xt76t14tj40z https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76t14tj40z/data/mets.xml Constantinides, C. L. 1912  books b98-49-42334745 English W. & J. Rounce, : London : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Tobacco Turkey. Turkish tobacco  : a manual for planters, dealers, and manufacturers. text Turkish tobacco  : a manual for planters, dealers, and manufacturers. 1912 2002 true xt76t14tj40z section xt76t14tj40z 



Turkish Tobacco


      A MANUAL FOR
      Planters, Dealers,
      And Manufacturers.





             COMPILED BY
   C. L. CONSTANTINIDES.

            Illustrations and Plans by
          D. L. CONSTANTINIDES,


             Price I Os.


             LONDON:
    W. & J. ROUNCE. LTD., iS, T9, 20, Appold Street, E.C.
               1912.

 This page in the original text is blank.

 









Ode on Tobacco.



Sublime Tobacco, which from East to West,
Cheers the tar's labours or the Turkman's rest,
Which on the Moslem's ottoman divides
His hours, and rivals opium and his brides.
Magnificent in Stamboul, but less grand
'rho' not less loved, in \Vapping or the Strand.
Divine in hookahs, glorious in a pipe
When tipped with amber, mellow, rich and ripe,
Like other charmers, wooing the caress,
More dazzlingly when daring in full dress,

Yet thy true lovers more admire by far
Thy naked beauties-give me a cigar.



-LORD BYRON.

 

















MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.



Map of the Tobacco Districts......  ...  ...
Map of the Macedonian Districts... ...  ...



Facing Page X
End of Work



                                                    PAGE.
Leaves    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...            ...          4
Plant... ...   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...          8
Farmhouse     ...  ...   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  Io
Sorter andPickers.....   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  14
Padcer   .. I ...  ...   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  i6
Warehouse                                               S...... ..   ...  ...  ...  ...  .    ...  I8
Cavalla   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  24
End ...  ...  ...   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...

 










TABLE OF CONTENTS.



PAGE



Byron's Ode on Tobacco ..
Preface    ...   ...  .



...  .. I ..    ...    ..   ...   r

PART I.



Agricultural...  ...  ...   ..    ...
Kinds of Tobacco ...  ...   ...
Sizes and names of Leaves   ...  ..
Soil and Farms   ...  ...   ...   ...



                           PART II.

Commercial ...  ...   ...   ...  ...
Warehouses and Manipulation ...
Classification   ...  ...   ...   ...
Packing    ...   ...  ...   ...   ...
Fermentation     ...  ...   ...   ...
Record of Crops  ...  ...   ...   ...



                           PART III.
Topographical, Cavalha. Currency  ...
Leftere    ...   ...   ...
Phillipi              ..  .       ..
Kir. Little Mlahala ...    ...
Kir-Mahala. Noustratli...   ...
Zaaritch   ...   ...   ...
Karamanli, Chetz, Buk ...   ...
Doxat      ...   ...  ...
Drama, Persichan ...  ...   ...
Pangeon, PraVigta...   ...  ...
Zichna, Sirdily  ...  ...   ...
Serres     ...   ...  ...   ...   ..



...        3

     4
...        7
... 10



... I I
... 14
... I5
..  I6
... I8
.. 22



... 24
    25
    28
... 30
  3'
    32
-  33
... 34

--35
... 36

... 39
... 40



...   ..   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...



...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...



..   ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   .  .
...  ...   .. .
...  ...   I. .
...  ...   .. .
...  ...   ...
...  ...   ...
...  ...   .. .
...  ...   ...
I..  ...   ...
...   ..   ...

