18 



to remain for 24 hours. As the filler tobacco is bulked each layer should 

 be sprayed with this preparation, using a fine atomizer for the purpose. 

 This should be done with great care, as the idea is simply to give the 

 tobacco a rich aroma, such as is found in the best Cuban goods. 



These bulks are turned or rebulked from time to time as may be 

 required. When the tobacco is sufficiently cured and aged it is made 

 up into Cuban carrots and baled. At this stage the odor of the petune 

 used may be noticeable, but after the tobacco has remained in the bale 

 for two or three months it can not be detected. The tobacco will have 

 a rich aroma similar to the imported Cuban tobacco. The upper 

 grades, that is the wrappers, should in no case be petuned, only the 

 fillers or low grades being so treated. 



All trashy, flimsy tobacco should be thrown out, and only the good, 

 clean leaves put in carrots. The badly torn and trashy tobacco should 

 be put through a hard sweat. These goods should be petuned liber- 

 ally, thoroughly cured, and stemmed: that is, the stem should be taken 

 out, leaving about 2 inches of stem at the tip of the leaf. The 

 leaves should then be carefully smoothed out and put into pads, called 

 by the trade 'M:>ook d fillers." These are placed on screens and allowed 

 to become quite dry. They are then taken up and put in cases, care 

 being taken to keep the pads straight and all the tips of the leaves 

 pointing in the same direction. As this tobacco is placed in the case 

 it should again be petuned, using a fine atomizer and lightly blowing 

 each layer. The tobacco remains in these cases three or four days, by 

 which time the petune will be thoroughly taken up by the tobacco. 

 Then the tobacco should be baled. In baling great care should be used 

 to keep the pads straight, and the tips of the leaves should point to 

 the center of the bale. In making '^book d fillers" many scraps or 

 small pieces of leaves — too small to put in the "book <^?" goods — will 

 accumulate. These scraps,- or j)icadura, as they are called by the trade, 

 should be thoroughly cleaned, picking out all stems and shaking the 

 scraps in a coarse sieve, thus getting out all sand, etc. Spread out 

 and allow the scraps to become dry, after which pack them up in cases, 

 petuning with the same care as with the ''book d fillers." Allow them 

 to remain in the cases two or three days and then bale. 



As to the care of the tobacco after it is baled, that depends on the 

 condition of the weather and the nature of the tobacco. The bales 

 containing wrappers should be stored in a cool place, so that fermenta- 

 tion will cease. The bale should be stood on one end for the first two 

 or three weeks after baling, reversing it about three times each week. 

 After that time the bales may be laid flat and stacked three or four 

 deep, reversing this position at least once each week until the tobacco 

 has become well aged and dried out. After this, only a general care is 

 necessary. The low grades, when it is desired that some fermentation 

 should go on even after the tobacco is baled, should be stored' in a close 

 warm room and stacked about four bales deep. The i)osition of these 



