PREPAEATION AND USE. 245 



formed of pieces of leaf placed longitudinally, known as 

 " fillers," and a covering formed of perfect leaf, called the 

 " wrapper." Probably all the best cigars are made hy 

 hand, the only tools required being a short-bladed sharp 

 knife, a receptacle containing an emulsion of gum, and a 

 square wooden disc or " cutting-board." A portion of 

 perfect leaf is first shaped to form the wrapper of 

 the cigar ; then a bunch of fillers is moulded in the hand, 

 and rolled up tightly in the wrapper, the taper end being 

 secured by gumming. Expert workmen make the cigars 

 remarkably uniform in weight and shape. When made, 

 they are sorted according to colour, deftly trimmed at the 

 thick end, and placed in their boxes in cupboards heated 

 by gas-stoves to finally dry or season before being stored 

 for sale. 



In America, machinery is introduced wherever possible. 

 Moulds for shaping the cigars are made of hard wood, 

 sometimes partially lined with tin, and of every possible 

 size and form. A machine is made by Dubrul and Co., of 

 Cincinnati, for working 3 sets of moulds at once, 2 being 

 kept filled up under pressure while the 3rd is being filled, 

 or the bunches are being rolled up. A handy little 

 machine for rolling the fillers for cigars is that known as 

 Henneman's, made by Dubrul and Co. The demand for 

 scrap- made cigars, or those manufactured with short 

 fillers, has caused the introduction of machines for 

 cutting and sifting scrap. One made by Dubrul and Co. 

 is shown in Fig. 27. It consists essentially of a cy- 

 linder formed of hook-shaped, double-edged steel blades, 

 revolving against 3 series of fixed but adjustable steel 

 blades, thus permitting the size to be regulated at will. 



