Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-02-16
CIGARETTE MAKING IN CAIRO.
Important Facts Relating to q Dangerous
Commodity.

COMMODITY.
The bales are opened as required,
and the various leaves mixed so that
four different priced qualities result,
the best kind being that in which there
is the least Smyrna tobacco and the
least percentage OF large leaves. II
cigarettes are made exclusively OF
the best leaves, which are light
yellow brown in color and meas
ure only four by two inches, the
aroma is very pleasant, but the smoker
gets a headache after about five of
them The middle leaves, when dry,
measure about seven by four and
half inches. and the lowest leaves of
all are considerably larger. Cairo air is
so dry that the leaves must be damped
with water here before being cut. but
in Alexandria this is not necessary.
English made machines cut up the
leaves, and on the following day the
cigarettes are rolled by Greek. Syrian
or Jewish workmen. A clever work.
man can roll as many as 1,500 a day.
The cigarettes are then carefully over
hauled by an expert, left a week to
dry. and then packed in tin boxes for
sale They should, Of course, be
smoked directly instead OF being kept,
as is too often the case in England.
So much for the tobacco; now for
the paper All large Cairo firms en-
ploy one kind Of paper only, which is
made by a half English company at
Fiume, near Trieste. II comes TO
Alexandria in foolscap sheets, and is
there cut up to the required size. tits
not known how it is made, or whether
il is chiefly rice straw; but the mer-
chants here all vow that il is the best
they can get II one is right in sus-
pecting the paper instead of the to-
bacco, il might be well 10 try TO get
cigarettes rolled in tobacco leaves in
stead Of paper.
The only other ingredient left tc
consider is the starch for joining the
paper. This is used with a thin stick
by the men who roll the cigarettes. /
NAV say that each workman is al
lowed 10 smoke as many cigarettes
(say forty as he likes during his work
and is presented with ten every night
10 take home with him. The first
establishment that visited only came
into being five years ago, but now il
has three branch shops in London and
one in Bombay, Berlin and New York.
The proprietors sell only 1 per cent Of
their cigarettes in Egypt, but export
100000 a week to England, beside
100000 weekly to India, Europe,
China, Australia, etc.
Ny second visit was paid 10 a well
known purveyor who exports 250, 900
a week 10 England alone, where | saw
100 men rolling cigarettes, and bales
full Of the best tobacco leaves. Atthe
third house ] was shown several bales
of Jobeoil tobacco from Yenidje This
consists of specially selected leaves,
and is the finest possible from Turkey.
This proprietor sends about 1854
every week TO England.
Nv fourth visit was 10 man whom
] had never heard of before, but who
was keenly alive TO the correspond
ence in the English newspapers. He
sends every week more than $4,000
cigarettes TO England, and a greater
quantity 10 Germany. Although in
smaller line of business than the
others, he gets his leaves and his
papers from the same spot as his COM
petitors. There are, Of course, many
other reputable establishments in
Cairo besides these four, which, as
have shown, supply every week /, ,OOO,-
900 cigarettes 10 England alone, and
about the same number 10 other parts
Of the world.
My opinion is that no opium or other
drug Is mixed with the tobacco; and
even in hasheesh dens the devotee
buys a bit of the cannabis indica ex.
tract and mixes il himself with the To-
bacco. In conclusion, one practical
hint from a wise old Oriental who
smokes seventy or eighty cigarettes a
day, his wife smoking almost as great q
number Always use cigarette holder,
and in the holder tiny plug OF cotton
wool previously dipped In lemon juice
and changed every time with the