The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-06-04
STREET CORNER NOTES
An Interesting Interview With a Clever Com
rlerGlaI Traveller on Various Topics.
NORFOLK THE PLACE FOR INVESTORS
some Points ON Cigars and Tobncco..A
New Industry nt GiImerion-Jus
stis Little Joke - An Ek'ROOtcr
Tells What tho Habit Brought Him
F"-1sc Has Now Settled Down.

Mr. Sol. Teller, a very clever and OBJ
servant commercial traveller, has been
IN the city several days working his
me. which Is cigars. Mr.. Teller's route
extends through Georgia. the Caro-
mas and Virginia. In the Tar Heel
State his father owns a 5000 acre plan
1ation III Onslow county. and In Vir-
gln1n his cousin, MIR. jefferson Levy,
owns the famous jefferson home, the
Alonticello, near Charlottesville. Mr.
Teller has been in his present business
Tor nigh on q decade, and in referring
TO his trips through the South spoke
very entertainingly yesterday
ind" said he. that money IS really
lighter than 1t was four months ago
when | made my last trip. though this
!ac. does not AFFECT my business; that
is TO say, detrimentally. II Is rather
strange, but do you know more cigars
are being sold now than ever before
anu | verify believe that the harder the
Times me more smoking goods are dis
posed OF. The only reason that I can
assign is that in hard times people
maven 1nuch else to do but sit around
anu smoke. You will find it the case:
people smoke a great deal more when
they nave nothing to do than when thew
are at work Then, you know. there is
me. me virtue or solace which the smoker
hnds only In his cigar or pipe.
II have just been through the South
ana having seen it oil. am glad to get
to Norfolk again. II Is the livellest CITY
! nave struck. Every time come here
am impressed with the Increasing
amount OF business being done. and the
eNei present atmosphere or commercial
ACTIVITY. The city has made the most
wonderful strides since my first visit
mere several years ago. see It on every
hand and the Importance Of Norfolk's
CROWN IS being recognized all through
the North. 1t Is considered q safe place
| ho n -
spare would want nothing better Than
Norlolll real estate to put it in. I don't
Know whether 1t Is the experience of
others or not, but find that Virginia
merchants are the pi'omptest pay or all
my customers. Norfolk merchants arc
buying great deal more than they
used. and that Is the best criterion BY
winch 70 Judge city's business growth. y
Spcakins Of the cigar trade generally.
hr. Teller was pleasantly communities
tive.
The five cent cigar Is king to-day"
ne SAD; ana people who ten years ago
would nave turned UP their noses ut 81
nickel smoke, now use nothing else.
ihefe are, comparatively speaking, but
rev nlSh-priced goods on the market
ana less and less are being used. The
reason for this is two-fold A better
r,o, grade OF goods is being manu-
Incurred now than ever before, then
Times DO not permit even the wealthy
to indulge In all the luxuries they de-
sire The Havana cigar made in Cuba.
IS the best cigar IN the world This IS
conceded There are very few OF them
ON Inc market, and they are hard to
find The war down there has nlaycd
havoc with the plantations, and 1t will
De NJ least two years before another croD
can be marketed. Meantime, the Ha-
Vana stock IS getting pretty short You
are aware that the Spanish Government
| a ,f
tobacco seed into the island That is
rome reason the tobacco there Is SO GOOD
1t IS unmiNed The Havana has its own
individual flavor and sweetness not
eauaied anywhere else in the world
Attempts made in this country TO
raise the Havana article have fai,ed
Inc seed was planted In Pennsylvania
and resulted in the production of the
tobacco known as the Havana Seed. ;
not the real article by long shot. but
SIN very much superior to the Broad
Leaf. which was then the best of the
native-grown leaf for cigar purposes.
There is radical difference between
ihe tobacco used for cigars and that
used for the pipe. The former Is raised
principally in Pennsylvania, New York,
connecticut and Wisconsin. The Vir-
5inia and Carolina leaf which Is used
for cigarette and pipe, is too sweet and
mud TOR cigar purposes. and not so
pilabie or aromatic as the Northern ar
ticle. find that pipes and cigars are
belnE used more and more, especially by
the Young men. in preference to cigar
cites"
Mr.. a. D. Barrows, formerly OF Port
land. Me-, now Of Giimerton, Va, was
IN the city the other day and was cues
toned rather closely regarding his BUSH
ness-a unique one in this section-the
making Of tight heads for molasses. vim
egar pork and oil barrels.
MIR. Barrows is connected with the
Portland Cooperage company, a firm
widely known in the North His fac
tory formerly made barrel heads out Of
spruce pine. but discovered that Virginia
and Carolina white pine suited their
purposes better so. for q long time, they
procured their raw lumber for heading
from Gllmerton, most Of 1t being fur
nlshed by the John L. Roper Lumber
company.
But after awhile this was found to be
something like taking the cart to the
horse. so the company decided to estab-
llsh plant here which should turn out
nothing but heads.
NO sooner planned than done Mr..
Bar1oWs, with thirteen experts, were
sent down to Gilmerton, and at the
present writing the new factory Is in full
blast and shipping thousands Of heads
North every day
If all the heads we make were on
human shoulders your poll tax would
be SO great that they would not have
| to thn cot