No. 4.] TOBACCO CULTURE. 363 



Assorting. 



The assorting of the crop requires great care and good 

 judgment, and each grade should be uniform. I usually 

 make seven grades, viz. : h)ng wrapper, short wrapper, dark 

 wrapper, long binder, short binder, top leaves, and tillers. 



The long wrapper consists of the perfect long leaves of 

 good color and quality ; the short wrapper, the shorter per- 

 fect leaves, including the perfect light ground leaves ; the 

 dark wrapper, the dark colored and heavier large leaves ; the 

 binders, those not fit for wrappers in color and soundness, 

 sized in length for appearance mostly ; top leaves, the short 

 top and heavy leaves, unfit for a binder, unavoidably 

 heavier and darker and requiring a heavier sweat ; the fillers 

 are the bottom leaves and those not sound enough for 

 binders. They rarely bring enough to the grower to pay 

 for tying up, and are usually pressed into a case loose and 

 sold to manufacturers to be made into snuff or fine cut, or 

 for export. 



After assorting it is tied in hands containing from twelve 

 to fifteen leaves in a hand, using the strong tip leaves for 

 tiers ; it is then rebundled in paper and cither sold to dealers 

 or packed in cases, as the grower can find a customer or not. 

 Very often the grower sells his crop in the bundle to the 

 packer, who attends to assorting in his own shop. This is 

 usualh^ the l)cst way to dispose of the crop, as but few 

 growers can assort it to suit the packer, and as the trade 

 now is, the grower is eventually obliged to dispose of his 

 crop to the packer or dealer. 



Packixg. 



In packing, good judgment must be exercised, and educa- 

 tion is often bought very dearly by experience, many a crop 

 being ruined by being cased too wet, or too dry, or too heavy. 



The size of the case is governed 1)y the length of the 

 tobacco. From thirty by thirty-six to thirty hy forty-two 

 inches is the usual size. From 300 to 375 pounds are pressed 

 into a case. It should be lapped enough so that the pressure 

 shall be as heavy in the centre as at the ends. One inch 

 space should be left between the ends of the hands and the 



