CONNECTICUT VALLEY CIGAR LEAF TOBACCO. 195 



ments by the packers. The hea\y shipments from July to December 

 1915, are the result of holding the 1914 crop for higher prices. Tobacco 

 was not high in price at this time, but, on account of the war, dealers 

 predicted a rapid rise in prices and held a large part of the crop. 



The shipments for May and June are small for the three years; and 

 July for 1916 and 1917. The sorting season is then over and the packers 

 store tobacco for fermentation by the natural process during the summer 

 months. 



Most of the tobacco received from outside sources comes in during 

 the months of November to February, when tobacco is being sorted. 

 The buyers frequently import tobacco from other localities to be sorted 

 in their shops. 



Records of shipments and receipts were obtained from South Deerfield, 

 Hadley, North Hatfield, Hatfield and Whately, Mass. Subtracting the 

 receipts from the shipments, for the tobacco received is included in that 

 shipped out, 9,866,000 pounds were shipped from these local stations in 

 1915; 8,288,680 pounds in 1916; 8,547,400 pounds in 1917. These 

 shipments amount to about 3,000,000 pounds less than the annual pro- 

 duction in Massachusetts, These 3,000,000 pounds not included in the 

 shipments are probably shipped from stations in Hampden County, 

 notably Westfield, Springfield and Chicopee. 



Grades, Standards and Principal Varieties. 



Tobaccos are divided into "classes," a "class" signifying the purpose 

 for which the product is finally intended. Thus we have pipe, cigar, 

 chewing, export and cigarette classes, and these are subdivided into 

 various "types," depending upon certain qualities of the leaf, such as 

 color, flavor, elasticity and strength. 



Further divisions into "grades" are almost endless in variety, based 

 on the differences in size, aroma, texture, quality, etc. 



^Vllile sizes and grades vary somewhat among different packers, the 

 following grades and sizes are common for sun -grown tobacco: — 



