232 TOBACCO. 



admit of their manipulation witliout "breaking. For this 

 purpose, the bunches (" hands ") are separated, and the 

 leaves are scattered loosely upon a portion of the floor of 

 the factory, recessed to retain the moisture. A quantity 

 of water, which has been accurately proportioned to 

 the absorbing qualities of the leaf used, and to the 

 weight present, is applied through a fine-rosed watering- 

 pot, and the mass is left usually for about 24 hours, that 

 damped on one morning being ready for working on the 

 following morning. In England, water alone is ad- 

 missible (by legislative enactment) for damping, except 

 in special cases to be noted subsequently ; but abroad, 

 many " sauces " are in vogue, their chief ingredients 

 being salt, sal ammoniac, and sugar. 



Stripping and Sorting. — Quantities of leaf-tobacco are 

 shipped in a condition deprived of their stem and midrib, 

 and are then known as " stripts." Those which are not 

 received in this state, after having been damped, are 

 passed through the hands of workmen, who fold each 

 leaf edge to edge, and rip out the midrib by a deft twirl 

 of the fingers, classifying the two halves of each leaf, 

 and ranging the sorts in separate piles as smooth as 

 possible. The value of the leaf greatly depends upon 

 the dexterity with which the stripping is done, as the 

 slightest tear deteriorates it. Stripts require sorting 

 only. The largest and strongest leaves are selected for 

 cutting and spinning; the best-shaped are reserved for 

 the wrappers of cigars ; broken and defective pieces form 

 fillers for cigars ; and the ribs are ground to make snuff. 

 For the manufacture of " bird's-ej'^e " smoking-tobacco, 

 the leaves are used without being previously stripped. 



