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NICOTINE QUALITIES. 929 
are broken off with difficulty, frequently detaching the leaf 
with them. The growth of the suckers, however, determines 
the quality as well as the maturity of the plants. 
Weak, spindling plants rarely produce large, vigorous. 
shoots, the leaves of such suckers are generally small and of 
a yellowish color. When the plants are fully ripe and ready 
to harvest the suckers will be found to be growing vigorously 
around the root of the plant. This is doubtless the best 
evidence of its maturity, more reliable by far than any other 
as it denotes the ripening of the entire plant. Suckering 
the plants hastens the ripening of the leaves, and gives a 
lighter shade of color, no matter on what soil the plants are 
grown. Having treated at some length of the various parts 
of the tobacco plant—stalk, leaves, flowers, capsules and 
suckers we come now to its nicotine properties. The 
tobacco plant, as is well known, produces a virulent poison 
known as Nicotine. This property, however, as well as 
others as violent is found in many articles of food, includ- 
ing the potato together with its stalk and leaves ; the effects 
re which may be experienced by chewing a small quantity 
of the latter. The New Edinburgh Encyclopedia says: 
“The peculiar effect produced by using tobacco bears some 
resemblance to intoxication and is excited by an essential 
oil which in its pure state is 80 powerful as to eae life 
_even in very minute quantity.” 
~~ Chemistry has taught us that nicotine is only. one among 
"many principles which are contained in the plant. It is 
supposed by many but not substantiated by chemical 
research that nicotine is not the flavoring agent which gives 
tobacco its essential and peculiar varieties of odor. Such 
are most probably given by the essential oils, which vary in 
amount in different species of the plant. 
An English writer says: 
“Nicotine is disagreeable to the habitual smoker, as is 
proved by the increased demand for clean pipes or which by 
some mechanical contrivance get rid of the nicotine.” 
The late Dr. Blotin tested by numerous experiments the 
effects of nicotine on the various parts of the organization of 
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