It is then taken to what is called the job room, where the fla voring is put on it, and it is put in proper condition for stamping. Here great care must be exercised to prevent its getting too moist or too dry, and as tobacco is such an absorbent of moisture, it oftentimes occurs that one department of the factory will be en tirely stopped because the tobacco in another is too moist, by rea son, perhaps, of a change in the weather. The tobacco in this room having been put in proper condition, which is procsss No. 4, it is then taken to another room, which is called the "lump room ; " there it is shaped and a wrapper put about the bundle, when it is ready to go to the formers. This shaping and wrapping requires a. good deal of dexterity, as well as experience. The tobacco here, after being wrapped by the man at the bench, passes over to another bench, where the inspectors are working. These men are so accurate in this, that nine times out of ten, by taking the bun dles in their hand, they will discover a difference of one quarter of an. ounce, and throw the package back for the man to put in more or whittle off some, so that each plug may have the same , weight, whether it be ones, twos, threes, fives or sevens to the pound. In this room, what is to make a plug of tobacco looks like a small bundle of clothes wrapped in a leaf of tobacco; it has something of the shape, but very little of the appearance of a compressed plug or head of tobacco.
After having been examined and weighed, which is process No. 5, it is taken to the lower floor, where it is prized, which is the finishing pressure that gives the smooth shape and uniform color. It is now in uniform sized lumps ready for the packing boxes The cultivation of T. is comparatively easy, and although a warm climate suits it best, it is without much difficulty raised in most parts of Europe. The usual plan in the great tobacco-pro ducing countries is to sow the seed in seed-beds of rich soil, and as the seed is extremely minute, it is first mixed largely with sand or wood-ashes, to assist in spreading it thinly. In Virginia, which may be taken as one of the best tobacco-growing districts, this is usually done in the first week in January. After the seed-beds have been carefully prepared and sown, small branches of trees are laid over, to protect the seed, when it germinates, from the effects of frost ; but these are removed as soon as can be done with safety, and the plants then grow rapidly, and are ready for trans planting into the fields about the beginning of June. The land in the fields is very carefully prepared, and small hillocks are raised up in rows ; each is about a foot in diameter, and flattened at the top. With the first appearance of rain, the plants are carefully raised from the seed-beds, and carried usually by children, who deposit one on each hillock, on which it is carefully planted by experienced men, who follow after the children. Only wet weather will do for planting, so that this operation often lasts until the end of July. When planted, the tobacco-crop requires much careful attention to weeding, and a watchful eye to prevent the ravages of various insect enemies. Much of this latter work is
done by flocks of turkeys, kept on purpose by the planters. As soon as the plants begin to throw up the flower-shoot, it is nipped off; otherwise it would weaken the leaves ; but this process is neglected in some countries, especially in Turkey and Greece, where small leaves are preferred, and where, in some cases, as in the celebrated Latakia tobacco, both leaves, buds, and flowers are used. The time generally chosen for cutting it is mid-day, or when the sun is powerful, and the morning and evening dews ab sent. The cutting is done by hand, and only such plants are chosen as are ready, which is known by a clammy exudation which forms over the leaf, often giving it a spotted appearance. If the plants are very large, the stalk is often split down, to facilitate the drying. They are then removed from the field to the tobacco house, around which are erected light scaffolds, to which the plants are suspended, generally by passing a thin stick through a split in the stalk of each, and so placing a number of plants on each stick, just near enough to prevent them touching each other. After some time hanging in the open air, the plants on the sticks are removed, and suspended in a similar way inside the curing house, until the drying is completed. The leaves are next removed from the stalks, and all bad ones rejected. The chosen ones are tied up in bundles called hanks, and these are packed in hogsheads, enormous pressure being applied in the packing. These hogs. heads are very large casks, which must not contain less than 950 lbs. net in the United States, where the government exercises a very strict surveillance over the weight and quality of all tobacco grown and cured there. Within the last ten years, a large tobac co-export has been carried on by Paraguay. The quality, though not equal to that grown in the United States, is, however, fair, and has been steadily improving. It is always packed in linen bales. Turkey has also, for several years past, been steadily in creasing her exports of tobacco to Great Britain. The quality of Turkish tobacco is very peculiar: it is small in the leaf, and of a light color—either a bright yellow, a yellowish green, or a yellow. ish brown. Being extremely mild, it is a favourite with many smokers.
The whole matter of the use of tobacco is very fairly summed up by Dr. Richardson in an excellent pamphlet. " Before the full maturity of the system is attained, even the smallest amount of smoking is hurtful ; subsequently, the habit is, in most instances, only prejudicial when it is carried to excess. We cannot honestly say more against tobacco than can be urged against any other lux• ury, it is the least injurious. 'It is innocuous as compared with alcohol ; it does infinitely less harm than opium ; it is in no sense worse than tea ; and by the side of high living altogether, it con trasts most favourably."