“HOME-MADE CIGARS.” 287 
Havent got a light? Glad of it. Try a Vesuvian-r 
black and epee with blue. There’s ie byote tats pire 
for you! Now, in with it, after the approved style illus- 
trated by the two human hands engaged in lighting a cigar 
on the illuminated cover of the box. ‘Ugh! you say. Just 
60; you've got a mouthful of choice abominations, which will 
cost you much waste of saliva, several shivers, and the whole 
piece of tobacco you were about to enjoy. Here, put that 
away ; take another, light it quietly with this wax-vesta, or 
this wooden ‘spill, or this screw of paper; smoke gently, 
don’t let the fire out, and you'll be all right. In future, you 
may be wise enough to avoid cheap cigar-lights and pipe- 
lights, even for use in the streets. Our word upon it—they 
are far dearer than those which cost more.” 
The following description of “Home Made Cigars” is 
from All the Year Round, and will doubtless be read with 
interest by many growers of the weed who may recall sim- 
ilar scenes : 
“¢ Apropos of cigars,’ said Wilkins, lighting a second fra- 
ene Havana with the stump of the first, ‘let’s go and see the 
armer’s establishment for making them. You see that field 
of tobacco over yonder? Old Standish raises his own weed, 
dries it in the big open sheds behind the barn, cures it—I 
don’t quite know the whole process—and then has it made 
into sixes and short fives, Conchas and Cabanas, like a 
Cuban sefior. I went over the establishment about a year 
ago, and it is worth seeing.’ 
“We strolled first over to the tobacco field. The weed was 
then just at its full ripeness, and the long, flappy, delicately- 
furred green leaves bent gracefully over toward the ground, 
growing smaller and smaller the higher they were on the 
stout stalk. Few foreigners know that even as far north as 
New England, in the sunny valleys of Connecticut, sheltered 
as they are from the bleak east winds of the Atlantic 
and accustomed to a long and steady summer heat, to- 
bacco is grown in large quantities, flourishes exuberantly, 
and is one of the chief sources of profit to the farmers. It 
‘needs a rich warm soil and careful tending; but it gives in 
its growth, a sentimental reward to the cultivator; for it 
comes up gracefully, rapidly, and beautifully, and is with 
some care, one of the most satisfactory crops to handle. 
Having gazed at and tasted the thick leaves, we sauntered 
behind the barn, and there saw the long open shed, with 
