The Manufacture of Tobacco 127 



They are dried and packed in boxes in the long 

 narrow sections into which the knife shears the 

 tobacco-cake. 



Little of the popular navy-cut is now prepared 

 after the nautical manner. The generality of it is 

 marine only in name, being pressed and cut like 

 ordinary flake tobacco. For true naval tobacco one 

 must make a raid on the Royal Navy. The 

 Admiralty serves out tobacco-leaf to Jack at a 

 charge of is. a pound, this leaf being duty-free. 

 (No duty is exacted on tobacco consumed out of 

 England ; before sailing, captains of merchant ships 

 requisition from the Customs tobacco free of duty 

 for consumption on the voyage.) The bluejacket 

 of the Royal Navy buys tobacco in leaf from the 

 ship's stores. He damps the leaves — old hands use 

 rum to strengthen and flavour — and lays them 

 neatly lengthwise, one on top of another. This 

 bundle he rolls up into the shape of a cigar, thick 

 in the middle and tapering at the ends with the leaf 

 Covered with canvas, the roll is tightly secured with 

 thick cord, neatly and tautly wound round from end 

 to end. In three weeks or so the leaf is welded into 

 a solid, torpedo-shaped plug, which is cut into small, 

 square slices and rubbed up for the pipe. 



This is true navy-cut. But scarcely any of the 

 tobacco sold as such is so prepared, being pressed 

 and cut like ordinary flake tobacco. Originally all 

 tobacco was prepared, like true navy-cut, by hand ; 

 in the not remote past each smoker carried his plug 

 of tobacco about with him, and cut it up as the 

 occasion and his pipe demanded. 



