PREPARATION AND USE.
This chapter embraces the manufacture of cut, cake and roll tobacco,
cigars, cigarettes, and snuff. It is impossible to indicate the precise
form in which each kind of tobacco-leaf is manufactured for use; indeed,
no well-defined line marks the qualifications of each sort, and the
great art of the manufacturer is to combine the various growths in a
manner to produce an article suited to the tastes of his customers, at a
price suited to their pockets. But, in a general way, it may be said
that Havana and Manilla are probably exclusively consumed in the form of
cigars; Virginia is a favourite for cavendish, negrohead, and black
twist, and is largely converted into returns, shag, and snuff; Kentucky,
Missouri, and Ohio are used for cavendish, brown twist, bird’s-eye,
returns, and shag; Dutch and German make the commonest cigars, k’naster,
moist snuffs, and smoking-mixtures; Java and Japan are selected for
light cigars, mixtures, and light moist shag; Latakia, Turkey, Paraguay,
Brazil, China, and the remainder, are used up in cigarettes, mixtures,
imitations, and substitutes.
_Damping._—The tobacco-leaves are received by the manufacturer in all
kinds of packages, from a hogshead to a seron (raw hide), and of all
weights from 1 to 12 cwt. The first process they undergo is “damping,”
which is necessary to overcome their brittleness, and admit of their
manipulation without breaking. For this purpose, the bunches (“hands”)
are separated, and the leaves are scattered loosely upon a portion of
the floor of the factory, recessed to retain the moisture. A quantity of
water, which has been accurately proportioned to the absorbing qualities
of the leaf used, and to the weight present, is applied through a
fine-rosed watering-pot, and the mass is left usually for about 24
hours, that damped on one morning being ready for working on the
following morning. In England, water alone is admissible (by legislative
enactment) for damping, except in special cases to be noted
subsequently; but abroad, many “sauces” are in vogue, their chief
ingredients being salt, sal ammoniac, and sugar.
_Stripping and Sorting._—Quantities of leaf-tobacco are shipped in a
condition deprived of their stem and midrib, and are then known as
“stripts.” Those which are not received in this state, after having been
damped, are passed through the hands of workmen, who fold each leaf edge
to edge, and rip out the midrib by a deft twirl of the fingers,
classifying the two halves of each leaf, and ranging the sorts in
separate piles as smooth as possible. The value of the leaf greatly
depends upon the dexterity with which the stripping is done, as the
slightest tear deteriorates it. Stripts require sorting only. The
largest and strongest leaves are selected for cutting and spinning; the
best-shaped are reserved for the wrappers of cigars; broken and
defective pieces form fillers for cigars; and the ribs are ground to
make snuff. For the manufacture of “bird’s-eye” smoking-tobacco, the
leaves are used without being previously stripped.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.]
[Illustration: FIG. 15.]
[Illustration: FIG. 16.]
[Illustration: FIG. 17.]
_Cutting._—Cutting is the process by which the damped leaves, whether
stripped or not, are most extensively prepared for smoking in pipes and
cigarettes. The tobacco-cutter which is in general use in this country
is shown in Figs. 14 (side elevation), 15 (sectional elevation), 16
(front elevation), and 17 (plan). The main frames _a_ are united by
stretcher-bolts _b_; _d_ is a wooden-surface feeding-roller, on which
the tobacco is pressed and cut; _c_ are the upper compressing- and
feeding-rollers, mounted in _e_, carriage-plates extended backwards,
forming the sides of the feeding-trough, and hinged to the axle _m_; _f_
are levers; _g_, links by which the weight _w_ presses down the upper
rollers; _h_, a crank, and _i_, a connecting-link for working; _j_, the
cross-head to which the knife _k_ is fixed; _l_, side-levers or
radius-bars for guiding the knife, hinged on the eccentric ends of the
axle; _m_, an axle held in bearings at the back of the machine; on its
middle part, which is concentric with its own bearings, are hinged the
top roll carriage-plates _e_, whilst on its projecting ends, which are
slightly eccentric, the knife-levers _l_ are hinged; _n_ is a worm-wheel
segment; _o_, a worm; _p_, a hand-wheel for turning the eccentric
spindle _m_ through a part of a revolution in its bearings, for
adjusting the contact of the knife with the nose-plate _q_; _r_, a worm;
_s_, a worm-wheel; _t_, a worm-pinion for giving simultaneous movement
to all the rollers; _u_, a spindle, “universal jointed” at both ends,
for driving the upper rollers in positions varying with the thickness of
the feed; _v_, a saw-toothed ratchet-wheel, moved intermittently by a
catch _x_, link _y_, and stud-pin _z_, _v_ being changeable, and the
eccentricity of _z_ variable, for the purpose of regulating the fineness
of the cutting. Both ends of the knife move at the same speed, and its
surface is made to clear the work by describing a slight curve. The
knife is adjusted accurately to the nose-plate, while the machine is in
motion, by varying the direction of eccentricity of the axis of the
knife-levers to that of the roller-levers. The fineness of the cutting
is regulated by varying the eccentricity of a movable stud-pin in a
plate on the crank-shaft which gives motion, through a train of
speed-reducing gear, to the several rollers. The knives are easily
removed and replaced, and require sharpening after every 4–6 hours’
working. Two men attend the machine, one to keep the feed-rollers
supplied, the other to watch that the knife is doing its work, and to
remove the tobacco as fast as it is cut.