 





                                                            PAGE
District of Sariusaban      ...   ...   ...        ...   ... 4I
    Karsi Yaka, Maxoul, Sira Pastal...     ...               42
    Karsi Yaka Mountain...   ...  ...   ...   ...             43
District of Yesitje, Xanthi or      slkedge              ...  44
   Yaka    .....            .     .    ..    ...             45
   Little Yaka, Ova   ...  ...  ...         ...  ...    .   46
   Xanthi Mountain, Chebel, Derekol, Souyoulou ...  ...      47
   Kenevir            ...   .........                 ...   ...  
   Port Lagos. Swan Yaka. Gumuldgina         ...   ...  ...  49
   Kritzali, NMaronea. Sufli     ...   ...   ......          50
   Salonica. Uskub. Bulgaria. [ astern Roumelia  ...    ..
Turkey in Asia         ...    .   ...         ..              52
    Samsoun, Madden, lBaffra ...  ...   ..    ...   ...  ...  53
    Bellia, Chikinty, Trebizonde, Tokat, Souhoum Kale  ...  ...  54
    Sinope, Kerasunde, Ismid, Magnesia  ..         ...   ...  55
Ayosoulouk District         ...         ...   ...        ...  56
    Soulouk, Schwara, Giaurkeui, Odemish, Lygda, Sokia     ...  57
    Latakia. Aburiha   ...   ...  ...   ...                   59
    Saklebank, Palestine... ...   ...                         6o
Technical.-
   Manufacturing and Cigarette Making  ...              ...  6i
   Dubec, Karsi Yaka, Mahala, Zichna   ...        ...   ...  62
   Kir, Little Mlahala, Mountain          ...   ...          63
   Basmas, l'ersichan, Serres, Cavalla ...   ...        ...  64
   Sira Pastal, 1Baffra, Madden....    ...   ...  ...   ...  65
   Samsoun, Ayosoulouk      ...   ...  ...   ...   ...  ...  66
   Basma Soulouk. Tongas, Greek  ...         ...   ...  ...  67
   Tobacco Cutting    ...   ...  ...         ...   ...  ...  68
   Cigarette Making              ...   ...   ...  ...   ...  70
   Egyptian Cigarettes, Boxes, Tins ...   ...     ...   ...  71
   Packing, Exhaust, Export...   ...         ...  ...   ...  72
Examples of Blends ...       ...  ...   ...        ...   ...  74
    Annual Production and Disposal...   ...   ...  ...        78
    Import of unmanufactured Turkish Tobacco to United Kingdom  79
    Customs of the Trade    ...   ...   ...   ...  ...   ...  80
    Historical aspect of the Tobacco Fields,   ...   ...       83
    Mount Athos, by Lord Byron    .,.   ..    ...  ...   ...  86
    Tobacco Chemistry ...... ...  ...   ...   ,     ...  ...  87
    Conclusion   ...   ...  ...   ...   ...   ...  ...   ...  go

 












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                  PREFACE



THE object of the present book is to afford a help to the
T    grower, buyer, dealer, and manufacturer of Turkish
      tobacco, an article in which a great deal of study,
observation and experience is required in order to become
skilful, or, as it is generally called in trade parlance
an " expert."  The author, however, does not pretend to
teach all this in the inadequate form that such an article
of wide extent and variety as Turkish tobacco presents; this
book purports simply to help one over his dilemmas by use-
ful hints which a lifelong experience enables the writer to
offer.

    In order to arrive at a satisfactory state of knowledge
it is necessary for one to exercise both diligence and keen
observation, indeed a great deal of the latter; he must
follow every item of interest connected with his research to
the most obscure recesses, and only then will he be able to
arrive at a somewhat satisfactory result. In order to illus-
trate the importance of the minute observation required I
will relate two instances wherein I was enabled to judge
with success cases of doubt. I called once at a broker's
office in the middle of a dispute between him and another
broker as to the origin of some oriental tobaccos, the samples
of which where lying before them.  Being a specialist, I
was called upon to decide whether it was Bulgarian or
Trebizonde ; at first siglit I wvas very much puzzled with the
similarity of the leaf, but I was soon enabled to pronounce
my verdict, being guided by the ties which, in the case of
Trebizonde, are always made of maize; my verdict in the
second instance was more wonderful still as I was able to

 







fix the very village the tobacco was grown in, a very rare
accomplishment. The tobacco in question was Cavalla,
and my guides were again the ties, which were made of
cotton thread; now, as all the villages which produce
Cavalla tobacco fasten their bundles with jute ties, in this
particular instance I volunteered to name the village, seeing
that the tobacco was tied with cotton and knowing well
that in that village alone they grow cotton and so make
their ties out of their produce instead of buving them. I
must confess that without these landmarks it would have
been an impossible task.

