The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-02-22
CIGARETTE MAKING IN CAIRO.
Important Facts Relating 10 "a Dangerou'
Commodity.


Commodity.
The bales are opened Us 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 q headache after about five of
them. The middle leaves, when dry,
measure about seven by four and a
half inches, and tho lowest leaves of
all are considerably larger. Cairo air is
so dry that tho 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 tho following day the
cigarettes are rolled by Greek, Syrian
or Jewish workmen. A clever work
man can roll as many as ], 800 Il day.
The cigarettes are then carefully over
hauled by an expert, left 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 on kind of paper only, which is
made BY half English company at
Fiume near Trieste. It comes to
Alexandria in foolscap sheets, and is
there cut up to the required size. Ii is
not known how it is made, or whether
it is chiefly rice straw; but tho NOR
chants here all vow chat it is the best
they can get. If one is right in susc
pecting the paper instead of tho to-
bacco, it might be well to try to get
cigarettes rolled in tobacco leaves in
stead of paper.
The only other ingredient left to
consider is the starch for joining tho
paper. This is used with, n thin stick
by the men who roll tho cigarettes. /
may say that each workman is al
lowed TO smoke as many cigarettes
(say forty as he likes during his work
and is presented with ten every night
to take homo with him. The first
establishment that l visited only came
into being five years ago, but now it
has three branch shops in London and
one in Bombay, Berlin and New York.
The proprietors sell only per cent of
their cigarettes in Egypt, but export
600, 900 a week to England, beside
400, 600 weekly to India, Europe,
China, Australia, etc.
My second visit was paid TO n well
known purveyor who exports 250,0
week to England alone, where l saw
100 men rolling cigarettes, and bales
full Of the best tobacco leaves. At the
third house was shown several bales
of Jobeck tobacco from Ycnidje. This
consists of specially selected leaves,
and is tho finest possible from Turkey
This proprietor sends about $4,000
every week to England.
Ny fourth visit was to n 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 to Germany. Although in a
smaller line of business than the
others, he gets his leaves and his
papers from the same spot as his COM
pCtitolo' ihSlS tiiC, vi COuISC, iiidily
other reputable establishments in
Cairo besides these four, which, as l
have shown, supply every week /, 000,-
600 cigarettes to England alone, and
about the same number to 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 bit of the cannabis indica ex-
tract and mixes it himself with the to-
bacco. In conclusion, one practical
hint from q wise old Oriental who
smokes seventy or eighty cigarettes a
day, his wife smoking almost as greata
number: Always use a cigarette holder,
and in the holder tiny plug of cotton
wool previously dipped in lemon juice
and changed every time with the
cigarette Lancet.