June 15, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



905 



the large factories cigars are conditioned 

 to suit the demands of the country to which 

 they are to be sent. In Europe, more espe- 

 cially in the British Isles, the consumer of 

 cigars requires that they should be dry, in 

 fact, almost brittle. It is a common inci- 

 dent in that country to see a smoker take 

 his cigar and place it to his ear to see if it 

 will give forth a cracking sound; and if it 

 does not crackle the cigar is considered too 

 moist. Pipe smoking tobaccos, however, 

 are required very moist. In the United 

 States the proper condition for cigars and 

 pipe smoking tobaccos is just the reverse. 

 The American smoker requires his cigars in 

 such a condition that the wrapper, binder 

 and filler will yield to the pressure of the 

 fingers without cracking or breaking the 

 wrapper; while on the other hand the 

 smoking tobaccos, especially the granulated 

 tobaccos, must be moderately dry. 



Various methods are employed for keep- 

 ing cigars and tobaccos in the proper con- 

 dition, but up to the present time no 

 method has been devised that will act auto- 

 matically. Both manufactured tobacco and 

 cigars are susceptible to climatic conditions, 

 and it requires the constant attention of 

 the manufacturer and dealer to regulate 

 the moisture in his stock cupboard or show 

 case. In retail stores great trouble is ex- 

 perienced in keeping the air in the show 

 cases in the proper condition, especially 

 when these are constantly being opened. 

 In warm, wet weather more moisture is 

 admitted than is needed, while during the 

 cold winter months the cigars are apt to 

 become too dry, especially in the upper 

 part of the show cases. 



Until recent years the common practise 

 was to have a tray fitted with felt pads 

 moistened with water placed in the top of 

 the cupboard. This proved rather unsatis- 

 factory, as evaporation took place too rap- 

 idly and the pads required constant mois- 



tening, especially during the winter months. 

 These felt pads have given way to a large 

 extent to asbestos wool which, when satu- 

 rated with water, conserves the moisture 

 for a much longer period. The constant 

 opening and closing of show cases causes a 

 constant replacement of the air in the case 

 by the outside air. When the outside air 

 is moist, as during wet weather, the pads 

 have to be removed from the cases, for 

 otherwise the air would become too moist. 

 When the outside air is dry, the pads are 

 used in the cases to compensate for the 

 moisture lost at every opening of the case. 



Several mechanical devices for regulating 

 the proper amount of moisture in a cigar 

 vault or stock room have been placed on 

 the market, the principle of most of these 

 being to drive a current of air over a vessel 

 of water or damp pad either of felt or 

 asbestos, thereby circulating a current of 

 moist air in the room. Another device has 

 been to spray water into the surrounding 

 air. Both these devices are subject to the 

 same objection as the use of damp pads, 

 namely, that they do not automatically con- 

 trol under all climatic conditions the mois- 

 ture content of the atmosphere with which 

 the cigars or tobaccos are in contact. 



As the present methods for the keeping 

 of cigars and tobaccos in the proper con- 

 dition of moisture are at best haphazard 

 and as the aroma of a cigar depends to a 

 very great extent upon the degree of damp- 

 ness, a more precise method was sought, 

 which should automatically maintain the 

 proper degree of humidity of the air with 

 which the cigars or tobaccos are in contact. 

 It was with the object of determining what 

 percentage of moisture in the air would be 

 the best for the required purpose that these 

 experiments were undertaken, or, using 

 more technical language, the vapor pressure 

 was sought at which the cigars or tobaccos 

 maintained their proper physical properties. 