    The tobacco expert must know his ground the same as
a pilot knows the channels and currents, and only then can
he be a good expert; lie must couple the theory, which I
will endeavour to teach him, with the practice which will
impress on his mind the necessary knowledge, and that
practice can only be acquired, I repeat, by keen observation
and untiring diligence.






                 _ _ __- _  _7=X 7

 














                    PART I


                Agricultural.


W     HEN and where tobacco was first grown in Turkey
        is no easy matter to determine.  There is an
        opinion that tobacco was first grown in Persia
before America was discovered, and that it was intro-
duced into Turkey from that quarter, but I have found
nothing to support this theory.
    It appears that in the beginning of the i8th century,
the tobacco trade was in the hands of the Dutch, and that
their Ambassador asked the Sublime Porte to allow his
country to send tobacco to Turkey. It must, therefore, have
been at first imported into Turkey from Europe and not
grown there; from enquiries made amongst the oldest
growers in Turkey, I came to the conclusion that they
began to grow it between I750 and I780, and it must have
had a rapid increase and prosperity as we find it recorded
in the beginning of the i9th century, that the Turkish
Ambassador at the British Court asked permission from the
Government to have the regulations relaxed so as to allow
small packages of Turkish tobacco to be imported into
English Ports, only large packages being then permitted.

 




4



    The importation, however, must have been of a very
limited extent until the time of the Crimean War, when it
became more widely known through the English troops
passing through Turkey.

    After that time the importation seems to have been
regularly increasing until the year i873, when, for the first
time, Chinese tobacco was imported (which seems to have
restricted the importation from Turkey to a great extent)
and during the last few years it has kept very steady at an
average of 12,000 packages per annum, weighing from about
100 to 1T0 pounds each.

    Many years ago a good deal was imported at Liverpool,
but lately the trade has centred almost exclusively in
London. The entire crop of European and Asiatic Turkey,
is estimated at about 25,000,000 okes or 70,000,000 pounds,
one half of which, and that of the better sorts, is produced
in European Turkey, in the districts of Cavalla and
Yenitze, and the other half in Asia Minor, principally in
Samsoun and Trebizonde.

    Almost the one half of the production of Europe is
taken by the Austrian and Hungarian monopolies; the
Asiatic produce is widely distributed throughout many
European countries and a large portion is also locally
consumed.

    I do not pretend to be a botanist so I shall avoid
technical terms. There are two kinds of plants grown in
Turkey, the Basma and the Basibali-the latter being
known in England under the name of Persichan.



Basma is the smaller plant of the two and the leaves

 











































































LEAVES

 This page in the original text is blank.

 



5



are contiguous to the stalk, that is to say, they grow almost
from the very stalk; while the Basibali has a short stem
which separates the leaf from the stalk, besides having a
much larger and coarser kind of leaf. The accompanying
illustrations will give a better idea to the reader. There
may be other botanical distinctions, but these are not
perceptible from a merchant's point of view. Traders, how-
ever, know one sub-division of each kind, viz., the Sirdily,
in Basma, which is a narrowv and long leaf very much like
a lance, or as the Turkish name implies, ox-tongue shape,
and the Kabakolak in the Basibali, which isa cross between
a Basma and a Basibali, possessing a small appendage on
either side of the stem which unites it to the stalk, resem-
bling the feathers which cover some birds' feet. We also
append illustrations of these descriptions.

