157 



ly together, then divide the whole bunch of leaves with the hand and 

 draw the tying-leaf through and close the bunch, thus securing the 

 leaves, afterwards place the hands in the press again. 



I am greatlv in favour of the foregoing method of bulking on ac- 

 count of the many advantages it possesses over the following, which is 

 bv some adopted as the usual method of curing at this stage: — 



Method 2. — If for want of room in the House or ou account of very 

 wet weather the Tobacco becomes mouldy and there be fear of losing 

 it, it should be put into the press at once. In such a case it should re- 

 main in the press not longer than is absolutely necessary for stripping 

 off the stalks and sorting the leaves, never beyond eight days, as the 

 dampness of the stalks spoils the leaves. The after-treatment is the 

 same as the first method. 



CHAPTER VII. 

 PACKING AND BALING. 



As soon as it is desired to pack the Tobacco the wash is prepared 

 with which to sprinkle it The " manilla" is held in the left hand, and 

 with the right the wash (betunj is sprinkled on evenly, and the hand 

 of Tobacco well shaken to remove drops of wash on the leaves: they are 

 then put aside in a heap and allowed to remain so for a couple of hours, 

 or until the leaves be sufficiently pliant and soft to permit handling 

 without breaking, and they are again put back into the press. After 

 remaining in the press for about four or six days the hands or manillas 

 are taken out and shaken and made into bunches of three or four hands 

 each, called " manojos^ and then put into bales. When baled, the 

 Tobacco undergoes its last fermentation, being ready at the same time 

 for the market, and the curing of the crop is at an end. The yaguas 

 which are strips of palm bark used in baling, must be properly dry and 

 pliant and evenly flattened by pressure. Each bale should hold eighty- 

 one manojos. The bales are made in a wooden frame, which is con- 

 structed on different patterns. It is useless to describe the process, as 

 no description whatever can teach the manner of making a bale. It 

 must be learnt by practice as many of the other processes also must be. 

 After the bales are made, they should be put out in the sun till the yaguas 

 and ropes with which the bales are tied be thoroughly dry. After dry- 

 ing they should be stored away in a suitable dry place having a wooden 

 floor. 



When more than three bales are put together, one on the other, 

 the pressure of such a weight takes away the softness and elasticity of 

 the leaf, but on the other hand renders it a better Smoking Tobacco. 

 Every one, therefore is at liberty in this particular to use his discretion 

 to 9uit his interest. 



Besides yaguas cases are used for packing Tobacco, those made of 

 cedar-boards being preferable, but packing in yaguas or baling is by far 

 the best. Such is the prevailing opinion amongst planters in Cuba that 

 it is a common saying there, that " God made the Yagua for the To- 

 bacco" (Dios hizo la yagua par el tabaco.) 



