Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/813

 TOBACCO 783 waste product, being sold at low rates for dng sheep dip to destroy ticks on those limals, and for fumigating greenhouses to jstroy insects. Some tobacco is sold which jms to be of the leaf merely stripped, made ito a roll, and subjected to moderate pressure, without any foreign substance, and some of le cut tobacco is of this kind ; but the greater of that made up into cakes, heads, plugs, >r pigs, as the parcels are variously called, as rell as that which is cut for both smoking id chewing, is prepared by various processes meet the taste of the consumers ; molasses, iquorice paste, a decoction of figs, and glycer- ne are used to impart a sweet taste, give color, md prevent rapid drying; common salt and ther salts are used for flavoring, and nitrate potash or soda is sometimes added to in- the combustibility ; anise and other aro- latics are added for their flavor, and smoking )baccos have their odor increased, if not mi- Droved, by the use of cascarilla bark, and lately liatris odoratissima, the leaves of which are _ jly collected in Florida and sold as " wild milla" or deer's-tongue (see VANILLA) ; these mtain a great deal of coumarine, the aromatic >rinciple of the Tonqua bean, a seed employed scenting snuff. These additions, except lose for odor, are made in the form of a li- lid technically termed " liquor" or " sauce," which the leaves are steeped. To make cut >bacco, the leaves are made up into large cakes, which are cut into shreds or filaments >y the action of machines similar in principle straw-cutters. In this condition the tobacco put up in a great variety of packages, which are marked with fanciful names. The dark- colored leaves, made still darker by the liquor- ing process, produce the coarse variety called shag, and the better sorts are converted by spinning processes into cords variously folded or twisted, and distinguished by different names. The term "negro head" is applied to coarse rolls of tobacco weighing 6 or 8 Ibs. each. The variety known as " pig-tail" is also spun ; the cord, but little larger than a pipe stem, is often braided, and then oiled and packed closely in kegs. In the United States a great deal of to- bacco, intended chiefly for home consumption, after being cut up, is made into flat cakes, which are moistened with molasses and power- fully compressed ; these cakes are about 5 in. long and Ij in. wide, and when closely packed in the strong oak boxes in which they are sent to market, they form a compact mass, from which the cakes are torn out only by the ap- plication of considerable force; this, known as plug or Cavendish tobacco, is in common use for chewing, and is smoked in pipes by those who are fond of tobacco of the strongest flavor. Snuffs vary greatly in quality, the poorer kinds being made from the " stems," or midribs of the leaves, separated in preparing tobacco for other purposes ; in the finer kinds these are rejected, the blade or better^ portion of the leaf only being used ; and in interme- 790 VOL. xv. 50 diate qualities both parts are ground up to- gether, and the refuse or dust from the cutting machines is used. There are two principal classes of snuffs, the dry and the moist. The dry snuffs are prepared from tobacco which has been exposed to a high temperature before grinding, and they differ in quality according to the proportion of stem they contain ; they ar usually very finely powdered, of a light yellowish brown color, and from their exces- sive dryness are very diffusible in the air, and need careful handling ; lime is said to be some- times mixed with these snuffs, to increase their dryness, and those so treated have an injurious effect upon the membranes of the nose. The Scotch or yellow snuff is the commonest of this class, this is usually packed in bladders ; yellow ochre is often added to improve the color and as a cheap adulteration to increase the weight. The names of some of the brands indicate the method of preparation, such as "high-dried" and "high toast." The Irish and Welsh snuffs belong in this class ; one of the most celebrated Irish brands is Lundy Foot, taking its name from the original makers, Lundy, Foot and co. The moist snuffs present a greater number of varieties. They are pre- pared by grinding the tobacco while moist, and are subjected to various manipulations. The finely divided tobacco is moistened, usually with a solution of salt, and placed in a heap to ferment ; the extent to which this fermen- tation is carried, the fineness of the subsequent grinding, the addition of perfumes, and the admixture of other substances to increase the pungency or to maintain its moist condition, all vary in producing the different commercial varieties. Carbonate of potash, in the form of pearlash, readily attracts moisture from the atmosphere, and is sometimes added to keep the snuff damp. Salt is added to all moist snuffs, and is not regarded as an adulteration, as it is considered necessary to prevent mould. Various essential oils are used to perfume par- ticular brands, the most common being those of bergamot and rose; powdered orris root and rosewood are both used for this purpose. The color of the snuff is due to the extent to which it is fermented. The leading brands of moist snuffs are rappees (Fr. r&per, to rasp) of various kinds (coarser-grained than oth- er varieties), prince's mixture, maccoboy (Fr. macouba), Dutch carrottee, Grand Cairo, &c. Snuff is much more largely consumed in Great Britain and France than in the United States. In Scotland the rappee snuff is generally pre- ferred, the so-called Scotch snuff being used chiefly by women of the lower classes. The first analysis of tobacco was made by Vau- quelin in 1809, who detected a volatile ac- rid principle, which was not isolated till 1828, by Posselt and Eeimann, as a colorless oily liquid, which was called nicotine or nicotia, and is the constituent upon which the active properties of the plant chiefly depend. (See NICOTIA.) The proportion of this alkaloid