    The tobacco seed is very fine, one thimbleful being
enough for a square yard, and twelve square yards of seed-
lings are enough for one acre. In planting, the fine seed is
mixed with sand or ashes in the proportion of one part of
the former to ten parts of the latter, and sown in specially
prepared beds in February, the mould being abundantly
manured with the dung of sheep or goats, and the soil being
finely pulverised. The beds are about two feet wide and
ten to fifteen yards long, being separated by deep gutters to
keep them dry and to enable the growers to work between
the rows; they are protected on frosty nights by a loose
cover of brushwood. The young plants usually take a long
time to make their appearance on the surface, but that
depends cn the warmth of the air; sometimes they are
through and ready for transplanting by the middle of April,
and at other times not before the end of May.

 




6



    They are then in appearance like lettuces. The young
seedlings should not all be planted out at once, but at
intervals of from ten to fifteen days, so as to enable the
grower to gather the leaves at ease. When the Spring
months are cold, the lateness of planting is very detrimental
to the grower, as it delays the gathering and drying until
the autumn, thereby causing him great anxiety and often
irreparable loss; in my opinion, if growers would adopt
the plan of raising their seed in glass frames, it would
enable them to transplant much earlier, and not run the
risk of late crops.

    In Macedonia, frosts are rare after March and planting
could be carried on with impunity in April; in Asia Minor
and Greece, where the climate is warmer, they get their
crop much earlier and it very seldom gets country damaged,
i.e., heated.

    Transplanting begins when the seedlings are ready,
usually on St. George's Day (May 7th). The fields are
previously ploughed and pulverised by rollers, and large
flocks of goats which the villagers keep in common for that
purpose, are allowed to sleep on the fields during the night
to manure them. The growers believe that, in the month
of April, the urine of the goats fertilizes the soil better
on account of the goats feeding on the tender spouts
of the wild shrubs which constitute their food; if they
were to sleep on the fields in the month of May, then the
tobacco would become bitter in taste.

     The plants are set in regular rows about a foot and a
quarter apart in either direction. I think that if they were
to adopt the plan in vogue in other countries, of planting

 



7



two rows close together and allowing a wide space between
the next two rows, it would not only be easier for them to
gather without damaging the leaves, but would keep the
plants better protected from strong winds, and probably
prevent the basara malady in wet seasons.

    Planting is, as a rule, completed by the end of May, and
after the plants have grown a foot, and the first rain after
planting comes, the earth is loosened by an axe round their
roots ; after that they are allowed to grow until they get
their blossom, and if the plants are strong and healthy the
top is not removed, but if they are weak and thin then they
are topped in order to strengthen them.

    The Basma plants grow from a height of from two to
three feet and the leaves from two to ten inches in length.

    There are as a rule eight rows of three leaves (exclud-
ing the. bunch on the top), which come to maturity, and
each row has a separate name, as indicated in the accom-
panying sketch.

    i. Dip, very thin and weak; it should be thrown
        away though many growers collect it but it always
        goes to the refuse.

    2. Orta, also weak and green.

    3. Anna or Manna, the largest leaf in the plant,
        the thickest in substance and strongest in flavour.

    4. Second Anna, a little smaller and best matured.

    The above rows are packed in bales, and are known in
the English market as Basmq ; the following rows constitute
the Dubec.

 




8



    5. Third Anna, is a medium and very fine leaf for
        flavour.
    6. Kuvalama, an intermediate leaf between the
        small and large leaves and in years of drought is
        missing.
    7. Utz Alty, the topmost but one, and
    8. Utz, the highest and smallest.
    These last two are most substantial and best of the
plant; they possess the greatest amount of aroma but in late
crops the topmost (Utz) does not always mature, and remains
green or dark in colour and therefore not of good appearance,
nevertheless it has its merits.
    Above these there is a cluster of tiny leaves under the
blossom, which never come to maturity; sometimes, how-
ever, especially after rains, the plant throws out second
shoots or suckers, which if gathered are of dark colour, and
burn badly, but possess plenty of aroma. Avaricious growers
often collect these and pack them with the rest, but an
expert can easily detect them through the dullness of their
colour and their thickness. They are called Sonn or Guze
and should be rejected.

