, under the denomination of which, prices might 

 be arranged which would serve as a guide to the 

 merchant as well as the grower. In a word, the names, 

 with which the different qualities of tobacco are to-day 

 distinguished, signify nothing, and it is ridiculous to be 

 guided in business by them. Until this kind of classifica- 

 tion and nomenclature is changed, it is impossible to 



