vni. D, 1 Jones: The Cigarette Beetle 13 



were made here from treated tobacco. The cigars were guarded 

 in this room against reinfestation, and all experiments referred 

 to as being made in a screened room were carried on here. 



PREPARATION OF FACTORY 



Before beginning the actual destruction of the cigarette beetle, 

 it is necessary to place the factory in a condition to prevent the 

 reinfestation of the treated stock. The first step is to free it 

 from all stages of the beetle, which may be accomplished with 

 hydrocyanic-acid gas in the manner hereafter described for the 

 fumigation of tobacco. 



In most cases in Manila, the drying, selecting, boxing, and 

 labeling of cigars are carried on in one work room, and experi- 

 ments have showTi that these rooms may be absolutely protected 

 after they are once freed from all stages of the beetle by cover- 

 ing the windows and doors with wire screens sufficiently fine 

 (not coarser than 10 meshes to 1 centimeter) to prevent the 

 passage of the adult beetles. Various sizes of mesh were tried 

 and up to 8-mesh to the centimeter the beetles passed through 

 readily. The 10-mesh was effective. The entrance to the com- 

 partment should have a screened vestibule with two screened 

 doors (Plate III, fig. 1). As a further precaution against rein- 

 festation, manufactured products should be kept in tin-lined 

 boxes instead of being piled promiscuously on the floor, as is 

 customary. The regular shipping boxes, which are tin-lined, 

 can be used for this purpose if it is undesirable to have a special 

 box. The cost of a tin-lined box large enough to hold 10,000 

 ordinary sized, boxed cigars is 7.50 pesos. 



For the treatment of the tobacco the manufacturer may choose 

 between fumigation and high or low temperature, but in either 

 case only competent persons should be employed to do the work. 

 In factories where steam drums are already installed, the latter 

 would perhaps be preferable, but it would be advisable also to 

 have a small compartment for fumigating the. wrapper tobacco, 

 for where the wrapper leaf is subjected to steam and an excess 

 of moisture results from condensation, it becomes darker in 

 color and less elastic. Cigars are classified in five grades in all 

 factories, on the basis of color. They are supposed to be mild 

 or strong according as the wrapper is light or dark, and are 

 designated as follows: claro, Colorado claro, Colorado, Colorado 

 maduro, and maduro. 



