The smoker has the advantage and satisfaction 

 of knowing that not only does he get the benefit 

 of improved scientific knowledge and sanitary 

 conditions by which anything that might be 

 harmful or undesirable is removed, but that 

 handling the leaf in large quantities effects 

 great economics and procures for him the bene- 

 fit of choicest selected grades at a reduced cost. 



It may be said here incidentally that leaves 

 of the very best tobaccos which are defective 

 merely in size, or color, etc., are put through 

 exactly the same processes as the choicer 

 quality leaves, and are used in the manufacture 

 of the popular priced machine-made "little 

 cigars" and "cheroots." 



It will be necessary now to digress for a 

 short time and consider what happens during 

 the process of fermentation. 



FEEMENTATION OF TOBACCO 

 The fermenting of tobacco leaf has for its 

 principal objects, (1) the removal of acrid 

 matters, (2) the fixing of the color, and (3) 

 the production of flavor. Fermentation can 

 only take place under suitable conditions of heat 

 and moisture, and is essentially a chemical pro- 

 cess during which certain organic compounds 

 stored in the plant are split up and others 

 formed. 



79 



