National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-06

gree Of sweetness In his plug. To ill this
blll and create o special flavor which shall
give q kind Of identity to a particular
brand, and cause IL to he eagerly sought
for, is the object Of the manufacturer.
When the bundles Of steamed leaves are
fully dried they are ready for the applica-
ton of the mixture Of sirup and licOncc
which imparts to the chewing tobacco Of
commerce its sweetness and tlavor The
leaves must he MS dry as bone when sub
iected to this licorice bath, for the least
dampuess will render them white with
mold in a few hours. This mold Is re-
moved lone Of the adultcrations) by a dip
into diluted muriatic acid, aud In too many
cases forms part Of the solid cake Of a bet
ter quality. The heat of the mixture causes
the pores of the leaf TO expand, aud the
sweet sirup, penetrating every fiber, sim
pregnates II thoroughly. From the vat the
dripping bundles are carried out on tue fiat
roof of the factory and exposed to the
sun, for one days sunshine is worth more
than can be told in the manufacture. After
this the leaves are taken into drying room,
where the thermometer during the day Is at
g0o. At night the whole power Of the fur
mace Is turned on, and the heat Is SO intense
that in the morning the room has to be
cooled off before the operators can enter IT,.
When the tobacco has, under this powerful
heat, become perfectly dry, the adultercr
gets In his work.
One factory sprinkles It with New Eng
land rum, another uses the Jamaica rum,
q third moistens IL with the rankest corn
whisky he can find and each brand has Its
own peculiar essential oil. Some use fennel,
others use ginseng, while the acrid sumach
abounding in tannin, cheap and plenty,
gives that peculiar burning Of tina tongue
which characteriZes much "fne cut.n AS
tringent barks, wormwood, the refuse Of the
cinchona and others, give the bitter taste
which some consumers like, and the twist
or "negro hoad,n which is largely exported
to tropical climates, gets special absorp-
ton.
We have heretofore published the state
mcnt of Mr.. Cooper, revenue collector Of
North Carolina, himself large tobacco
manufacturer, stating that tonqua bean and
wintergreen were also largely used I'm adul-
tcrating tobacco, both of which are deadly
poisons, and that he knew of a negro who,
having drank awine-glassful OF the mixture,
died IN half an hour
If these things be true Of the ordinary
chewing tobacco, what can we Say Of the
smoking article where sticks and stems
ard dirt, and all uncleanness go to make up
the cigar? Where an end ought to show
the wrinkled edge Of pure leaf, IL shows a
front like that Of q composite bit Of marble.
A true tobacco cigar is fine in grain and
free from stems. The wrapper Is nothing
in a cigar; the filling is everything.
No leaf is worthless for the manufacture
Of one or another of the innumerable brands
between the golden chafr with which the
millionaire fills his meerschaum and the
laborer his cuddy. Almost the only chemi-
cally pure tobacco is that which the planter
dries for himself, spreads on the cotton
sheet in the garret, and sends little Tommy
to bring him bunch of-crumbling 1t be-
simplicity doesn't please. The public
would rNther be poisoned.