210 



The World's Commercial Products 



can only be performed by men who have spent their whole lives in the trade. Mr. G. S. 

 Odium, of the Department of Agriculture for Southern Rhodesia, has summed up the 

 matter in the following words : "To become expert in the classification and grading of 

 tobacco requires life-long experience. All that the farmer can attempt to do is to place 

 all leaves of a certain size, quality, and colour together, and let the buyer classify them as he 

 wishes. This proper assortment of the leaf is one of the most important things .in the whole 

 of the tobacco business. A few leaves placed in the grade above where they belong will largely 

 destroy the selling value of the whole grade, and in case of doubt always place the leaf in the 

 grade below. Many farmers do not receive more than from one-half to three-quarters of the 

 value of their crop, for the reason that they. have neglected to properly classify and grade 

 their tobacco, and hundreds of shrewd -leaf dealers have made their fortunes by buying up 



this poorly graded tobacco 

 ancl re-grading it." 



A " Good " Tobacco 



To attempt to define a 

 "good" tobacco, or even to 

 enumerate its characteristics, 

 would probably be regarded as 

 presumption by the average 

 smoker, for each individual 

 consumer of tobacco is a law 

 unto himself on this important 

 point ! And to a very great 

 extent he is quite right in his 

 contention, for a tobacco re- 

 garded as ideal ,by one man 

 is quite unpalatable to another. 

 Persons leading a sedentary 

 life generally prefer a " mild " 

 tobacco, while those engaged 

 in active out-door employ- 

 ment are generally not content 

 unless provided with a strong 

 tobacco, and it is a =matter 

 •» .. . of common experience with 



sedentary workers to find that, during a prolonged holiday, in which they enjoy abundance 

 of active physical exercise, a strong tobacco which would have been refused by them under 

 ordinary conditions, is consumed with comfort. 



In the early days of the tobacco habit there can be little doubt that any tobacco which 

 would burn readily was considered suitable for consumption, and from the quality of the leaf 

 still used by many of the poorer and more primitive peoples of the world it would seem that 

 the idea is by no means extinct. The modern civilised smoker, however, demands a product 

 of good quality, and although the choice of a suitable tobacco is largely a matter of individual 

 taste, there are certain points upon which probably all smokers would agree. 



One of the most important characteristics of a tobacco is its flavour, a point of the utmost 

 importance when considering the suitability of any variety for cigar manufacture, and by 

 no means to be disregarded in the matter of pipe and cigarette tobaccos. The flavour must 

 be sweet and pleasant, and neither too mild nor too strong. In the manufacture of the best 

 cigars great care is taken to select tobaccos of good flavour for the body or " filler," and at 

 the present day the finest fillers are obtained from the Vuelta Abajo leaf, which is cultivated 



CUBA. CURING THE LEAF IN- THE OPEN AIR 



