Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-08-20
FOR USERS OF THE WEED.
Substitutes for Tobacco-A Lot of Queer
Inventions.

Substitutes for Tobacco-A Lot of Queer
Inventions
Among the queerest inventions re.
corded at the patent Office are ideas for
tobacco substitutes. Apparently the
whole vegetable kingdom has been ran
sacked for material to take the place Of
the herb nicotian in the manufacture of
cigars, plugs for chewers and fuel for
the pipe. There is hardly a familiar
herb whose leaves are not called into
requisition. 1t is no idle tale that the
potato, the beet, the cabbage and the
tirnip help out the commercial supply
of the noble weed. For the preparation
of these plants and the initiative doctor
ing of them there are numberless in
genious processes,
Many of the patented substitutes,
however, do not pretend to counterfeit
tobacco. For example, one inventor has
secured exclusive rights in the idea of
making cigar filters of pine needles.
The needles are to be gathered when
they are green and "full of tarry mat
ter" A wrapper of moist tobacco leaf
is put around them, and the cigar when
dry is guaranteed to burn readily. 1t is
warranted TO cure throat and lung
troubles. Another patent is for cigars
of suntiower leaves, which are to be cut
off when the seed ripens. The use of a
tobacco wrapper in this case is allowed
to persons long accustomed to that
weed.
A woman has secured patent on
cigars of eucalyptus leaves She says
that they, unlike tobacco, leave clean
and pleasant flavor in the mouth"
Also she claims priority in the notion of
employing them for the pipe, for snuff.
as tooth powder, and with suitable fats
in the manufacture of soaps and can
dies. Another inventor proposes to
use the leaves of Indian corn, prepared
like tobacco for chewing and smoking.
The stalks of the corn are boiled in wa
ter to a sirup, to which is added quassia,
or capsicum. or "other bitter botanic
product" The leaves, having been
dried in the sun, are to be dipped into
this sirup before making them into
cigars and plug.
Not few inventions are for the pur-
pose of robbing tobacco of its alleged
harmful properties. One man proposes
to accomplish the object by saturating
the filters of the cigars with prepara'
ton of the needles and twigs of the
pine, incidentally imparting desira.
BILE fragrance. The extract is to be
prepared in summer, when the needles
and shoots possess their aromatic and
medicinal qualities in the highest de.
gree. The vapor of alcohol is applied to
the tobacco in order to carry off the
nicotine, and then the tobacco is boiled
in the extract. Finally the cigars made
from the tobacco thus treated are
wrapped in tin foil, so that the proper
ties aforesaid may be preserved.
A thoughtful individual has devised
a preparation that is guaranteed to de
stroy the appetite for tobacco in 81
days, 1t is composed of gum, rosin
beeswax, white wax, poplar bark, Vir
ginia snakeroot and cayenne pepper
Another substitute warranted to allay
the craving is mixture of spikenard
red clover, hops, slippery elm bark
pennyroyal, wild cherry bark, hyssop
ginseng and tarred rope. All of thes'
ingredients are to be dried, powdered
and mixed in certain proportions.
patent has been granted for plug to
bacco consisting of gentian root, prick
ly-ash bark, sassafras bark and extrac
of licorice.
Ever 80 many recipes are eXtant 70
preparing excellent smoking and chew
ing tobacco from the most inferior rub
bish. The leaves of various herbs an,
other plants are largely employed a
adulterants - notably sumac. TIL
sumac has been used since time imme
mortal by the Indians as tobacco sub
stitute. Beet leaves, p.tato leaves, caf
bage leaves and turnip leaves ar
stepped in solutions to deprive them o
their natural favor, and are then sui
jected to n tobacco bath. Tobacc
leaves are artiflcially colored by dir
ping them in mixtures which have es
tract of coffee for the base. They ar
also dyed with yellow ochre, sanda
wood, logwood, Venetian red and lamT
black. Quinine is sometimes added t
smoking tobacco. A patent has bee
granted for process by which tn
cheapest grade Of tobacco may be trans
formed into the finest Havana Th
leaves are to be soaked in water unit
deprived Of their original favor, an
then STEPPED in an extract of Cuban Il
bacco stems.-Boston Transcript.