84 TOBACCO. 



highly prejudicial. The leaves of the same plant are not 

 all of the "same quality, neither do they all at the same 

 time acquire the same degree of ripeness. Those of the 

 crown, or the pairs at the top of the plant, immediately 

 next the flower or seed, receive the sun direct on their 

 upper surface, and are the first to ripen, whereas the 

 lower ones, being shaded by the upper ones, remain still 

 in an unripe state ; moreover, the lower leaves at the foot 

 of the plant, and even those of the fifth or fourth pairs 

 (mancuernas), compared with those of the first, second, 

 and third pairs, are inferior in quality, and, comparatively 

 speaking, may be termed leaves without substance. The 

 contact of these leaves with the upper ones frequently 

 occasions putrid fermentation on the poles (cujes) and 

 in the packs (this is vulgarly called sahorno), especially if 

 there is much dampness in the atmosphere. When this 

 misfortune happens in a tobacco curing-house all the weak 

 leaves will be lost, and the strong ones will be so injured 

 that the best quality of capa would turn to tripa, and that 

 of bad consistency. 



" The cause of this destruction, from which the veguero 

 sufiers more or less in the best of crops, may be easily 

 explained. The curing of tobacco is nothing more than a 

 series of fermentations. It ferments on the poles (cujes), 

 ferments in the heaps (pilon), and ferments in the bales. 

 All these fermentations are requisite for obtaining a good 

 colour and smell, but it is better that each quality or con- 

 sistency of tobacco should ferment apart. Tobacco of 

 good strong quality, which is that produced by the upper 

 leaves, naturally suffers a much stronger fermentation 

 than the weak ones, because the former contain a larger 



