17 



nuderstauds the classifying of tobacco to receive the light wrappers 

 and to go through them carefully and see that no leaves are put in that 

 do not rightly belong there. Each grade should be inspected in like 

 manner, after which it is handed over to the foreman of the tiers. It is 

 then tied into hands, thirty -five to forty leaves constituting a hand, 

 and packed carefully into cases, great care being taken to keep the 

 leaves even and smooth. The foreman should put a ticket on each case 

 to show its contents. The tobacco remains in these cases for three or 

 four days, hy which time the moisture in the leaf becomes uniform. 

 Then give the tobacco to the *' carrot'" makers, who will make it into 

 what is called Cuban carrots; that is, four hands are tied together, the 

 heads being evened and the tobacco wrapped from head to tip with 

 Cuban bast. Care should be taken to have the outside leaves very 

 smooth, thus making a neat 

 bundle of tobacco which 

 weighs from 1 to 1 J pounds, 

 according to the size of the 

 leaf, thickness, etc. As soon 

 as the carrots are made pro- 

 ceed to put them in bales, 

 eighty carrots constituting 

 a bale, the material used 

 being the same as is used 

 in Cuba (fig. 1). When the 

 package or bale is com- 

 plete, it is identical in ap- 

 pearance with those put up 

 in Havana. (See Pis. Y, 

 YI, YII.) 



As stated in the begin- 

 ning of this article, the to- 

 bacco is divided into three 

 grades when it is fi-rst re- 

 ceived into the packing house. The first handled is, of course, the 

 grade from which the light wrappers are to be made. In this final 

 selection there will be a lot of low-grade goods which must be used for 

 fillers, and of course these will not be suflBciently cured for baling. So 

 the low grade, or filler goods, are tied in hands and bulked down for 

 further curing. In making this bulk the tobacco should be "petuned,'' 

 if necessary. 



The following preparation is used as a petuning solution by the best 

 packers : To make a mixture of 5 gallons, use 2 gallons of lN"ew England 

 rum, 1 gallon of sour wine, one-half pint tincture valerian, 1 ounce of 

 oil of anise seed, one-half gallon black coii'ee, 1 ounce i:)ulverized cloves, 

 1 ounce pulverized cinnamon, 2 pounds licorice paste dissolved in water, 

 and suflicient water to make up 5 gallons. Mix this well and allow it 

 ^472—^^0. 62 2 



Fig. 1. 



-The Cuban press or baling frame with the sticks 

 and mallet used in the process. 