    Growers in Turkey believe that a good crop should
mature 100 days after it is planted. They begin gathering
about the end of July, leaf by leaf, starting from the bottom
as each one matures. The mature leaves are yellow at the
tips and should be torn off at once, because if they are
allowed to remain on the plant they deteriorate and lose
the brightness of their colour when dry; if on the other
hand they are gathered before maturity they remain greenish
after drying.

 















O orc f



OorcH ArTI



DUBEC



K OOVA LA M A



3d ANN A



2d A.fNA



BASMA



T ANNPNA



0 RTA



R E FU SE



Dip



I' , \N.N'

 This page in the original text is blank.

 



9



    A good crop should all be gathered before the end of
August or at all events the middle of September, but if the
planting is delayed through the cold spring winds prevent-
ing the seedlings growing, then the gathering goes on till
the end of October, and the suit loses its power to thoroughly
dry, or the earth gets cooled by the autumnal rains, and
prevents the entire elimination of the sap from the leaves.

    Such crops are never good. The leaves are gathered
early in the morning and in the evening twilight; then
they are pierced, strung, and stretched on a pole about four
yards long; they are then hung up to wither, in a shady
place, for two or three days, and after that they are ex-
posed to the rays of the sun against the walls, where they
remain until they get thoroughly dry. Then they are
removed from the poles, and in the shape of wreaths are
hung under the roof of a shed to get the benefit of the
variation of heat and cold, for it seems that the more the
dry leaves are exposed to the variations of the weather, the
better they becrme. When thus hung they are as dry as
bones, and if the- are lightly pressed thev break to scraps;
but when the moist southerly winds and mists of November
come on, the leaves begin to soften, and the grower gather-
ing all his family round his hearth, begins to unroll and
stretch them leaf by leaf, pressing them all flat in little
bundles called pastaals, keeping each size of leaf apart; these
he packs in double rows point to point against the wall,
with planks of wood on the top and weights to keep them
down flat. This process takes about three months, and
when it is all completed the merchant comes and inspects
before buying.

 




10



    The growers are, as a rule, small farmers working
alone with their wives and children, just undertaking to
raise as much as they can manage, viz., from two to three
acres. An acre of tobacco field produces only about 500 lbs.
of fine, or 1,000 lbs. medium sorts, or 1,500 to 2,000 lbs. of
coarse big leaves such as Persichan and Cavalla, according
to the magnitude of the leaves ; these latter plants grow
to a height of six or seven feet.  We annex a plan of a
Turkish farm house.
    The farmers are mostly poor, and twvo-thirds of them
fall into the hands of middlemen or moneylenders, who
advance them money on the mortgage of their crops.
    The legal interest in Turkey is 9 per cent., but in
addition to that they charge a commission; formerly, it
was the custom for the merchant to advance them money
and to take their crop at a price to be agreed upon, the
grower being favourable to that contract, as thus they secured
a certain buyer for their produce, however disadvantageous
that might be. but of late years when there is so much com-
petition through an ever-increasing consumption, the growers
prefer to borrow money at interest and commission, and to
be free to sell to the highest bidder.
    TIhe soil is rich red loam, a mixture of clay and sand;
there is a very large area of available land uncultivated, but
the population is small and not increasing under the heavy
burden of taxation and other drawbacks; and it takes too
manv years to become efficient in cultivating such a deli-
cate plant as the best Turkish tobacco, requiring any
amount of labour, watching, and always being on the alert
from year's end to year's end; besides, these growers are
brought up to it from early childhood and it is not every
man who is able to embark into cultivating an article
which requires great experience, intelligence and skill.

 







































































FARNIHOlSE.



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           7 k - , -

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       - Z

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11



                    PART II.




                Commercial.




T OBACCO culture in Turkey is controlled by a Regie or
1    ni-oniopoly which was granted by the Sultan in i883
      to a joint stock company for 29 years on payment of
       540,000 per annum for the internal consumption,
and  156,000 for the export duties to the Turkish depen-
dencies. The export trade to other countries is free under
-treaties.

