618 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



be determined under north light. A final separation should also be 

 made to thick, thin, and medium leaves. The more perfectly this 

 final separation and assortment is made the higher will be the prices 

 obtained for the crop. It is well to remember that the selling price 

 of a bale of tobacco is governed by the quality of the lowest grade 

 in the bale, and when finally prepared for marketing each bale must 

 be marked to indicate what the lowest grade in the bale is, and the 

 mark on the outside of the bale must be true. 



After this final sorting has been completed the tobacco should 

 again be made up into hands of smaller size, not to exceed from 1 

 inch to 1% inches in diameter at the butts. No leaf should be placed 

 flat in the hand whether previous to fermentation or previous to 

 baling. It must be opened and flattened by the sorter to determine 

 the size, color, shape, and other characteristics, but when these are 

 determined the leaf should be drawn through the fingers to close it 

 back to its natural condition. Great care should be exercised in 

 forming the hand of the finally assorted tobacco, because the neat- 

 ness of the bundle always adds to the attractiveness and selling price. 



Baling. The size of the tobacco bale varies according to the 

 type of tobacco. The weight of the Sumatra tobacco bale varies 

 from 175 to 200 pounds, the Cuban from 90 to 100 pounds. The 

 bale of either type should be about a foot in thickness after being 

 compressed. The other dimensions depend in some measure upon 

 what tobacco is available, long leaves requiring bales of larger size 

 than a smaller average leaf. Every tobacco company should adopt 

 a standard and adhere to it. 



A second fermentation takes place in the bale. It is a slower one 

 and the temperatures do not rise very high, but it seems to be quite 

 important in fixing character in the leaf. This second fermentation 

 mellows the tobacco and tends to improve the aroma. The bales 

 should be placed in the warehouse for at least six months before 

 selling. The warehouse should be clean, dry, and cool, and no other 

 goods stored with the tobacco. Tobacco very readily absorbs bad 

 odors, and may be ruined by lack of cleanliness at any stage in its 

 curing, fermenting, or warehousing. In the warehouse the bales 

 should not be piled in tiers of more than four or five deep, and should 

 be occasionally handled over and examined to see that moisture con- 

 ditions are right. Even in the bale there is still danger of loss 

 through too much moisture. 



Every ounce of tobacco leaf is salable. There is absolutely no 

 waste in this crop from the time when the tobacco is gathered in 

 the field. Even moldy tobacco if baled by itself has value, and can 

 be disposed of at prices which will pay for the handling. 



Quality. The quality of the tobacco is judged largely by the 

 burning qualities of the leaf, the elasticity, the flavor, the quality 

 and color of the stem, and the quality and color of the veins, the 

 general texture and thickness of the leaf, the substance and nature 

 of the gum in the leaf, the quality of the leaf, whether coarse, harsh, 

 fine or silky, and toughness and behavior when handled, color of the 