_Drying._—The cut tobacco, as removed from the machine, is placed
loosely in a layer several inches deep in a large trough, provided with
a canvas false bottom; steam is introduced between the true and false
bottoms, and finds its way up through the tobacco, which is thus
rendered more easily workable. It is next transferred to a similar
trough having no false bottom, but a steam-jacketed floor instead; here
the tobacco is dry-heated, and at the same time lightened up by hand.
Finally, it is taken to a third trough, where cold air is forced through
the canvas false bottom, by means of a blower or fan. This last
operation dries the tobacco ready for use in the course of some hours;
but it has the disadvantage of dispersing part of the aroma, and is
therefore generally resorted to only when time presses. In other cases,
the drying is conducted on canvas trays. However performed, the drying
operation needs the greatest attention, to prevent the moisture being
extracted to such a degree as to destroy the profit which its presence
confers upon the manufacturer. With drying, the preparation of cut
tobacco for smoking in pipes is completed.
_Cake or Plug._—The manufacture of “cake” or “plug” is little carried on
in this country, as the Excise laws exclude the use of sweetening
matters, except when carried on in bond. The process is sufficiently
simple. Virginian leaf, with or without the addition of flavourings, is
sweated for a day or two, to deepen the colour, worked into a soft mass,
and next placed in moulds, and subjected to sufficient pressure to
ensure the cohesion of the mass. Each cake is then separately wrapped in
perfect leaf, and passes through a series of moulds, each smaller than
the last, and under increasing pressure in steam-jacketed
cupboard-presses, of which there are many forms. The combined effect of
the heat and pressure is to thoroughly impregnate the whole mass with
the natural juices of the leaf and the flavouring (if any has been
used), and to produce a rich dark colour.
A machine for turning out plug-tobacco in ribbons, made by the McGowan
Pump Co., New York, is shown in Fig. 18. The tobacco is first weighed
out in the proper quantities, and spread in a box placed in spaces in a
heavy iron table a. When the latter is filled, it is passed to and fro
under the heavy iron wheels b, which are loose on the shaft, and which
can be adjusted to exert any desired pressure. Twice passing through
suffices. The ribbon is made in lengths of 10 feet, and either 5¾ inches
or 2⅞ inches wide, as desired.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.]
_Roll or Twist._—Roll- or twist-tobacco is made by spinning the leaf
into a rope, and then subjecting it to hot pressure. Until recently, the
spinning was performed by hand, much after the manner of ordinary
rope-making by hand. But this slow process is now superseded by a
machine made by Robinson and Andrew, of Stockport; it is spoken of in
very favourable terms by English manufacturers, and received a diploma
of merit at the Philadelphia Exhibition. The machine consists of a
combination of 3 rollers, whose surfaces are made of segments, to which
lateral to-and-fro motions are given by cams attached to the stands on
which the axles of the rollers rotate. The tobacco occupies the central
space between the 3 rollers, and it is carried through the machine by
the lateral to-and-fro motions given to the segments. The fillers and
wrappers are laid on a table joined to the machine. The filler is placed
in the cover, and they pass together between the rollers, whose action
twists and compresses the tobacco into a roll; this is carried forward
and wound on a bobbin, revolving in an open frame, and provided with a
guide for equalizing the distribution of the tobacco.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.
FIG. 20.]
[Illustration: FIG. 21.]
