CHAPTEE XXIV. 



CARBON COMPOUNDS {co/itinued)— TOBACCO (NICOTINE TOBACCO JUICE) 

 —QUASSIA— HELLEBORE— PYRETHRA— DELPHINIUM (LARKSPUR) 

 —STRYCHNINE— NUX VOMICA— WALNUT LEAVES— GLUE— CUTCH 

 —ALOES. 



143. Tobacco. — Tobacco is furnished by plants originally natives of 

 tropical America now acclimatized in all countries, chiefly Nicotania 

 tabacum and Nicotania rustica, L. When ripe the leaves of these plants 

 are collected and dried in drying machines. The green leaves contain 

 1-5-9 per cent of nicotine, the dry leaves up to 4 per cent. 



Tobacco powder [? snuff] is made from greasy tobaccos. The 

 leaves are moistened with salt water, then cut into thongs and laid in 

 heaps of about 40 tons. Fermentation sets in ; after four months the 

 tobacco is conveyed to mills. It is moistened again and piled up to 

 undergo a second fermentation which lasts eleven months. Tobacco 

 juice is obtained in the tobacco manufactories by treating the coarsely 

 divided leaves with boiling water. The liquor obtained is filtered and 

 evaporated to the right strength, then the substances injurious to plants 

 are removed. In France the culture, manufacture, and sale of tobacco 

 are the subject of a monopoly exploited by the State. The Minister of 

 .Agriculture publishes special sheets of information sent to the Mairies 

 (Town Halls), giving the price and the strength in nicotine of the juice 

 sold by this administration. The old juices are differentiated from the 

 new or rich juices ; the latter are five to six times stronger than the 

 former. The French tobacco administration now delivers the latter 

 with up to about 10 per cent of nicotine. They are sold to the public in 

 tins in the tobacco markets and in warehouses. Tobacco juice enters 

 into many insecticides to strengthen their action. A few examples only 

 will be quoted. To impart adherence to these insecticides gum-arabic, 

 ■sugar, etc., is added. 



Insecticides with a Tobacco Basis. — (1) 5 lb. tobacco juice, 

 1 lb. soft soap, in 100 gallons of water. (2) Dissolve 4 lb. soft soap 

 in 10 gallons of water, then add, whilst constantly stirring, 6 lb. of 

 tobacco juice, 5 lb. of amyl alcohol, and 20 lb. of ordinary alcohol 

 (Nessler). (3) Dissolve 2| lb. of soap in 2 gallons of hot water, add 

 1| lb. of amyl alcohol. Run into this liquor a decoction of 3 lb. of 

 tobacco juice in 8 gallons of water (Nesslei^). (4) Water 100 gallons, 

 rich juice, 10 per cent, 1 gallon, soft soap 10 lb., commercial carbonate 

 of soda in crystals 2 lb., methyl alcohol 1 gallon. The soap increases 

 its adherence and the wood spirit appreciably increases the action on 

 certain parasites. (Note of the French Minister of Finance regarding 

 tobacco juice drawn from the National factories for the destruction of 

 (371) 



