Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1884, 1881-09-30
HAVE A CHEW.
Some Of the Tricks OF the Tobacco
Trade Slippery Elm, Rag Weed,
Etc, as Adulterants.
boston Herald.1

Boston Herald.
An average plug tobacco manufacturing
establishment works about 900 hands.
The tobacco is sorted into four grades,
from which are produced as many as
seventy-fve different brands, the pencil Of
the artist and the skill Of the photogra-
pher being literally brought into requisi-
ton for ornamental designs to catch the
toothless old man as well as the preco-
cious boy. While the government re-
quires every package to bear the stencil
mark Of the manufacturer, it would be
supposed that none but straight goods
would be put up: but it is with tobacco
as with whisky-always a fair demand
for the stuff, be it ever 80 vile. Licerice,
oils, molasses, glucose and similar sweets
are literally used by some manufacturers,
and, while it IS certainly cheat it is as
we'll a harmless one. For example: On
August 20, Virgini;. plug was qnoted at
4@4115 cents. Government tax added Is
cents yet the manufactured product was
quoted as low as II cents. Evidently the
work-up Of these plugs had the tobacco
chewer by the lug
But III fine cut tobacco and cigars is
where the greatest deception is practiccd.
A western manufacturer says that there is
no end to the adulteration of fine cut
goods. Machinery has been so improved
that, az he says, with one pound of tobacco
liquor obtained by boiling down stems
and refuse leaf, enc pound of rag weed
and one pound of slippery elm bark, IS
worth Of fine cut chewing tobacco can be-
produced. The suggestion Of slippery
elm bark was a new one, and the inquiry
was pursued farther. He said ii was
nicely shaved and mixed with tobacco;
that it had a pleasant sweet taste, held
the tobacco together and made the ''quid'
last long time. This bark costs about
cents pound, and when a third of it IS
made TO replace tobacco that costs as
high as IS cents pound, one can easily
gentleman who knows says that nearly
all the slippery elm trees in Ohio, Indl-
ana and Michigan have been denuded of
their bark, yet a leading wholesale drug
gist atf1rms that $4,000 pounds of slippery
elm bark would, for the legitimate
druggist and medicinal trade, glut the
entire market Of the United States.
In cigars, cheroots, cigarettes and
smoking tobacco is probably where the
public gets robbed the worst. The cum
ming devices are SO many that even good
judges are imposed upon. 1t used to be
boast among gentlemen that they could
always select fine brand Of cigars, and
Of course they smoked no other. The
other day an old smoker, whose devotion
to the weed cost him five dollars every
week, admitted that he couldn't tell Ha-
vana flied from Connecticut filed. The
dishonest article, however, is the product
of the big manufactures, for the small
country manufacturer cannot afford the
machinery, nor conceal the lotions and de-
coctions that are brought into requisition
by his wealthier competitor. It is quite
safe to assume that about the purest-no
notb the purest, for if there IS one thing
impure, it is tobacco-the honestest cigar
is the handmade cigar of the local manu-
facturcr.