Damping.—Tbe tobacco-leaves are received by the manufacturer in all kinds of packages, from a hogshead to a seron (raw hide), and of all weights from 1 to 12 cwt. The first process they undergo is " damping," which is necessary to overcome their brittleness, and admit of their mani pulation without breaking. For this purpose, the bunches (" hands ") are separated, and the leaves are scattered loosely upon a portion of the floor of the factory, recessed to retain the moisture. A quantity of water, which has been accurately proportioned to the absorbing qualities of the leaf used, and to the weight present, is applied through a fine-rosed watering-pot, and the mass is left usually for about 24 hours, that damped on one morning being ready for workiug on the following morning. In England, water alone is admissible (by legislative enactment) for damping, except in special cases to be noted subsequently ; but abroad, many "sauces" are iu vogue, their chief ingredients being salt, sal ammoniac, and sugar.
Stripping and Sorting.—Quantities of leaf-tobacco are shipped in a condition deprived of their stem and midrib, and are then known as " stripts." Those which are not received in this state, after having been damped, are passed through the hands of workmen, who fold each leaf edge to edge, and rip out the midrib by a deft twirl of the fingers, classifying the two halves of each leaf, and ranging the sorts in separate piles as smooth as possible. The value of the leaf greatly depends upon the dexterity with which the stripping is done, as the slightest tear deteriorates it. Stripts require sorting only. The largest and strongest leaves are selected for cutting and spinning; the best-shaped are reserved for the wrappers of cigars ; broken and defective pieces form fillers for cigars; and the ribs arc ground to make snuff. For the manufacture of " bird's-eye " smoking tobacco, the leaves are used without being previously stripped.
Cutting.—Cutting is the proeess by which the damped leaves, whether stripped or not, are most extensively prepared for smoking in pipes and cigarettes. The tobacco-cutter which is in general use in this country is shown in Figs. 1001 (side elevation), 1002 (sectional elevation), 1003 (front elevation), and 1004 (plan). The main frames a are united by stretcher-bolts b; d is a wooden-surface feeding-roller, on which the tobacco is pressed and cut ; c are the upper compressing- and feeding-rollers, mounted in e, carriage-plates extended backwards, forming the sides of the feeding-trough, and hinged to the axle in; f are levers ; g, links by which the weight w presses down the upper rollers ; h, a crank, and i, a connecting link for working ; j, the cross-head to which the knife k is fixed ; 1, side-levers or radius-bars for guiding the knife, hinged on the eccen tric ends of the axle ; m, an axle held in bearings at the back of the machine ; on its middle part, which is concentric with its own bearings, are hinged the top roll carriage - plates e, whilst on its project ing ends, which are slightly eccentric, the knife - levers 1 are hinged ; n is a worm wheel segment ; o, a worm ; p, a hand wheel for turning the eccentric spindle m through a part of a revolution in its bear ings, for adjusting the contact of the knife with the nose plate q; r, a worm ; s, a worm-wheel ; t, a for giving simultaneous movement to all the rollers ; u, a spindle, " universal jointed" at both ends, for driving the upper rollers in positions varying with the thickness of the feed ; o, a saw-toothed ratchet-wheel, moved intermittently by a catch x, link y, and stud-pin z, v being changeable, and the eccentricity of z variable, for the purpose of regulating the fineness of the cutting. Both ends of the knife move
at the same speed, and its surface is made to clear the work by describing a slight curve. The knife is adjusted accurately to the nose-plate, while the machine is in motion, by varying the direc tion of eccentricity of the axis of the knife-levers to that of the roller-levers. The fineness of the cutting is regulated by varying the eccentricity of a movable stud-pin in a plate on the crank shaft which gives motion, through a train of speed-redncing gear, to the several rollers. The knives are easily removed and replaced, and require sharpening after every 4-6 hours' working. Two men attend the machine, one to keep the feed-rollers supplied, the other to watch that the knife is doing its work, and to remove the tobacco as fast as it is cut.
Drying.—The cut tobacco, as removed from the machine, is placed loosely in a layer several inches deep in a large trough, provided with a canvas false bottom ; steam is introduced between the true and false bottoms, and findsits way up through the tobacco, which is thus rendered more easily workable. It is next transferred to a similar trough having no false bottom, but a steam jacketed floor instead; here the tobacco is dry-heated, and at the same time lightened up by hand. Finally, it is taken to a third trough, where cold air is forced through the canvas false bottom, by means of a blower or fan. This last operation dries the tobacco ready for use in the course of some hours ; but it has the disadvantage of dispersing part of the aroma, and is therefore generally resorted to only when time presses. In other cases, the drying is conducted on canvas trays. However performed, the drying operation needs the greatest attention, to prevent the moisture being extracted to such a degree as to destroy the profit which its presence confers upon the manufacturer. With drying, the preparation of cut tobacco for smoking in pipes is completed.