Larger companies have many profilers, and each of the ten reeds in a given box may have come from a different profiler. This is why every reed in a box often responds very differently, as there is no guarantee that all of the profilers are carefully calibrated to be identical to each other. In addition, the balance of a single profiler may not be symmetrical, leaving the reed with one side thicker than the other. The cane of a new reed is pourous and vulnerable to deterioration. The virgin top reed fibers can be prematurely broken down and it can be easily waterlogged with saliva.
Saliva contains enzymes that aggressively break down food in the mouth.
You do not want this first stage of digestion to act on the reed. One opening of the tube is in the vamp of the reed, the other opening is at the butt end of the reed. However, remember that you are trying to avoid the xylums to be filled up with saliva. The good way that saliva acts on reeds is that it has a high content of calcium, and will seal off the ends of the xylums at the vamp just as we like. It will also toughen-up the top reed fibers and make them durable for sustained use.