The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-09
PROCESSES GIVEN TOBACCO
How to Distinguish the Cigarette Fiend
from the Cigar Smoker.
Facts Abcut the Weed from Sprouting the Seed
to the Last Hs~ndling-frade Terms Ex-
planned Percentum OfDirt in Chewing"

them for their consumption. That same
leaf of tobacco. however. has been handled
and rehandled over aud over again by q
myriad of workers of all ages. sexes and
conditions in life, from the humble farm
iaborer to the man of experience. who CON-
mands a handsome salary a. q tobacco
buyer. whsther It comes in the way of q
filler or q sweet-favored plug. As q bright
toughw wrapper, as filler in q high or low
GLASS cigar. as a part of a package of smok-
ing tobacco. TO be smoked In the pipe, by
the ,boring man from necessity and the
artist ocrat from affectation. IL matters not
in what form it reaches the consumer. it
has givea employment TO persons IN all the
walks Of life before it reaches bim.
just as It brings comfort and consolation TO
persons In all the walks OF lie alter IL
reaches than in the shape of the manu-
faotured article. The lawyer in the con-
fines of his private office lights his cigar
and traces in the rings of the smoke noat-
ing towards the ceiling the elementary
principles OF the old common law to be em.
breced In the brief In process of
preparation upon the desk before
him. The physician nervously bites the
end Oft his half-smoked cigar. and thereby
concentrates his thoughts upon the newly
developed complications which are for the
time battling his skill in the treatment of n
patient. The gambler. engrossed with tho
game. lights his cigar, works IL around to
the corner of his mouth. and there 1t re-
mains held as in q wise between his teeth.
A few fitfui pufts and the light
goes out, but the gambler doesn't
know il, and at the end of the
play he reilRhts the cigar and leaves the
ROOM He has been smoking throughout
the entire game, yet he has not consumed
the half of n cigar. The laborer, after the
morning meal. with dinner bucket In his
hand, starts for the scene of his toll. and.
as he pulls heartily upon his o. cent pipe. 10
constrained TO believe that life Is worth
the living. with all its toll and drudgery.
If no can only have his pipe and tobacco.
Even the m~uch-abused cigarette smoker
loves his cigarette because in IL he finds u
RELIEF that tn him cannot be found any
where but within the little roll of paper. A
rule of smoking with the "cigarette
fiend,' and without inhaling the
Probably few persons not .'tiends" know
that one can tell by a little observation
whether the SMOKER of O cigarette belongs
to that class. That 10 when the smoker
uses the manufactured article. for 1t may
be considered an axiom that the man who
rolls" his cigarettes. that is, buys his
tobacco and Dapers and makes them AS he
wants them. Is u confirmed tiend. If one
will notice q "iend' when he takes a
cigarette from the package, he will lind
that before attempting to light 1t it is
taken between the thumb and forehngers
and rolled back and forth till the tobacco
p~rotrudes from both ends; this tobacco.
thus D~rotruding. Is then torn OFT and the
Cigarette Is ready for lighting. After
this ~tnere is another way to tell
the fiend-by the way be holds the
the cigarette in his meuth. The ''fiend"
never touches anythIng but his lips. and
these very lightly. to a cigarette. The man
who thrusts the half of q cigarette In his
mouth and tries to hold il between his
teeth as he would q cigar. gives ample
proof that he has yet to learn how to smoke
q cigarette.
But the subject is to tell the processes
through which tobacco passes in prepare
tlon for onsumpti rather than the pro-
cesses of consumption. which are generally
known. The growing OF tobacco is ex-
ceedlngly nrduous; at the same time il Is
very profitable. In the early spring the
planter burns a lot OF brush and sows the
tiny tobacco seeds In the wood ashes as
thick as one would SOW grass seed upon
elawn. The seed IL sown IN q hotbed.
which Is covered with the thiUnest quality
of cheese cloth instead of glass TO give the
Young plant plenty OF air and protect It
from the early frOsts. After the plants
are sufficiently large and tough to be re-
planted they are taken up and set In the
held, which Is LAID OF in rows about two
feet apart and the plants about the same
distance apart In the row. From this time
on until the tobacco is Deposited in the
" oaAo IdO " 49, oV80Oo
grower never ceases. His field demands
his entire attention. An acre and a half of
tobacco will keen one man busy during the
entire season. AS soon as the plant is q
foot high. which Is not very long after it Is
reset from the hotbed, the war upon the to-
baoeo worm begins.
Between the keeping OF the plants clear
of this pest and the hOeing. all the time of
all the days. tbenceforward. Is fully occu-
pied. The best soil Is a no account kind of
a sandy soil, upon which nothing but weeds
and tobacco would grow. But both cannot
thrive together. and the grower must keep
the ground clear of the weeds If he expects
To make tobacco. That old Virginia" Is
the best tobacco State in this country is
too we'll known to need any comment. but
OF late years u very formidable rival has
appeared upon the scene. In the noun
famous regions of East Tennessee is raised
n very hne quality of tobacco. and. after
the in portation of a few Virginia negroes
that portion of the State has shown u dis
position TO dispute the claim of precedence
maintained by the NirginIans. The rocky,
sandy hillsides in East Tennessee have
been found TO contain excellent tobacco
soil. and the raising of that crop has come
to be the industry OF the couBtry.
In the care of the plant. those plants not
wanted for seed are topped as soon as the
shoots for Towering begin To appear. thus
throwing all the strength of the plant into
the leaf. When the crop Is ready for the
harvest. II is gathered either by stripping
.be leaves OFT the stock in the field. or cut
ting the entire stock. and the latter being
the easiest. Is the plan generally followed.
Then comes the curing, the most i'm portant
part or the whole work. for q splendid crop
of tobacco may be, and too often Is. ruined
In the curing.
There are two processes of curing. known
as the air and the fire cure. IL the former
is the method followed, after the tobacco Is
cut it is hung IN an open shed. and tho
curing process left 10 the work of the at
mosphere. This Is the slower method.
hut the tobacco thus cured pos
eesses q sweetness OF flavor seldom
found in the tire-cured article. Most of the
tobacco used in the manufacture of cigars
Is cured In this way. LIZ the other process
Is used the tobacco. after being gathered
from the field. Is taken 10 = shed or barn
arranged with a NUMBER of flues for con-
Quoting the hot cir through the building.
and IL hung upon poles. The barn Is tightly
closed. and The fires kindied. The temper
eture. at first about ninety degrees. Ia grad
uallv raised to about 120. at which 1t ie
kept for two or three days. and then the to-
baccO 10 left until 10 comes In case" that
Is until il absorbs from the atmosphere
enough moisture to permit its being
handled without danger OF being broken.
When it comes int case. II Is taken dow q
and stripped from the stalks. and the
Leaves tied into bundles containing about
fifteen leaves. which bundle thereafter
becomes known AS a hand of tobacco.
In tying into hands. the stnff Is graded
into the various classes known rs wrap
pers. filters and lugs. and these are known
as either bright or dark. according TO the
color OF the tobacco. The wrappers are
the large bottom leaves with n firm body.
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