EFFECT OF SOME ALKALI SALTS UPON FIRE-HOLDING 
CAPACITY OF TOBACCO 
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE HULL BOTANICAL LABORATORY 233 
Henry R. KRAYBILL 
Introduction 
Of all the qualities which are essential in a good cigar tobacco 
no single one is quite so important as the burn. The general 
composition of the leaf and the salts which it contains exert a 
great influence upon the course of the combustion. It is a well 
established fact that chlorides tend to prevent complete combustion 
and thereby products are formed which are injurious to the flavor _ 
and aroma. On the other hand, the carbonates of the alkalies, 
particularly of potassium, aid the combustion and increase the 
fire-holding epee: 
The term “burning qualities’ with reference to a cigar is 
_ general and includes many points. The most important of these 
_ points are evenness of burn, color of ash, firmness and coherence 
of the ash, and the fire-holding capacity. The fire-holding capacity 
refers to the length of time the leaf or cigar will continue to glow 
ae after ignition. A cigar tobacco must have primarily a good fire- 
holding capacity, and for this reason this has been the main criterion 
a = judging the burn ne cigar tobacco. 
have disproved this th 
: Tt x was maintained carly that the chine capacity depended 
hi SCHLOSING (15) and later others | 
os Ory : Seecedae (1s), NESSLER (12, 13), 
ao _ 8), and Van Beye v (7) have shown that in a good 
