Nicotiana 295 



big cigar and little cane when there was any work 

 on hand. 



Some years ago a very pretty story went the rounds 

 of the press. It was related that Professor Manlesel, 

 an ingenious German, had set out for America to 

 erect large works on the tobacco plantations there 

 for supplying houses and persons with tobacco-smoke 

 by the cubic foot. The tobacco was to be burned in 

 large retorts, and the smoke passed through pipes to 

 a large bell-shaped chamber, where it would be 

 cooled, purified and scented to the flavour of the 

 finest Havana cigar. From this smokometer the 

 smoke would be conveyed in pipes to houses, like 

 gas and water. In every house thus connected the 

 smoke consumed there would be registered by a 

 delicate meter. From these meters pipes would lead 

 to every room in the house, terminating in long 

 flexible tubes with amber mouthpieces. Desiring a 

 smoke, it would be necessary only to place the tube in 

 the mouth, turn a small tap, and inhale the ready- 

 made smoke, cool, delicious, and perfumed, to any 

 extent. For peripatetic puffers india-rubber bladders 

 would be provided, which, inflated with smoke, would 

 greatly improve the appearance. Flexible tubes with 

 mouthpieces and a tap would complete these ' bag- 

 pipes.' Smoke thus provided, it was claimed, would 

 be free from nicotine and other injurious elements, 

 cheaper and better than ordinary smoke, and greatly 

 reduce the consumption of matches. But the day of 

 the kapnometer is not yet, though it is curious that 

 socialistic smoking has not been included among the 

 perfections of the Millennium, as forecast by various 

 novelists. 



