Nicotiana 289 



begin to smoke very slowly and deliberately, en- 

 deavouring to keep the tobacco alight and consume 

 it as slowly as possible. If a pipe goes out its smoker 

 retires from the contest. As pipe after pipe expires 

 the contest becomes more and more exciting, until 

 only two are left and the acme of interest is attained. 

 So expert are some of the members of the Rookers' 

 Club that they have been known to keep alive the 

 flame in 3 grammes of tobacco for an hour and a 

 half. 



In the North of England pipe-colouring competi- 

 tions were very popular some years ago. A tobac- 

 conist used to offer prizes for the best specimens of 

 clay pipes coloured by smoking a certain tobacco 

 sold by himself. To attain the honour of first-prize 

 winner young men smoked themselves almost into 

 the grave. But from these irrational competitions 

 and the modern craze for records smoking is more 

 free than any other recreation. 



In Paris, the city of curious professions, there are 

 culottiers des pipes — pipe-colourers by trade. They 

 devote their whole time to carefully colouring new 

 meerschaums and fancy clays for their owners. The 

 work consists in merely sitting and smoking day 

 after day, for which a franc per day and a supply of 

 tobacco is charged. 



Another novel feature of Paris is the Cigar-stump 

 Market, held every afternoon on the steps which lead 

 from the ancient Place Maubert to the Boulevard 

 Saint Germain. The merchants bring their stores of 

 cigar-ends, picked up from the gutters with a spiked 

 stick, in paper boxes. For these there are both 



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