13(J THE CULTURE OE TO B AC CO. 



Tobacco intended for tlie Ent,'Hsh uiavket is packed as dry a^ 

 possible, because of tlie high chity in that cfiunti'v. In the case of 

 most tobaccos for this maiket the weight is i-e(bice(l Ijy the removal of 

 the stems. 



Stemming i>k Stritping. 



The tobacco is placed in a very moist condition, and the stem, or 

 all of it with the exception (jf a few inches at the tail end, is removed 

 by one motion of the hand. The leaf, oi' strip as it is then called, is 

 then rxm through the oi'dering machine and is packed in hogsheads in 

 as dry a condition as possible. Most of this stennning is done by 

 women and children, who ai-e paid by the quantity of woik completed. 

 An expei't stemmei' can i-emove the stems from two hundi-ed and fifty 

 to three hundi'ed pounds of tobacco in a day. The stems average 

 from twenty to twenty-five per cent, of the tolial weight of the leaf. 

 There is also a wastage resulting from bi'oken leaves of about five per 

 cent, of the total weight. This bioken tobacco, or scrap as it is called, 

 is sold to tobacco factoi'ies tor the purpose of manufacturing 

 gi'anulated smoking tobacco. The stems are used foi- making sheep 

 dip and feitilizeis. Stems aie also ciushed and cut up for mixing 

 with the cheaper gi-ades of pipe tobaccos, and they may also be used 

 for the purpose of making cheap snuff. 



Machines have been invented foi' the stemming oi' stiipping of 

 tobacco. None of these machines have as yet reached perfection or 

 come into general use. It is very probaljle that a machine that 

 will do the work in a satisfactory manner will be the product of 

 the next few :ears. 



SOME OF THE CHEMISTRY OF THE 



TOBACCO PLANT AND ITS RELATION TO THE 



FERTILIZERS USED. 



Toliacco is fertilized for the pnjduction <.f quantity and for 

 the development of quality. Fertilization of the soil for the pro- 

 duction of quantity is a simple matter, and no more difficult than 

 the fertilization of the land for large crops of Mdieat, hay, or 

 maize. But the (quality of the tobacco produced, lying deep in 

 the shadow of nature's secrets, and lieing of vastly more importance 

 than the quantity, is a far more difliicult thing to control. Tobacco 

 that does not meet with approval for hmiian consumption is unfor- 

 tunately of httle value for other purpo.ses. The quality of the 

 potato can be largely decided by a determination of its starch 

 content ; the (luality of maize may be estimated bv chemical tests 

 to determine its starch, protein, and fat percentage ; but the 

 quality of tobacco cannot be determined bv a cheuncal analysis 

 but only by the senses of man. ('ol..ur, ' te.xture, size, aroma' 

 flavour and combustibdity are the points by which the quality of 

 tobacco is estimated. 



The different salts and compounds in the leaf, both organic and 

 inorganic, are known to have a great effect on all of these'^ditferent 

 qualities, Ijut the actK.u of each one of tliem is as vet not completelv 

 understood. Some farts regarding the action ' of the different 



