Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-07-10
TOBACCO

Tobacco, introduced into Eurol c b,
tomato llcauandez de Ovicdo, abon
30 years ago, has now become an i'm
pUrtant article OF commerce. In thi,
country lis cultivation, manuiactur,
aud sale have so rapidly increased n,
To have already attained nIaholl
proportions.
At least l,200,000O0O pounds of to-
bacco are annually produced 10 sup
ply the demand OF the 9OOOO0,OO OF
earth's population addicted 10 it's use.
II would seem that out of every one
hundred persons in England, France
aud Russia, five are habtual users OF
tobacco; in Italy, severn in Cuba,
eleven in Auslra, fourteen in Ger
licigium, twenty four, aud in Holland
lwenty-eight, In Mexico nearly ev-
cry one smokes. There school chill
dren who have done best in their
studies are frequently rewarded Ly
being allowed to smoke cigar dur
ing school hours.
In the year 1877 the area under to.
bacco in the United States was 7lj,-
GEO acres. The crop that year
amounted TO 100000 900 pounds, val.
ued at $l0GO,OOO. In 1883 The area
under tobacco was ~, 40 acres. The
rrnp that year amounted 10 JG2 IiG,
GU pounds, valued at $i3, 2G5 sos
Tue yield varies all the way up frem
AL pounds per acre in North Caro-
lima tol ,620 pounds per acre IN Cbn.
ncCiiCut, where fertilizers are largely
used. The State OF Kentucky grows
M per cent, OF the entire tobacco crop
Of the country.
The manufacture of tobacco in this |
country increased in valued from $i3,
10000 in 1850 10 Sll7O00000 in 1850, |
Thorc are at present in the United
States 1T factories where chew
ing and smoking tobacco and snuff are
manufactured, and 7,li5 lor the
manufacture of cigars aud cigarettes
The capital invested in the latter is
$2l Cos 80, and in former ST. POI, l0l
There are employed in these cigarand
cigarette factories ~ 207 persons over
ID wears of age, and 1880 under II
aud in the other tobacco works 2j,Gi9
persons over 10 years of age, and T.
OIL under Ii The total annual value
Of the products ofthG cigarand cigar
cite factories is 1858 1919 ,J7j, and ofihc
other tobacco establishments $50, 793,-
OiG
The value of the exports OF tobacco
for two wears, ended June 30, 1856.
was $50, l2I 90S Thiriy-four per cent
uf our inleral revenue has been paid
10y the tobacco tax. The tobacco crop
* one that rapidly cxhausts the land.
For ever LOCO pounds OF the plant
grown, lO2 pounds Of the most val
liable constituents of the soil are car.
ricd away. For this reason, while at
present a fruitful source of revenue
10 the Government, it will prove b.
fore many years 10 he greatly detri.
mental to our national prosperity.
Cigar consumption has increased
since 1874 at the rate of nearly Co.
100000 year. Daring the year 1878
2,0S2, BOG, 3G2 cigars were consumed
in the United Statc--an average OF
forty for ever inhsbitant. II is esti.
mated that 4 SO000O of orr popula-
ton now consume ., $40, SOS, ISS cigars
or an average per smoker of TO q
year, The cost of cigars amounts 10
two tifihs of the value Of the entire
consumption of wheat. The average
smoker is content with a cigar that
rotails for five cents. On that basis
there is burnt up in this country
SlS09l day, or 81 Cos. 727 a month,
or Sl7j,5l4, 12l year. In addition
TO this enormous sum, boys and young
men spend for cigarettes $G,500,000;
those who prefer a pipe, n further
sum of $2,000,000 aud those who use
chewing tobacco and snull, $4,000
Coo more, so that il is but Il moderate
estimate Ia place The annual cost of
tobacco to the people of the United
States at $252,000,000.
Chewing tobacco is sometimes pre-
pared bv soaking the leaf in cheap
rum and molasses, with tho addition
of amonia and inter- Some un.
principled manufacturers, ii has been
said, first soak the leaf in urine, aud
afterwards in molasses water. etc. A
kind Of brown wrapping paper, made
'TFN'ia'1 ip' Niit pilpOht VI new
York, is largely used for cigar wrap
pers. After coming from the mil
the paper is saturated with Juice
pressed from tobacco stems and other
oilal. Then il is rolled through a
machine which gives to it the ap-
pearaDcc OF the Tobacco leaf, the pc
culiar spots being printed on il as ON
calico. When thispapcr, so prepared,
is interlapped with broken leaves Of
tobacco, detection is almost impossi-
ble. Havana cigar makers use this
paper in great quantities. Some car
goes from New York consigned 10
Havana, figure up 1000 roams, and
some as high as 10000 reams, of these
prepared cigar Wrappers.
IL il Il well-kuown fact that Ciga-
rettes are adulteratcd to a fearful OK.
tent. Comparatively harmless drngs,
such as columbia aud gcntian, are
sometimes used in their manufacture
but frequently opium aud valclian
are 10 he found in them, forming,
" it'll tho nicotine Of the tobacco,
highly poisonolls and dangerous com.
pound.