M 



aniifacturing is big business 



In 1971, Americans consumed more than 555 billion 

 cigarettes, about 7.8 billion cigars, 70 million pounds 

 of smoking tobacco, over 71.8 million pounds of chew- 

 inging tobacco and almost 27 million pounds of snuff. 

 The retail value of these products is estimated at more 

 than $12.5 billion. Although the tobacco grown in 

 Tennessee is not used extensively for manufacture there, 

 it represents a major contribution to the manufacturing 

 plants in Kentucky and other states. Machines in Louis- 

 ville alone turn out about 107 billion cigarettes yearly 

 and Tennessee Burley is among the various blends used 

 in their manufacture. 



There are several major corporations in Tennessee 

 involved in the manufacture of cigars, snuff, smoking 

 and chewing tobacco. Also, there are 16 leaf merchants 

 in the state. These concerns, with offices in Tennessee 

 and throughout "tobaccoland," send buyers to the mar- 

 kets to purchase leaf for their clients, many of whom 

 are overseas and cannot afford to keep a full time 

 office in the U.S. to represent them. Many of these 

 leaf dealers also maintain large facilities to process 

 the purchased leaf. It is cut, dried and prepared for 

 the client and is then "prized" or packed into large, 

 1,000-pound hogsheads and shipped to the client for 

 manufacture. 



The entire process, from farm to package, requires 

 great skill, time, patience, money and labor. The great 

 number of trades and services generated by the social 

 uses of tobacco have long added to the economic 

 importance of the tobacco industry. 



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