100 TOBACCO. 



cutting, and when properly dried they show their grade 

 plain enough to sort. After heing stripped and sorted, 

 they are to be separately piled (' bulked ' some say) in 

 courses of leaves — 2, 4, or 6 tiers of leaves, stems end out, 

 and 3-4 feet high. The leaves should be kept straight in 

 all these handlings. The heap should be made up each 

 day separate, as it begins to make tobacco in 12 hours or 

 so, by fermenting, which is variously called ' curing,' 

 ' sweating,' ' conditioning,' &c. Soon as the heap begins 

 to get warm it should be re-piled, putting the inner tier 

 out so as to equalize the fermentation ; some re-pile several 

 times and some none ; but the fermentation should be kept 

 equal, and if covered with old sail-cloth it can be regu- 

 lated. This fermenting is allowed to proceed for 4-6 

 weeks by careful manufacturers ; as it is the process that 

 makes the tobacco to suit the taste of tobacco-epicures it 

 should be carefully done, yet many do it in a careless 

 manner, and thus have an article so poor as to not find 

 many lovers. At the end of the 4-6 weeks the Cuba 

 grower would have one side of each leaf slightly moistened 

 with the decoction of tobacco, which is made by letting 

 some leaves rot in clean water, and then he would tie it 

 up in hanks of 25 or 30 leaves, and hang one day for dry- 

 ing, then take it down and pack it in tight casks as being 

 best. From these leaves he would make the best Cuba 

 cigars. The Virginian grower would not wet his tobacco 

 after it had fermented, but simply tie it in hanks so that 

 5 or 6 would weigh a pound, and then pack it in his hogs- 

 heads for market ; and this, after it had lain from one to 

 six months in the 'conditioning bulks.' " 



Burton, translating from Mitjen, goes more fully into 



