The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-08-10

| SHohois. IL Is great stone building
| opposite the Campo de Marie and was
founded by Senior Don Francisco de Cab
anas hundred years ago. For a time it's
annual output was limited by the govern
ment to 500, 600 cigars year, but when
the war began it was disposing of an aver
age of sixteen million cigars per annum.
1t used only Vuelto Abajo tobacco, and
the best of that, by contract with certain
plantations. Besides permitting it's six
hundred operatives to smoke all the cigars
they desired during the hours of labor.
the too liberal managers allowed each
man to carry off five, to last him over
night. At first glance this seems trif1
ing detail; but come to figure it up, you
find it means something like two million
cigars year, the cheapest of which sell
| for twenty dollars the thousand.
When tobacco bales, carefully packed
and wrapped in palm-leaves, arrive at
the factory, they are kept in a COOL dark
| place on the first floor, where they are
divided into classes according to quality
varying in value for $40 to S40O per bale
of 200 pounds. When the bales are open
ed for use, the manojas and gabillas are
separated and the latter carried in their
leaves are softened by putting them in
hogsheads containing a solution of salt.
petre and water; then the water is poured
off and the leaves spread upon the edges
of the barrels to partially dry. After be-
ing thoroughly wet, the leaves unfold
easily, without tearing, if care is exercis
ed. The stems are then taken out and
with the refuse of other tobacco is laid
aside for filling the cheapest cigars. This
filling is known as tripa, and few of the
best cigars are altogether guiltless of it.
The manufacture of cigar looks simple
enough. The workman, supplying him
self with handful of leaf, called capa,
1.-THE Spanish word for cloak, and lot
of tripa for the body of the cigars, seats
himself at his little table, which has rails
ed lodges on every side but that nearest to
him. He spreads out the capa and cuts
it into strips with sharp knife. This is
the most delicate part of the operation,
requiring skill, knowledge and expert
ence. By it the different qualities are
separated which determine in great meas
ure the strength aroma and value of the
cigars, the outside of the leaf being gen
orally the best and that nearest the stem
the worst. Then he lays few fragments
of tripa in the centre of each strip, rolls
the whole into the required shape and
then taking wrapper, rolls it spirally
around the now completed cigar. If an
length, shape and size, without any trim
ming. Try your own bungling hand at
it, and you will come to the conclusion
that the manipulation must be iuggler as
well as an artist. Besides educated hands,
he must have fingers with the sensitive
ness of antennae, an unerring eye, sound
nerve and a Judicial nose.
The sorting of tobacco is done by work
men of great judgment and expert
ence who command the highest pay At
! La Cabanas the official escojedo, or sorter
of wrappers, gets seven dollars day,
while the torcedores, or twisters receive
an average of two dollars. After being
assorted, counted and done up in pack
ages of %, the cigars are packed in boxes
already branded as "Regalias, "Lon-
dres," etc, and are ready for market
| The names on the boxes mean a good deal
more than the uninitiated may imagine
| The "Regalia Imperial for example, is
seven inches long and worth almost its
weight in gold. The "Trabues' is a
medium grade, short and thick, the favor
lite of the Catalan shop-keepers in Cuba.
The Dana is very small and delicate,
smoked by Cuban ladies, and by men
between acts of the opera. 1t is generally
highly favored, by vanilla or some other
extract. The 'Negueros," a plantation
cigar, is made on the vegas, of the very
best leaves roughly twisted for the planters
own use, and if sold at all at the most
exorbitant price.
FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD.