Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-17

Chewing gum is purely an American
product, manufactured for a purely
American trade. and responsible for
the fad of gum chewing that is known
only to Americans. Classed upon con-
fections. several thousand boxes are
exported every year, but these are not
designed for the comfort Of some for
eign palate; they are to supply the
demands of the American tourist who
is doing the continent or exploring Asia
or Africa in truly American style and
wants all the comforts Of home on the
trip.
Every year there are from 100000
to 100000 boxes of chewing gum
made in the United States, represent
ing something like a gross income of
$30,000,000 to the manufacturers, and
practically all of this is consumed by
Americans. The average foreigner
looks upon gum chewing as a PERM
cious habit savOring of the crude man
nerS of the days of the cliff jewellers.
The greatest consumers of chewing
gum are Wheelmen, athletes, ball play
ers and railroad employees of all grades,
especially engineers. 1t is said to be
the best known aid to thought concen-
it to all other brain workers. 1t is even
argued by devotees of the habit that
it is a potent cure for both physical
and mental disorders. The use of gum
has greatly decreased the annual con-
sumption Of chewing tobacco. Manu-
facturers of chewing gum prohibit its
use among their employees; while on
the other hand gum is freely distrib
uted to the pickers in strawberry fields
as a helpful means of getting better
work and more fruit.
Twenty-Five years ago the CONCEALED
sap from balsam and frs, cherry and
sweet gum trees was practically the
only gum offered to cheWers. Chicle
was not known to be useful in this way.
After its discovery the manufacture of
chewing gum began on a large scale,
with the result that a national fad
has been created millionaireS have
been made from the profits of the bust
ness and the chewing gum trust is
big factor in the commercial world. 1t
was to defeat the aims of this trust
that Representative FISHERMAN of Wis
conSin last winter introduced a bill in
congress to remove the tariff on chicle.
Chicle is the gum from the juice or
the sapote tree of Mexico and Guiana.
1t is gathered as maple sugar is gath
cred in the New England states, the
Indians going from tree to tree to coll
lect the sap after rain. 1t is then
packed in great, bulky packages and
shipped to the various factories in the
United States. 1t is cleaned of particles
Of grit, bark and grass after it reaches
the factories. 1t is then chopped line,
dried and cooked in steam jacketed
kettles 1t is then made into dough
with sugar and flaVOringS of various
vanilla, orange ana
wintergreen. This last process, with
| a. ~ 60 flo &c
the difference between the kinds Of
fered by the manufacturers. The dough
is rolled out and kneaded and rolled
again and then cut into the thin, rec
tangular sticks. These are collected IN
packages of five or six each, wrapped
in tin foil, sealed and labeled and sent
to the market.
In all in the United States there are
fifteen manufactures of gum and be-
tween $500 and 5000 people are en-
plOyed in these plants. Besides the
factories that manufacture the gum
proper there are those that make only
the boxes, others the wrappers and
others the machinery for the gum rae
tories.
The Importation of chicle now
amounts to 100000 pounds or more
every year and the amount is increas-
ing. In August of last year, for eX-
ample, the amount imported was 2I6,-
965 pounds and the value was $1O1,9S3-
There is still market for spruce
gums, despite the invasion of chicle.
The Maine harvest is $4,000 pounds
year and it usually sells at 81 pound.
Nearly 10000 pounds of this is gath
cred in March, and by July the harvest
is over for the sun OF summer makes
the wax bitter and pungent. There was
a period of experimenting with par
affn as a basis for chewing gum, but
this did not prove a success, and chicle
came to be the mainstay of the gum
manufacturer-Frede J.. Haslzin in
Houston Post