The machine is shown in Figs. 19 (elevation), 20 (plan), and 21 (end
view). The tobacco is laid on the table _a_, provided with a rib _n_, on
which the sliding rest _b_ is free to move to and fro; _c d_ are the two
lower segmental rollers, the axles of which revolve in stationary
bearings; _e_ is the top roller, the axle of which revolves in sliding
bearings, fitting in the swing-frame _f_, and each acted upon by a
spring _o_, pressing on a pin communicating with the bearing, and
putting an elastic pressure on the tobacco.
[Illustration: FIG. 22.
FIG. 23.]
Each segment-roller consists of an axle with four segments, best shown
in Figs. 22 and 23. The outer shell of the segments is made of hard
wood, fitting an inner shell of malleable cast-iron, the projections on
which suit grooves on the cast-iron axle. The segments of the rollers _c
d_ are moved laterally to and fro by the wedge-shaped cams _p q r s_,
fixed to the bearings of the roller-axles; and the segments of the
roller _e_ are moved in the same manner by cams _t u_, fixed to the
swing-frame _f_. The tobacco occupies the central space between the 3
rollers, and the cams _p r t_ move the segments in the direction of the
arrow where they touch the tobacco, while the cams _q s u_ move them
back. After the tobacco has passed beyond the segment-rollers, it goes
through the hollow trunnion of the open frame _g_, in which the bobbin
_h_ revolves; the other trunnion of the frame _g_ is provided with fast
and loose pulleys, by which the whole machine is driven. To this
trunnion, are also fixed an ordinary friction-break pulley, and a
grooved pulley, around which latter passes a band for driving the pulley
on the axle of the bobbin _h_. To the other end of the axle of the
bobbin, is fixed a pinion, which, by means of a toothed chain, gives
motion to another pinion fixed to the double screw _i_; this double
screw gives a traversing to-and-fro motion to the guide _j_, for
distributing the tobacco evenly on the bobbin, by means of a swivel
=Ｔ=-headed stud, connected with the guide, and taking into the thread of
the double screw. The guide is provided with two horizontal grooved
rollers, between which the tobacco passes, and with two other rollers to
guide the tobacco on to the bobbin.
Rotary motion is communicated to the segment-rollers _c d e_ as
follows:—To the hollow trunnion of the open frame _g_, is affixed a
pinion, which drives the wheel _k_, on the same shaft as the
change-pinion that drives the wheel gearing into the pinions on the
axles of the rollers _c_ and _d_, and one of which pinions gears into
the intermediate pinion _l_, which drives the pinions on the axle of the
roller _e_. The driving-strap is held upon the fast pulley by a
drop-catch acting on a weighted lever, one arm of which is connected by
a link to the lower end of a strap fork-lever. When it is requisite to
stop the machine, the attendant kicks the point of a catch off the end
of the lever, which is then raised by the weight, and so moves the
driving-strap from the fast to the loose pulley, the stoppage being
virtually instantaneous. The mode of working is as follows:—The spinner
and assistants stand at opposite sides of the table; the fillers and
wrappers being placed on the table, one assistant spreads out the
wrapper and pushes the end towards the filler, which the spinner
supplies and holds against the sliding-rest _b_; the rotary motion of
the segment-rollers _c d e_ twists the tobacco, and causes the wrapper
to be wound over the filler, and the rest _b_, being movable, enables
the spinner to regulate its position according to the quantity and
quality of the filler and wrapper. The lateral motion of the
segment-rollers passes the roll towards the bobbin, on which it is
wound, as described. The combined rotary and traversing motions of the
rollers consolidate the tobacco, and put the desired face upon the
twist. The roller _e_ is supported in a swing-frame, which is lifted off
the tobacco when starting the machine. When the machine is at work, the
swing-frame is held down by the stud _m_ (Fig. 19). The figures
represent a machine suitable for manufacturing Limerick roll; for
pigtail and other small descriptions, it is necessary to reduce the
diameter of one or more of the segment-rollers.
[Illustration: FIG. 24.]
[Illustration: FIG. 25.]
A more recent improvement in this machine, by J. E. A. Andrew, is shown
in Figs. 24 (side view), 25 (transverse section), and 26 (plan). The
table _a_, rib _n_, and sliding-rest _b_, and two lower segment-rollers
_c d_, are constructed as usual; but the axles of the segment-rollers
revolve in bearings _g h_, bolted to the flanges of swivel-frames _i k_,
hinged upon the fulcrum-shaft _x_; the object of thus supporting the
bottom rollers _c d_ is to be able to vary the distance between them
according to the thickness of the twist of tobacco that is being rolled.
