Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-26

Required Daily 10 Contain Twenty
Million Cigars,


Required Daily 10 Contain Twenty
Million Cigars.
"0ver 20, 00D, 900 cigars ara manufao.
tured every day in the United States
alone" said prominent dealer the
other day, land this enormous plumber
rfquires in the neighborhood of 1000
boxes for their keeping. Conse.
quently there are over 200 fac
tories In the country turning out
boxes as fast, or faster, than cigars
are made to fill them. And ii is
surprising what an extensive and ex-
pensive plant is required for the making
of cigar boxes. A complete box making
plant is planning mill silk spinning
mill and q printing establishment COM
bined. Besides pu ting the pieces of
wood together, fully-equipped factory
weaves and fixes up its own silk ribbon
wrappers, and does its own printing.
'trhe wood of which these boxes are
made comes from Mexico, Central America
and the West Indies. Ths manufacturers
usa vsry little besides red cedar, and that
kind Of timber is rather scarce in this
country. They buy the wood for these
bcxss in largo, heavy logs and then out
them up TO gnit themselves. Only tho
cheaper grade of boxes il made from
poplar, cut IN the West, which ia after
ward stained to initiate the RCD cedar. Bat
the only roal good wood for packing
cigars is the cedar which comes from
Mexico, Central America and the Weet
Indies. The cedar wood has o peculiar
pungant odor, which adds very much 10
this taste and favor of good cigar. This
quality of tho cedar is recognized ny the
pork packers, for they take oil the cedar
sswdust TO use as fuel in curing their
extra grad Of bacon.
| '.la ,ha Eebt place the logs are ont up
! into thin "a, ers or veneers. These are
taken to the drying department, where
they are placed on racks for day or SO
10 dry gu: thoroughly. The yeneers are
/ then run through heavy steel rollerB and
| thus come cut neatly polished. After
being sawed into strips the veneers Rre
cut mp into proper lengths. The pieces
ore now ready to be PIT together into the
form OF box The pieces are nailed to.
gstaer, rot by hand, but by machines.
the only thirg done By hand is the lids.
Workman take narrow strip OF cloth
| and paste it on the edge Of the lid in or,
4 der to form hinge for the box. This
being done the inside Innings end labels
arc aifit Lettering or the wooden sidet
Of the cigar boxes is done by printing
presses much heavier than In newspaper
4 oflicss.
"a great deal of care 10 taken in select
ing labels. For It is not Uncommon thai
gorgeous, highly colorsd Autographed
label sella a cigar. But only the poorel
gra les of cigars are now advertised By
means OF h4ring label. The better
grades OF cigars have, as rule, neal
and incanspicuous sgp. 1hus some
Havanas are satisfied to commend theii
good points to smokers by wise Ct
witty motto, while others ar contsnt will
pretty Spanish or Cuban hons scene
Yet theme modest labels are quite an item
III the cost of Z n3E, AS 3 rich, qnist lock
ing label may coat about i've OF six cent
apiece.
"pbere is mystery about cigar boxes
namely--where do they go after onct
being usedp The law requires that thu
stamps and printed sides shall he deiaoed
and thus the box is rendered useless.
great many boxes are made over into new
ones. A large bax holding $50 cigars cal
easily bs cut down into one holding 100
One manufactures recently endesvor5d 4
get around tins law by cutting up the oil
boxes, and by calling it kindling WOO,
was not prevented for time from usipl
boxes over again but most of tho b3xs
are really used for tira wood. As goo
cigar box costs from three to siz cents, i
seems wAa.etnl to use them in this way
Old cigar boxes arc put to all kinds @
curious usss. Some are kept by lover
for their letters Others take the place q
: G safe, aud are used to hide money in
while others still ere used for mai! boxer
Thousands Of boxes, which every year ar
cast aside after having been mutiiated an
J de.aced, ~ nobody knows whera."