The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-09-28
IT'S CHEWING GUM TIME
THE SALES ENORMOUSLY INCREASE
IN WARM WEATHER.


A Scientific Justification For the Habit -
Millions Of Pounds Of Gum Used in
the United states . Effect Of the Dis.
covery OF Chicle.
The chewing gum season has begun.
and the sales Of the various chewing
gum companies have bounded upward.
Holiday makers include chewing gum
In their festive equipment. Bicyclists
are abroad In the summerland; and
the bicyclist Is your gum chewer ex-
traordinary. Then, too, there is Sc
rious and scientific justification for
gum chewing in warm wealth, though
It Is to be doubted whether many NOR
tails chew In order to fulfil duty to-
ward their physical mechanism. The
chewing Of gum in hot weather ex-
cites the saliva. moistens the throat
and relieves thirst. Natives Of tropi-
cal countries know this, and often
chew pure chicle. which Is the basis
Of all good chewing gum, or even rub
Der, while working in the heat. Chew
ing gum Is often recommended for SOL
uiers' use on long marches, and last
summer officers In the Philippines re-
ported that the gum habit was OF
great benefit to the men, because 1t
lessened their drinking and enabled
them to 60 without water longer than
possible under other circumstances.
So hot weather and chewing gum are
affinities. Nevertheless the sales OF
gum at any time Of the year are tre-
mendous. Even q statement of them
is enough to appeal to the imagination
of the Individual chewer and make
his jaws ache. Within recent years
a number of the most successful chew
ing gum companies have consolidated.
and row most of the best brands Of
gum are manufactured and controlled
by one large company. This one COM
pany sells on an average 135,OOO.OOO
packages of chewing gum every year.
and the sales are constantly increas-
ing.
When to these 1876. 100000 packages
of good gum one adds the tremendous
Quantity of cheap and inferior gum
that Is in the market the sum total
wakens a feeling of awe in the breast
of the investigator. About 100000
pounds of chicle is imported by the
United states yearly and, though CHI
Gle Is the fundamental principle OF
chewing gum. It is mixed In manufac-
ture with many times its weight OF
sugar, paste, essential oils, ETC., SO that
the 2,6OO,OO pounds Is but a small
fraction of the weight Of the chewing
gum manufactured in the United
States each year.
This tremendous demand has grown
up within comparatively few years.
The chewing gum industry did not be-
gin to assume much Importance until
about fifteen years ago, but after 1t
got a start 1t struck surprising pace.
It's first great impetus came with the
discovery Of the possibilities OF chicle
as a basis for the gum. Before that
chewing gum was made. but 1t was poor
and unsatisfactory in quality. the old
fashioned spruce gum being perhaps
the best of the assortment.
|
to good things went down to Mexico
and met some other men who dreamed
about getting rich in quick fashion.
| Later these friends heard OF chicle
gum and believed that they had
dreamed true-not that they had a
nightmare vision of 135, 100000 pack
ages of chewing gum. They weren't
really dreamers Of the first magnitude.
That was reserved for the New York
man. But the men in Mexico believed
| that chicle at a few cents a pound
could be profitably used for the adul-
iteration Of rubber.
They sent q consignment Of chicle
to .heir New York friend. He wished
they hadn't. He tried the rubber idea
and found nothing doing. Just as he
had about decided to throw away the
rest of the stuff he had an inspiration.
The very qualities that spoiled chicle
for rubber might fit it for gum. He
boiled some Of the chicle, cut it into
sticks and originated the old-time New
York swapping gum. 1t was pure CHI
Gle with no sweetening and no flavor.
Chewing 1t was a good deal Ike being
condemned to hard labor. but It sold
like hot cakes. The demand ran far
in advance Of the supply, and from
that small beginning the present great
industry was evolved.
Chicle was used for various things
long before its chewing gum apotheo-
sis. It is said that mention was made
of it in New World reports in the time
of Ferdinand and Isabella However,
it's use was purely local. and the Amer
lean demand for it has fairly revolu-
tionized the districts from which 1t
comes. So far, it has been found only
in Yucatan. and the entire supply Is
shipped from the various ports along
the Yucatan coasts. Its name IL Mex
lean for the Achras sapole, the tree
from which it is procured.
These trees are found only in the in
terror, and the work of obtaining the
gum and transporting it to the nearest
shipping point has always been trou-
blesome, though 1t has been much sim
plified in recent years. There are many
exporting firms in the Yucatan coast
towns, many Of them under the man.
IRgement of Northern men. Mexican
poems are taken into the interior and
work for a five months season, at
wages ridiculously small. The pay
lis. however, fairly well proportional to
the quality Of the work, and the wear
and tear of handling the workmen,
who are as hopeless a proposition as
any manager might expect to meet.
Strikes and rows of all kinds are q
regular thing. and murder is common
enough to lose it's picturesqueness; 50
he peaceful and tranQuilizing chewing