When the distance between the rollers is fixed, the bearings are secured
by bolts passing through segmental slots. The solid top roller _e_
revolves in centres in sliding bearings fitting in the swing-frame _f_.
[Illustration: FIG. 26.]
As the bobbin is filled, it is removed, and replaced by an empty one.
The rope is then unwound, and formed into rolls, by the aid of a spindle
with flanges at the sides, worked by a treadle, under a cushioned weight
which squeezes the coils closely together as they are wound. The
completed rolls are subjected to great pressure in steam-jacketed
presses, in the same way, and with the same object, as the cakes or
plugs.
_Cigars._—Cigars are composed of two parts, a core formed of pieces of
leaf placed longitudinally, known as “fillers,” and a covering formed of
perfect leaf, called the “wrapper.” Probably all the best cigars are
made by hand, the only tools required being a short-bladed sharp knife,
a receptacle containing an emulsion of gum, and a square wooden disc or
“cutting-board.” A portion of perfect leaf is first shaped to form the
wrapper of the cigar; then a bunch of fillers is moulded in the hand,
and rolled up tightly in the wrapper, the taper end being secured by
gumming. Expert workmen make the cigars remarkably uniform in weight and
shape. When made, they are sorted according to colour, deftly trimmed at
the thick end, and placed in their boxes in cupboards heated by
gas-stoves to finally dry or season before being stored for sale.
In America, machinery is introduced wherever possible. Moulds for
shaping the cigars are made of hard wood, sometimes partially lined with
tin, and of every possible size and form. A machine is made by Dubrul
and Co., of Cincinnati, for working 3 sets of moulds at once, 2 being
kept filled up under pressure while the 3rd is being filled, or the
bunches are being rolled up. A handy little machine for rolling the
fillers for cigars is that known as Henneman’s, made by Dubrul and Co.
The demand for scrap-made cigars, or those manufactured with short
fillers, has caused the introduction of machines for cutting and sifting
scrap. One made by Dubrul and Co. is shown in Fig. 27. It consists
essentially of a cylinder formed of hook-shaped, double-edged steel
blades, revolving against 3 series of fixed but adjustable steel blades,
thus permitting the size to be regulated at will.
[Illustration: FIG. 27.]
_Cigarettes._—Cigarettes consist of paper tubes filled with cut tobacco,
with or without an external wrapper of leaf tobacco. Preference is
usually given to those made by hand, but machines have been introduced
with some success for making the commoner kinds. A French machine for
making cigarettes is shown in Fig. 28. Its work consists in making the
paper tubes, and filling them with tobacco. The paper, previously
prepared, in a band about 3 inches wide, is unrolled from the coil _a_
by means of the carriage _b_, and cut off in pieces about 1 inch long
for presentation to the mandrel _c_, temporarily introduced into one of
the tubes of the mould-carrier _d_. The mandrel has a clamp which grasps
the paper and rolls it, and, at the moment when the latter escapes from
the carriage, its free end is brought upon a rubber pad covered with
gum, hidden in the illustration. The paper tube is left in the mould,
the mandrel being extracted by means of the cam _e_; the mould-carrier
is then turned ⅟<sub>9</sub> revolution by the cam _f_, a new tube comes
into line, and the operation is repeated. When 6 paper tubes are
completed, the first one is pushed by a small piston, actuated by the
cam _g_, upon the end of the filling-tube; and immediately the rod _h_,
actuated by the cam _e_, drives into this tube a portion of tobacco
already prepared in the compressor _i_. In preparing the tobacco, a
workman, occupying the seat _m_, is necessary to dispose the material in
regular layers on a carrier, by which it is transported into the
compressor. When the cigarette-envelope is filled, the mould-carrier
again makes part of a revolution, and the finished cigarette is pushed
out of the mould by the rod _k_, also actuated by the cam _e_; a device
finally lodges the cigarettes in the box _l_. One workman is said to be
able to turn out 9600 cigarettes in 10 hours by the aid of the machine.
[Illustration: FIG. 28.]
_Snuff._—Snuff is entitled to the last place in the series of tobacco
manufactures, as it is largely made up of the scraps, cuttings, and
rejections of the preceding processes. The materials are chopped very
fine, placed in heaps in warm damp cellars, “doctored” with various
flavourings, left to ferment for several weeks, and then ground to
powder in edge-runner mills, some kinds even undergoing a slight
roasting. When ground, the mass is passed through “mulls,” wood-lined,
bottomless bowls, let into a bench, where the snuff is softened and
rendered less powdery by means of pointed pins, resembling domestic
rolling-pins, which slowly travel around the sides of the bowls. Snuff
represents a highly profitable article manufactured from materials that
are otherwise useless, and depending for its flavour chiefly upon the
perfumes and flavourings used. Hence these last are kept profoundly
secret by the manufacturer.
