The Portland daily press., 1882-04-28
Tobacco.
Curious Drugs and Processes Used in Its
Manufacture.
TNeV York Sun,

New York SUM-
ssThere is no doubt" said large city manu-
facturer, 'sthat tobacco is fixed up in many
ways, in order to prepare it for its various mar
kets. A poor tobacco may gain higher mar
ketable value by treatment, although it is not
possible to make good article out of bad
one. The genuine lover Of tobacco will distin-
guish between natural and an artificial favor,
unless the latter is carefully employed.
The points to be attended to in cigar making
are appearance, flavor, color, texture, easy
draught, and eyenness in burning. Much de-
ponds upon the appearance, that is, the wrap
per. In New Jersey, for instance. light-col-
sylvania and further South it is impossible to
sell anything bat Colorados The New Eng
land wrapper will alone suit them.
Colorados are, however, not liked in the West
even in Colorado itself. In almost every West
ern State, except, perhaps, Ohio dealers must
per. They won't touch light cigar. The
heavy, dark wrappers are grown mostly in
Pennsylvania. They do not compare with
Eastern wrappers but Western dealers must
have them in all excspt the higher grades OF
goods
While the appearance of cigar is due chief
Iy to its wrapper, its flavor depends upon the
filling. The best cigars have Connecticut
wrappers and Havana filling. This wrapper,
even now so highly priced, is, however, slowly
clear surface and silky quality of few years
ago. 1t is dry, more friable, and has a rougher
appearance than formerly-that is, unless it is
grown on a fresh SOIL Our domestic tobacco
lands are losing some of their most excellent
qualities. We still get splendid tobacco from
the South, which is largely used in the various
forms of filling, smoking and chewing, but /
now refer to the important point OF wrapping.
We cannot do as much as we would wish to-
ward improving the appearance of the wrappers
they will not stand strong treatment. Ger
tain processes are used, however, with fair re-
suits.
The chemists have an important share in our
work, as they do now adays in the manipulation
of almost every article of human consumption.
know fifteen of them employed exclusively
in the factories of this city. 1t is an open Sc
cret that their duties consist largely in insur-
ing the eyenness Of goods, tiayoring them, and
improving their apparent quality. In the fla
voring of wrappers they can do little, though
they often color or spot them. It is the fla
voring of filings and in developing and height
ening the narcotic powers of the weed, and
thus making it marketable at higher prices
that their services are in demand. do not
think that opium or its salts are now used by
manufacturing tobacconisls, though there is
an absurd popular belief to that effect. Nor do
/ know of any leaf that is used to any extent
as a substitute for tobacco. The ancient cab
bage leaf assumption is popular deiuslon. In
England. however, five or six years ago pre-
pared cherry leaves we're largely used as an
adulteration; but in order to obtain a narcotic
effect, the manufacturers used opium, and the
Government broke up the business by stringent
laws against such adulterations | know OF no
other instance of the sort in cigar manufacture
though have detected authorizations in sInok-
ing tobacco.
II cannot name all Of the substances used in
favoring tobacco. Every manufacturer has
formula suited to his particular trade. There
are some havors which are in particular use.
Among these vanilla is by far the most extern
sively employed. This is used only in the FL
lings, in the form of an alcoholic tincture or
extract and is introduced through process of
absorption. Few cigars are wholly free from
vanilla, but its effects are comparatively
harmless when not too freely used. The tonka
bean and balsaEn of fir are also much employed
in the same way, and for the same purpose.
Cedar oil is fine flavor, but is seldom used
except in fine quality of cigar. A really fine
cigar can hardly be said to improve under any
manipulation beyond the necessary curing.
sThe tobacco flavor may be very well ifnita-
ted, with little assistance, of course, from the
original article. The best thing now known
for that purpose is valerian. 1t is very largely
used, but as it is accepted by most people as an
excellent nervine 1 should not consider its
effects injurious. Vanilla and waterman are
doubtless the most valuable chemicals now in
vogue among the tobacconists. By their use
the dullest and weakest stems may be favored
up into fair article of tobacco. They are
largely used in those smoking grades which
are sometimes heavily adulterated with coarse
ly ground barks. Cigarette tobacco is the
most highly favored of ALL not excepting even
chewing tobacco, which is we'll known to be
pretty heavily prepared, as we say. Not only
valerian and vanilla, but cascarlla bark en-
tiers into cigarette tobaccos, except when pre-
pared by large manufacturers who have rep
utation to sustain. To make cigar burn well
ammonia is no doubt the best thing now
known, though with the poorer qualities the
old plan of soaking the tobacco in stiff solu-
ton of saltpetre is largely adhered to. The
latter practice must be injurious. and should
be wholly discarded"