    Before a cultivator starts planting, he must obtain a
written permit to do so, stating the acreage he intends to
plant. One month after the fields are planted the Regie
inspectors call to ascertain the extent of his planting, and
as soon as the gathering ends, they call again and estimate
his produce. If the grower wishes to obtain a loan, the
Regie is obliged to advance him  13 per acre without any
interest.

     Buying tobacco is a very tedious process in Turkey, it
requires a great deal of eloquence, patience and perseverance
on account of the annoying practice of wide bargaining;

 



                           12

the seller asks you twice or thrice as much as he wilt
ultimately accept, and you have to get him down to your
price by degrees with a lot of idle talk; if you wvere to
offer him at once what you have made up your mind to
give him, you would never be able to strike a bargain: you
must offer 40 per cent. or 50 per cent. less and as he comes
down you must go up.

    Now you may imagine what a vexatious proceeding
that is to one accustomed to European dealings, moreover,
neither the seller nor buyer can arrange a programme
beforehand; if you badly want the goods you are bound to
pay more than you intended if he remains obdurate; and this
has to be done in public, surrounded by nearly all the
villagers.  It is a sight that must be seen to be properly
understood; you have vour friends and he, his partizans,
they all talk together trying to persuade you, or him, to do
what neither of you intend doing; the orthodox way is to
clasp hands together and if either party, exhausting all
arguments, breaks awav, he is pushed back and joined
again by the assisting spectators.
    It ifs a thing that I have been through many times and
I must say that I consider it the most troublesome business
I have to undertake, so awfully trying is it to one's patience.
W\e often have to employ orators to do the talking, and if
you happen to be the first buver in the village, I pity you.
To give you an illustration I may mention that on one
occasion, after talking for two hours, we had toadjourn for
a meal in the seller's house, who, by the way, is generally
an extremely hospitable person, and when the repast was
over we managed to arrive at a price which was 20 per cent.
more than I intended to give and 20 per cent. less than the
seller intended to take.

 



13



    Under such circumstances the progress you make is
very slow, and for the last few years, when, owing to the
competition, all districts are bought up within a few days
after the break, it has been necessary to employ all your
staff on the job, as it is impossible for one man to be every-
where at the same time. It is the most critical period of
the year's work, and one requires all his wits not be outdone.

    I consider it a time of frenzy, and it is the greatest
relief when it isover; butyouoftendiscoverafterwardseither
that you have paid too much or you have not been able to
buy enough to fulfil your orders; add to this the difficulty
that the goods you are shown are brought to you in a mass
unclassified and often not completely packed, and you have
to make your mental calculations as to what percentage
you will get out of them, often resulting in disappointment
when you get them   into your warehouse and start to
manipulate. At best it is a toss-up business.

    In fixing prices you have to be ruled by the different
customs prevailing in each district; some districts pack and
sell all their produce pell-mell ; the majority, however,
divide the refuse or commonest leaves and sell them separ-
ately.  We shall endeavour to explain that, when we
describe further on the particular produce of each district.

    After the bargain is completed it is usual, in order to
legalize the same, to pay a deposit, however small, to the
seller, then you have to get the goods weighed by a public
official, and next to apply to the Regie for an order to
remove the goods to town ; this has to be endorsed by the
village elder or mzikta', who is responsible for the dime and
taxes; after that the buyer must pay all the outstanding

 



14



rates and taxes owing by the grower. On obtaiiqing the
seals of all the officials you hand the goods to the carriers,
who take them in carts when the roads permit, or pack them
on animals if otherwise. and deposit them in the central
Regie warehouses in the town where you intend to manipu-
late them. The Regie will reweigh the goods in order to
see that there has been no abstraction while they were in
transit, then they allow you to remove them to your ware-
house, which is duly numbered and registered in their books
and on which a padlock is placed every night, and removed
every morning at daybreak; they debit you with the weight
and hold you responsible for any deficiency, after allowing
for natural dryness through evaporation. Should a grower
be unable to sell his goods before August of the following
year, he must remove his produce to the warehouse of the
Regie in the nearest town and sell it from there; this, how-
ever, very rarely occurs now.

