Prizing in Olden Times.
"That part of the apparatus which is designed to manage and give power to the lever is variously constructed: in some instances two beams of timber about six feet long, and squared to four by six inches, are prepared; through these, by means of an auger hole, a sapling of hickory or other tough wood, is respectively passed; and the root thereof being formed like the head of a pin to prevent its slipping through the hole, the sapling is bent like a bow, and the other end is passed through the same piece of wood in a reversed direction, in which position it is wedged. These two bows are in this manner hung by the sapling loops upon the end of the prize beam or lever; and loose planks or slabs of about five or six feet long being laid upon these suspended pieces of timber, a kind of hanging floor or platform is constructed, upon which weights are designed to act as in a scale. A pile of large stones are then carted to the place, and a sufficient number of these are occasionally placed upon this hanging platform, until the lever has obtained precisely the power which the crop master wishes to give it by this regulating medium.
"The prizing or packing by the old planters must have been a tedious affair, and far different from the quick work made by the screw-press now owned by all well to-do planters. The size of the hogsheads containing the tobacco was regulated by law to the standard of four feet six inches in length, but the shape of the cask varied according to the fancy of the cooper, or roughness of his work. At this period (a century ago), the tobacco hogshead was made most generally of white oak; but Spanish oak, and red oak, were sometimes used, when the usual kind could not be so readily commanded. Now the hogsheads are made of pine, but are nearly as rough as those made by the colonial growers.
"Tobacco, if well packed, and prized duly, will resist the water for a surprising length of time. An instance is recorded in strong proof of this, which occurred at Kingsland upon James river in Virginia, where tobacco, which had been carried off by the great land floods in 1771, was found in a large raft of drift wood in which it had lodged when the warehouses at Richmond were swept away by the overflowing of the freshets; an inundation which had happened about twenty years before this cask was found."
Tatham gives the following account of a similar instance:—
"On the sixth of October, 1782, I myself was one of a party who were shipwrecked upon the coast of New Jersey, in America, on board the brigantine Maria, Captain McAulay, from Richmond in Virginia, and laden with tobacco. Several hogsheads, which were saved from the wreck were brought round to Stillwill's landing upon Great Egg harbor; and amongst them some which had lost the headings of the cask, and the hoops and staves, were so much shattered by the beating of the surf, that it was not thought worth while to land them, and they were just tumbled out of the lighter upon the beach, and left to remain where the tide constantly flowed over them for several weeks, so that the outside was completely rotten, and they had the appearance of heaps of manure. In this very bad condition, I still persisted in trying to save what I supposed might remain entire in the interior of the lump, and at last prevailed so far over the ignorance and prejudice by which I had been ridiculed, as to effect an overhauling and repacking of this damaged commodity and to save a proportion thereof very far beyond what I myself had expected. Some of the heart of this was so highly improved, that I have seldom seen tobacco equal to it for chewing, or for immediate manufacture; and what was repacked was sold to a tobacconist in Water Street, Philadelphia, at a price so little reduced below the ordinary market, that the man very frankly told me, that if he could have had the whole drowned tobacco in a short time after it was saved from the wreck, he would have made no difference in the price but would rather have preferred it for immediate manufacture, as it would have spared him, some little labor in a part of the process."
Prizing tobacco applies to the packing of tobacco in hogsheads all such leaf being used for cutting purposes, cigar leaf being either cased or baled. In some sections about 800 pounds net is packed in one parcel, while in others 1000 pounds and sometimes even 1500 and 1800 pounds. "Seed leaf" tobacco in this country is all packed in cases instead of hogsheads, each case containing from 375 to 400 pounds net. It is necessary that all kinds of tobacco should be pressed in some kind of package before it is ready to be manufactured. There are exceptions, however, as in the case of Latakia tobacco, which is simply hung in the peasant's huts through the winter to be fumigated and to acquire the peculiar flavor this tobacco has. Tobacco in good condition to case must be damp enough to bear the pressure in casing without breaking and crumbling, while it must not be too moist or it will rot in the case. The number of pounds to the case will vary according to the size of the leaf, as well as the condition of the tobacco.
When ready to case the "hands" are packed in the case, laying them in two tiers. The case being nearly full the contents are then subjected to a strong pressure until it is reduced to one half its bulk, then another layer is placed in the case and again pressed, and succeeded by as many as are required to fill the case. The tobacco should be packed evenly in layers with the ends of the leaves touching one another or even crossing, and the whole mass presenting a smooth and even appearance. The "wrappers" should be cased by themselves and "the seconds" and "fillers" together or separate at the option of the packer. The tobacco should be cased hard so that the mass will rise but little when the pressure is removed. As the fillers are usually dry they must be moistened before casing or subjected to a very strong pressure. After packing the cases should be turned on their sides, and the grower's name marked on each case, also the kind of tobacco, whether wrappers or fillers, together with the number of pounds and the weight of the case. This is necessary to ascertain the quality of leaf produced by each grower, as well as to protect the buyer against all fraud in packing and casing.
