“The reform in the sortings should take its origin from a reform in the plantation or field, and principally in the manner of cutting. By observing a methodical and well-calculated system, each one of the operations prepares and facilitates the execution of the succeeding one. In its proper place, we have recommended that the tobacco planter should not attempt to plant more than 12,000 plants for each labourer employed, so that all the plants may receive proper cultivation and attention. If all these plants are equally well taken care of, if the land has been properly prepared with manure, and all have had the same advantage of season, it is a necessary consequence that the fruit will be equally good. If afterwards the cutting or cropping is made in 3 sections, preserving always the separation we have recommended, we shall have, naturally, not a capricious assortment of leaves, but one in the order established by nature. “None will, we think, question the fact that the pairs of leaves on one stalk must be equal in quality to those cut from an adjoining stalk, that is to say, all the crown leaves must be of the same quality, all the second also, and so successively. This admitted, we have the separation of qualities made, almost, in the field, and it only remains to separate the sizes, and the sound leaves from the torn ones, an operation which any person can make; and thus it will be unnecessary to employ those workmen who style themselves sorters, who are supposed to have an exact knowledge of the properties of each leaf. The sortings ought, therefore, to be made by classes, or by bales, each containing the separate qualities beginning with the bale of _capaduras_ and _mamones_, which may be mixed together in the same bale. Of this quality, however, not more than two classes should be made, which may be called suckers and sprouts; and in the class called sprouts, the sound and larger leaves of good consistency should be placed. The result would be a _tripa_ of good quality, and, after throwing away all those that are really without substance, the remainder would form the second class, and would make a useful _tripa_, although inferior to the former.