Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1905-11-02
AMERICAN SMOKERS.
BURN UP HUNDREDS OF TONS
OF TOBACCO ANNUALLY.
some Interesting Figures Presented
by an Authority on the Sub
iect-Cost Of the
Weed

The habiiual smoker IS occasionally
eminded by his abstemious friends
hat smoking Is an expensive habit
and a wasteful one. and he Is asked
% consider how much money be could
ave annually by a discontinuance Of
he habit. The habitual smoker. il he
gives consideration to this proposition
n all. invariably comes TO the eonelu-
sion that the money be might not ex-
Dend for cigars or tobacco would not
- saved" al all. and that the other
-hinss he would probably buy with it
would not give him a tenth Of the
genuine enjoyment and solid comfort
derived from his pet luxury.
Whatever the conclusion OF the In
iividual smoker. however. IL must be
admitted that the habit Of smol ng. as
ndulged in by Americans. costs, in the
aggregate. a lot OF money. Tobacco
Leaf presents some interesting figures
IN this subject. During the fiscal year
snded June 30. 1905. there were manu-
,actured in the United States 1853 .s..-. .
.0I cigars. an increase Of more than
100000 over the record OF the pre-
,eding year. The cigarette crop. too.
spite OF Indiana's anti-cigaretfe Law.
showed 4 healthy activity. the Increase
amounting to over 14i. oa1. coo in q
otal output OF 3.36s 212.7a9. Tbs
United States also produced over a.
10000 pounds Of SNUFF last year and
Gi.iss.iio pounds OF smoking tobacco.
he latter an increase Of only about
Two per cent.
The yalrs Of all this tobacco product
$ not given with exactness. but is esti-
mated at over s300.000 coo. The last
three census returns we're as follows:
For 1850. sl1s.772 SCI. for 1850. $685.
S5s.ss2: for 1891. szss .s77.5i4. At thu
rate OF increase Of production in 1884,
% over the preceding year. the esti-
mate OF $500 .Ooo Oo0 does not seem ex-
eessive.
An interesting fact IN connection
with these statistics Is that the great
bulk Of the product Is raised here.
manufactured here. and consumed
here Compared with the grand total.
our imports and exports are relative
" insignificant Importation Of 20
bacco in all its forms last year amount
Ell TO only a little over 81 600 600. and
exports 20 a little over s37 .Og0 coo
Smokers Of good Havana cigars. BY the
way. have not been slow to recognize
the results Of American capital and
enterprise as applied to the Cuban
product.
The New York Sun estimates the
American population Of males who
may be regarded as Of cigar age al
e4.O09,O0 At that rate the domestic
product OF cigars las; year was sufa-
Gent 70 allow each smoker go smoke,
during the year. That IS less than one
cigar n d1y-which any inveterafa
devotee Of the weed will maintain Is Al
absurdlx moderate allowance. So de-
spite the big figures. We are a nation
Of moderate smokers. after all.
Perhaps the most formidable view
OF the tobacco habit in America Is Oh
tanned when We look at the annual
consumption by weight. A eizar Is 10.
heavy object. neither is a pipeful OF
tobacco or a cigarette. but American
smokers burned last year about s08.-
go tonS-enough to make quite a
smudge- The habitual smoker. how
ever. viii calmly assert. between purs
that he knows 81 no other product the
burning Of 90. es-i tons Of which would
AFFORD as much pleasure 10 the -. 600. :
go men who burned II. or as much
profitable employment to the hundreds
OF thousands Of persons engaged in
growing. manufacturing and selling
the ~horrid weed"