214 



The World's Commercial Products 



The supplies chiefly come from the --United States to the extent of some 40,000,000 lb. per 

 annum, and most of the Brazilian crop is also handled by the German dealer. The bulk 

 of the French imports' consist of the poorer qualities of leaf, but thcSwiss, on the other hand, 

 will only take the very best grades, which are mostly used for the wrappers of cigars ; the 

 quantity taken, however, is comparatively small. Italy and Austria import good qualities of 

 tobacco, the latter country requiring a cigar-making material. The tobaccos sent to Spain 

 are, generally speaking, very poor. 



It will come as a surprise to most people to learn that, with the exception of the Russians, 

 the British consume less tobacco per head than any other of- the principal peoples of the world. 

 The fact, however, remains, for while we use but 2 lb., per head per annum, the Belgian smokes 



• no less than 6|- lb., and our American 

 cousin requires 5+ lb. a year. The fol- 

 lowing figures will show the relative 

 positions of the chief countries. 



Average annual 



TRANSPORT OF MEXICAN TOBACCO 



The Chemistry of Tobacco 



The active principle of tobacco, and 



that which is chiefly responsible for its 



narcotic properties, is a liquid volatile 



alkaloid known as nicotine. It varies in 



amount in different tobaccos, the finer 



qualities containing comparatively little 



and the coarser sorts up to as much as 



seven per cent. Nicotine determines to 



a very large extent the strength of a 



tobacco, but its aroma and flavour are 



due to the essential oils of the leaf and also to the aromatic substances produced in the curing 



and " fermentation," which will be described in detail later. In addition, tobacco contains 



resins, fats, and certain organic acids to which must be added the ash constituents. 



Nicotine is extremely poisonous, but in all probability it is in great part destroyed during 

 smoking, the poisonous properties of tobacco smoke being due to the products of destructive 

 distillation of this and other bodies during the combustion, of the tobacco. 



As regards the physiological effects of tobacco-smoking considerable difference of opinion 

 exists. It is certain that it affects different people in different ways, and for young people 

 there can be no doubt as to its harmful effects. For adults, however, it is hot improbable that 

 the habit has no harmful results if indulged in moderation, but it entirely depends upon the 

 physical constitution and state of health of the individual concerned. 



