92 



WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES 



so as to imitate Spanish cedar is quite prevalent and of late the 

 improvement in this line often makes it difficult without close 

 inspection to separate the imitation from the cedar. Care must be 

 taken in selecting the proper wood for cigar boxes, because when the 

 cigars are packed in tight and moist, some woods are apt to impart 

 a taste or odor. Spanish cedar, it is claimed, gives a delicate odor 

 to the cigar which is found in no other wood. This accounts for the 

 fact that sometimes when other woods are employed as in two-ply 

 stock, with Spanish cedar, the latter is put on the inside in contact 

 with the contents. 



Where the domestic woods are independently used, most often 

 the inside of the box is covered with lithe paper advertising the 

 name of the cigar and the maker. There is little waste in cigar 

 box manufacture, as the ends can be made from what is left after 

 tops, bottoms and sides are made. 



For tobacco boxes like containers for plug, smoking, and chew- 

 ing tobacco, sycamore and red gum are the favorites. Both of these 

 woods are eminently suited for the purpose and in order to prevent 

 the liquor and moisture on the inside causing them to warp, they 

 are usually used in the form of three-ply veneer. The entire sup- 

 ply of these woods comes from outside the State. 



TABLE LV. Cigar boxes 



All cigar box lumber is bought by the superficial foot. In order 

 to conform to the other tables of this report, it was necessary to 

 reduce the surface feet to board measure; and by the same factor to 

 change the price. This will perhaps make the price of the material 

 appear somewhat high, since the cost of manufacture has not been 

 eliminated nor any allowance made for waste. The following list 

 will give the reader some idea of the average prices paid by cigar 

 box manufacturers according to surface measure: 



Spanish cedar $30.00 



Cotton or tupelo gum 17.00 



Redgum 18.00 



Yellow poplar 20.00 



