The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-21
USE OF SNUFF INCREASING.
sale ofFancy Boxes 60 Women Indicate,
the Reign ofa New Fad.
New York sun. }

"Fsds are curious things" said we'll
known jewel.er to a sun reporter. "For
tie last two years 1t has Teen cigarette
holders, lamps, cases and all tine neces'
saries for the smoking room or corner.
Some Of thse trappings run as high as
$3.50 for cigarette holder for popular
actress. This year the fad has switched
right round to snuff. Early in the season
we began to have demands for handsome
snuff boxes and we utilized number OF
bonbonniere boxes, but the demand De-
came so strong that in short TINS we
were rushed, turning out new designs,
and those copied from old masters, all in
miniature, and mainly for hanging on
he chatelaine. Some of these cost S&oo
and had fine American enamel work on
them, typical OF golf, bowling, hunting
etc. These were sold by the score. What
the purchasers did with them / do not
know. but they wtr re snuff uoxes pure and
simple. although the purchasers asked for
chatelaine boxes and everything but suufi
boxes"
Visiting a store where large trade Is
done in cigarette specialttes for wo men,
the reporter asked ii much snuff was be.
ing bought by women, and the answer
was:
"Yes, n very great deal and the habit
Is of recent date. tit appears to have bee
brought about by the number OF 1nfl uenza
cases during thu last spring and fall. We
have many women customers, an Il, as
you see, there are jars OF snuH, jars OF
sachet, jars of cigarette tobaccos and Gig
aret,cs, all displayed on the counter.
Women came in, smelled of each and
asked about the snuff, generally declar'
ing they would sueeze their heads oil II
they tried 1t. but eventually buying "a
little to have "a joke on some friend
This Joke turned out in several cases Co
be the substitution of this snuff for some
innocuous chemical snuff carried by
some Our snuff is mainly made in
America, although we have imported
snuffs ranging rs high as $50 per pound.
Oh, hat is not expensive when snuffs
are compared. There are two firms in
Lisbon, Portugal, today which charge
$500 pound for every pouDo of sniff
they send out The bulk of 1t goes To
China for the mandarins, and the house
has been supplying those people for the
last 200 years. That snuff is ten years
old Most of our American snuff is two
years old vefore il reachss the consumer,
and some of the snuff made ~ that PoI-
tupuese firm is more than one hundred
years old.
Eve sell American snuffs as high as a
dollar pound. but we prepare them our
selves ION the regular product, especial =
for women's use. There Is no trade,
secret about it, We take certain pro-
portion Of very fine unscsnted snuff made
In New Jersey by one OF the oldest houses,
blend 1t with nou-irritating vehicle,
and ad / a certain com bination of Chypre,
white rose, yiang Wang and musk, which
is very difficult TO initiate unless the tx
act proportions are known. This Is fur
Their disguised by putting it into cart hen
ware jars, sealing it tight and baking in
a hot oven for "a certain time. then allow
ing to cool for several days, opening and
repowdering. This produces a delicious
peri me which, while scarcely snuff,
as is ger orally understood, titilates slightly
the delicate organs of the nose, leaving
nothing but agreeable suIro findings ana
no smell of snuff Most of this business
is transacted by mail or by maid. Few
women buy 1T direct themselves as yet.
ALTHOUGH one sees comparatively few
individuals taking snuff these days. there
is a steady increase in production. and
the last year total production, according
TO the Government figures, showed total
of / 3, 225, 30 pounds. or an increase OF
1895 400 pounds over the preceding year,
and of this increase /, 40, 655 pounds APP
pears in the record of New Jersey, and
this Notwithstanding the combining of
the Pennsylvania and Southern firms
with capitalization of Sl5. 600. 600
American snuffs have long been used
among certain women. but principally
for chewing purposes, but now we may
expect to see regular shutting come into
vogue"
A wsll-known physician said: "rhere
is little doubt as TO the fact that women
are taking more snuff. l frequently tnd
traces of IL in the nostrils. 1t is probably
due to the grip as much as anything. 10
allay the excessive irritation OF the mem
brane, and especially the disagreeable
choriza, all kinds of powders have been
prescri bed, medical snuffs l suppose one
may call them, given with the view OF
allHying Inflammation. There is abso-
lutely no harm in snuffing II the sub
stances are all as innoouous as pure to-
baoco; the delicate nerves get slightly
hardened, the sternutatory spasms called
sneezing disappear. but that is all. a
clever " oman can handle her snuff box
infinitely more takingly thnn she can Il
cigarette. F"