The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-24
TOBACCO In ENGLAND.
q English Manufacturers View Of
the SoIaeing Drug.

The workingman's Contempt For Ciga-
rettes-What the Different Kinds of
Chewing and Smoking Tobacco Are and
How They Are Made Up.
workingman, said an English manu-
facturer to London journalist, will
smoke cigarettes, and he has contempt
for the lighter, milder, ''boys' tobacco"
rs he terms the qualities which are most
In demand by the middle classes. Their
names are legion, often fanciful, and the
get up of the packages in lead foil and
gold printed wrappings varies with ev-
cry passing whim.
The tendency is to smoke the lighter
kinds, and che run is upon navy crt,
which virtually is the same as flake to-
bacco. which preceded it in popular fla
vor.
Navy cut tobacco is simply tobacco
which is partially manufactured, but
the consumer persuades himself that Il
tobacco cannot be genuine unless he
breaks it open himself by rubbing it in
bis hands For fake and navy cut to-
bacco the leaf is pressed, and it is then
passed under the knife and cut a little
coarser than the ordinary sorts. A fine
" cut tobacco, Of the milder kind, is
hotter to the tongue than the stronger
descriptions. It burns quicker, but the
tobacco which Is softer and slower in
smoking is more potent. None is SO
powerful as cut cavendish, which is first
made into thick coil Or cable, then
pressed and afterward cut.
Descending into the cellars the visitor
saw a number of presses, some of which
contained in trays tobacco for flake or
navy cut; others held blocks of caven-
dish and many more were filed with
hanks Of negro head" in rows, square
mail rods" or rolls bound around with
cloth and cord to sustain the pressure
Much Of these tobaccos is consumed not
In the pipe, but as a substitute for smok-.
ing when that luxurymight be danger
GUS one, as In mines, or not permitted
by the regulations, as, for example, on
board ship or in barracks at forbidden
hours. 1t is not a pleasant thought, but
the habit of chewing tobacco is increas-
ing, and the Grade has to meet the de-
mand.
A first acquaintance with the balls of
tobacco was made in the spinning room,
where in the course of a year thousands
of mi1esof leaf are spun into stout Irvine
and are then wound into balls, if intended
for Irish roll, Limerick roll, pigtail roll
or bogy roll, or if it is to be 1nanufac-
tured into negro head it is twisted into
hanks, which when pressed are in con-
venient form for biting bit off the end.
Tobacco of darker description left in
the press for some time becomes per-
fectly black with it's own moisture. The
reason for this change lies in the fact
that the "blood vessels" of the leaf,
which contain the nicotine, are crushed
and the oil is absorbed into the whole
leaf, the surplus exuding from the press
as thick and blacker than treacle.
A hurried inspection only can be given
to the cigars. The best of course are
imported from Havana, whose manufac-
turers take care to retain the pick Of the
Cuban tobacco at home. But our inn
ports of foreign cigars Of all kinds do
not represent more than 100000 of
duty, payable at the rate of IS. 3D. per
pound. We do not receive, it is said,
more than 1000 cases of cigars from
abroad. Each case contains 100 boxes,
or 10000 cigars. Compared to the enor-
NOUS number of British cigars manufac-
tured these imports are infnitesimal.
Without entering into the details Of the
work it is sufficient to say that man
can make, by the exercise of skill alone,
with the simplest tools, $40 cigars in one
day, while girl can turn out of the
cheaper kind from 200 to 300, but the
latter require to be pressed in wooden
moees to acquire the form which the
skill Of ths mans hand alone supplies.
"a British cigar" the attentive men,
Der declares, should not be sold for
more than threepence. We band the best
only, for handing is equivalent to a loss
Of profit of per cent. Some tobacco
nists have not foreign cigar in stock to
sell"
Az aS eho Ai1oPOI1AOAI VI q oAUA A1lAl,
closely resembling a mortar making ma
chine, which suggested the remark: SEW
cry snuff taker who dies lessons the con-
sumption. We use the mill for grinding
our refuse and sweepings into snuff, but
not for sale. No. We return it to the
customs to get a drawback or return Of
duty. The government authorities once
exported this snuff to Jersey, but it came
back. Then they tried to burn it, but it
would not burn. They must get rid Of
it, and they want to make sure that it
will not return to their hands again.
"What, then, does the custom house
do with all the snuff, amounting to more
than ESQ 900 per annum in va1ues"
'sThey must first analyze it, then ship
1t and take it down to the More, where
they pitch 1t overheard loose, for if they
threw the bags into the water, too, some
body would fish them up again. The
bags they burn In the government kiln
lest some one should buy them and
shake the snuff off"
A Pocket Life Line.
&c T. fOHx