THE NORTH-WESTERK DISTRICT. 2 



boiling point, then, the fires are to be removed from under the 

 boilers, and forty to fifty pounds of tobacco are to be put into 

 each of them, and the covers carefully adjusted to prevent the 

 escape of any steam, which, as already stated, would carry off 

 with it some of the more active curative properties. In six or 

 eight hours the infusion is drawn off and fresh water is added 

 to the tobacco in the boilers, which is boiled gently for two 

 hours, the steam being kept from escaping by covering the 

 boilers with bags or some such material, and drawn off a second 

 time, leaving the tobacco again in the boilers. To this add a 

 third water, and boil for two hours more in the same manner, 

 when the strength of the tobacco will be thoroughly exhausted. 

 Carefully repeat the process of infusing and boiling, until the 

 proper quantity to commence dipping with be made up. 

 Where there is time to make the infusion, previous to com- 

 mencing to dip, it is a good plan to infuse the whole, or nearly 

 the whole of the tobacco required for the dressing, and to put 

 the liquid away in casks after filling the vat. It can easily be 

 seen how convenient it would be, supposing the tobacco had 

 been infused in water at the rate of one pound of the best to- 

 bacco to a gallon of water, in replenishing the dip, to do so by 

 adding one bucketful of the infusion to three of hot water. 



In this case, as the infusion was made, the tobacco leaves 

 would be put aside and afterwards boiled as directed in the 

 boilers supplying the hot water. Although the second and 

 third waters no doubt contain some nicotine, which is the in- 

 gredient destructive to insect life, these boilings should in prac- 

 tice be only reckoned as clear hot water. This plan of infusing 

 the greater part of the tobacco previous to dipping must of 

 course be always adopted when the requisite boilers cannot be 

 obtained. When more tobacco is required to replenish the dip, 

 it must be carefully weighed out according to the scale given 

 above, and should be infused and boiled in exactly the same 

 manner as detailed. 



Tobacco juice, of a good quality, may, where procurable, be 

 used instead of tobacco, but it should never be used without an 

 analysis, or a guarantee that it contains a certain amount of 

 nicotine per gallon, as the natural tendency of all dip manufac- 

 turers, more or less, after a good business is established, is to 

 lower the quality of the article, many of the so-called scab cures 

 proving perfectly worthless ; with first-class tobacco leaf you 

 are never deceived. An excellent dipping preparation is made 