    Buying time is very erratic, it generally takes place
after the flattening and packing of the leaves, but sometimes
in times of excitement and in order to obtain an early foot-
ing, andl to secure a good crop, one begins buying while the
leaves, or at all events part of them, are still hanging; that
requires a great deal of vigilance, and necessarily one must
be on the spot waiting patiently for months, sometimes with
nothing else to do.

    In order to manipulate the goods you have bought you
must first have a warehouse of sufficient capacity; such ware-
houses are constructed very substantially of thick stone
walls and are heavily timbered ; they consist as a rule of
three stories, viz., a ground floor which is always cool and
damp, a mezzanine floor for storage when fermenting, and

 

























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a top floor which is very well lighted, for sorting and pack-
ing; next you must have a good foreman; these are as a
rule permanent hands and must possess influence amongst
the working classes.

    The other permanent employees required are a clerk and
paymaster, and one or more stevedores.

    The manipulating staff are daily workmen, and they
consist of sorters and packers who can do both and are paid
according to their merit, high wages being earned as a rule.

    Each one has two pickers who gather the leaves thrown
out by the sorters and bundle them up to be used in the
inferior kinds of goods. The sorters, who are very skilled,
take the tobacco from the bales, leaf by leaf, and divide it
into qualities and sizes under the guidance of the foreman
who is always superintending the work; they also take
intoaccountthe conditionand colourand any peculiaritiesthe
tobacco may possess, in order to produce a uniform package;
they first make them up in spiral rounds with the points
inwards and stalks outwards as per illustration. In sorting
tobacco in Macedonia, the practice is to divide it into seven
classes, T;iz.:-

         ist. A. Faultless leaves.
         2nd. B. Slightly discoloured.
         3rd. C. Green or dark. Serviceable.
         4th. D. Inferior.
         5th. E. Very common and green
         6th. R. Refuse.
         7th. K. Scraps.

 



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    It is usual to indicate to the buyer how much there is
of each class and most of the parcels are sold with only firsts,
seconds and thirds. Fourths, fifths and refuse are sold
usually for the German and Dutch markets, and the scraps
are burnt.

    From these classes they are packed into bales or
ballots, being carefully stowed in wooden skeletons, pur-
posely made so as to be able to insert the wrapper and
to give free access to the packer's hands. The top and
bottom rows and the inner and outer edges contain, as a
rule, a lower grade tobacco, as they are more exposed to
wear and tear. Many artful dodges are practised by clever
packers to include inferior leaves, without their being
discovered on examination, but most warehouses have a
reputation for honest, clean packing, and the experienced
buyer knows where to look in order to discover the fraud,
besides knowing who is, and who is not to be trusted;
otherwise examining would be an endless job.

    In order to assist the buyer, we will now give an
explanation of the usual method of packing.

    Basmas are packed in ballots called Dubecs, or Bales
called Basmas, although there is really no difference
between a ballot and a bale, but some markets, such as
England for instance, will not take high class goods unless
they are packed in ballots. A ballot is a very small
package weighing about 25 to 30 lbs., while a bale weighs
double; ballots are covered with white cotton cloth, laced
by fine black woollen cords, and bales are wrapped in a
coarse woollen mat and laced either with black woollen
ropes or ordinary jute twine.

 
























































PA C KE R.

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17



    The ballots are supposed not to contain any inferior
leaves, and only small ones; this packing costs about 2d.
to 4d. per lb. extra-an unnecessary waste of money.

    Mlany markets now prefer to buy the high-class goods
packed in bales and we appreciate their wisdom.  In
England if buyers were to see Utz leaves packed in bales
they would call it Basma-now Basma, as we have already
explained, is a kind of tobacco, and not the size of the leaf.
In packing either ballots or bales, the operator starts
naturally from the bottom, where he generally places two
rows of second rat