From refuse tobacco which is unfit for any other purpose, is made a
decoction for washing sheep and destroying vermin; often the waste is
ground very fine, and used by gardeners, presumably to keep noxious
insects away.
[Illustration: FIG. 29.]
_Miscellaneous Appliances._—The customary ingenuity of the Americans has
invented a profusion of admirable labour-saving machines for almost all
the operations of the tobacco manufacturer. A few of these only can be
noticed in the present article.
Fig. 29 shows a portable resweating-apparatus, intended for darkening
the colour of tobacco to suit the dealer’s market. It measures 4 feet
long, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet high, being just large enough for one case
(400 lb.) of tobacco, including the case; it consists of a water-tank
_a_, a pipe _b_ for conducting the water into the metallic pan _c_, at
the bottom of the apparatus, which is heated by gas-jets _d_. The
tobacco is introduced by the door _e_, which is fitted with a
thermometer. The roof is sloped so as to determine the flow of the water
of condensation. The steaming occupies 3–5 days, and needs occasional
watching. The apparatus is made by C. S. Philips and Co., 188 Pearl
Street, New York.
[Illustration: FIG. 30.]
Fig. 30 illustrates a complicated machine, introduced by C. C. Clawson
and Co., of Raleigh, N. Carolina, for putting up large quantities of
tobacco in parcels of 2 oz. upwards. It consists of a central table
provided with automatic scales for weighing out the portion; four
equidistant guides which determine the form of the package; a plunger
for packing, and a follower for raising the package; a side-table
carrying tongs for holding the empty bags; and another to receive the
packages, and hold them during tying. The hopper being supplied with
tobacco, and the machine put in motion, each form takes a bag from the
tong-table, and the article having been weighed, is carried to the form
by a shute, when it drops into the bag, is packed by the plunger, and
transferred to the tying-table. With 2 girls or boys, it is said to
weigh, pack, and tie 30 bags a minute.
The New York Tobacco Machine Co. make two forms of machines for
granulating tobacco, chiefly for making “Killickinick” and cigarettes,
their working capacity ranging from 200 to 2000 lb. a day. The
cutting-rollers are covered with cross-millings at right angles to each
other, those running lengthwise being deep; the fixed cutters are
adjustable, so that the cutting may be either coarse or fine. When
working, the action is like that of a pair of shears, except that the
cross-millings reduce the strips to a granular state. Both stems and
leaves may be worked up. The great advantage claimed for these machines
is that, though the tobacco should be dry, the percentage of dust
escaping is reduced to a nominal figure.
A cutting-machine made by the same Co. is shown in Fig. 31. It is
adapted to cut leaf, stem, scrap, plug, or any form of tobacco, to any
required degree of fineness, turning out 300–400 lb. a day. The action
is almost precisely that of a chaff-cutter. The Co.’s sifting-machine
consists of an adjustable cylindrical wire sieve, with a rattan-broom
screw-roller revolving inside. The stems are stripped and worked out at
one end, while the remainder is broken up, and passed through the sieve,
falling upon a perforated tray, through which pass the finest particles
for snuff-making. A machine largely used in America is the stem-roller,
for crushing and flattening the stems so that they may be used like
leaves for making cigars. Great benefit is anticipated in the United
States from the adaptation of Ryerson’s “attrition mill” to
snuff-grinding, owing to the fact that the pulverization is accomplished
without the particles being heated in the least degree. Of
cigarette-making machines, there are many kinds; the best are those
which deal with the tobacco in a comparatively dry state, thus
preventing shrinkage after packing.
[Illustration: FIG. 31.]
Indebtedness is acknowledged to Hy. Archer and Co., Borough, S.E., and
T. Brankston and Co., Carter Lane, Doctors’ Commons, for opportunities
of inspecting their thoroughly representative works, and for much
information readily given concerning the manufacture in this country; to
W. Jollyman, of W. D. and H. O. Wills’ London house, for having revised
these sheets before going to press; and to Hy. A. Forrest, 61 Broadway,
agent of the New York Tobacco Machine Co., for valuable material
relating to American machines and processes.