eration that
the different qualities of tobacco are separated, the
outside of the leaf being generally the best; next that,
another quality; and that portion adjoining the stem the
worst.

[Illustration: Tobacco leaf.]

"The general sorting of the tobacco is done by hands of
great experience and judgment, who are the highest in
consideration in the factories, some of them receiving
large pay; thus for instance, the official _escojedor_, or
chooser, gets from five to seven dollars (gold) per day, and
the _torcedores_, or twisters, from two to four, the workmen
being paid so much per thousand cigars, generally from two
to four dollars. To show how very careful the maker must be
in cutting out the leaf to make the most of it: Mr. del
Valle was explaining to me the process of manufacture, and
directed the maker to cut the leaf. This the man did drawing
his knife in the manner denoted by the dotted lines in the
engraving. This it appears was not making the most of the
fine part of the leaf, for Mr. del Valle, annoyed, took the
knife himself, and after rating the maker soundly for his
carelessness, showed him how to cut it properly, as defined
by the black line, the difference being, as far as I could
judge, a slight inequality of color between the two parts.
The manufacture of the cigar is very simple. The cigar
maker, being seated before a low work table, which has
raised ledges on every side except that nearest him, takes a
leaf of tobacco, spreads it out smoothly before him, and
cuts it as in the drawing. He then lays a few fragments of
tobacco (_tripa_) in the centre or a leaf strip and rolls
the whole into the shape of a cigar, and taking then a
wrapper, rolls it spirally around the cigar. If the workman
is skillful, he makes it of just the right length and size,
without any trimming of the knife. The cigars are assorted,
counted, and done up in bundles of generally twenty-five
each, and then packed in the boxes, ready for market, under
their different names of _Londres_, _Regalias_, etc. These
names are generally understood to have the same meaning
throughout the trade, the '_Vegueros_,' for instance, being
the plantation cigars, made at the _regas_, and much
esteemed by smokers, though they are rarely to be met with