PRODUCTION AND COMMERCE. 153 



submit to any other manipulation than the sampling of 

 packages, after which they are forwarded to the factories 

 in such quantities as may be demanded. With the 

 indigenous tobacco the course is different; this when 

 received from the hands of the French grower is usually 

 very imperfectly dried, and has to be subjected to a 

 curing process. After the bundles are thoroughly 

 thrashed, they are put in heaps according to maturity, and 

 fermented in a temperature as high as 30 to 40 Centi- 

 grade. This maturation lasts from six to nine months, 

 depending upon the locality, and the condition of the 

 leaves as received, and is interrupted from time to time 

 by the operation of shaking and turning in order to pre- 

 vent too great fermentation. "When this fermentation is 

 concluded, those leaves containing less than twenty per 

 cent, of water are ready to be packed. At this point cer- 

 tain of the leaves undergo a stemming process ; they are 

 then packed by hydraulic pressure in bales and hogsheads 

 weighing from 400 to 500 Mo. each, and in this state 

 they remain stored in the magazine for some months to 

 acquire further ripeness. It is usually 15-18 months 

 after they are gathered that the leaves are considered to 

 be in a fit condition to be sent to the manufactory. Upon 

 arrival at the manufactory, the packages are sorted and 

 emptied; the leaves are spread out in large bins or receive 

 a preparatory wetting with water containing 10 per cent. 

 of sea salt, in order to produce flexibility and prevent 

 powdering. This process occupies 24 hours. Then 

 follows the sorting according to quality, and the distribu- 

 tion to the various workrooms for composition. 



When intended for the manufacture of snuff, the leaves 



