CHEWING AND DIPPING. 948 
fifty years, and where a few pounds of it was the legitimate 
pe for a wife, it is not surprising that it should be more 
ighly prized and come into more general use than in an 
other section of our country. On the banks of the James 
River it was first successfully cultivated by the English col- 
ony, and this simple fact alone must forever throw a charm 
around it, which will foster the pride of the Virginian who 
has any respect for his ancestry, and hold him under sacred 
obligations to use, cherish, and defend the plant and its use— 
all of which he regards as no less a pleasure than a duty. 
Here too its many virtues were first discovered, and its sooth- 
ing effects first felt and appreciated. 
“To the old Virginian it is indeed a cherished weed, charm- 
ing all manner of diseases, comforting in sorrow, soothing 
the ills of life, and preserving to a good old age and in a 
happy frame of mind -all who use it. He believes in its 
superior virtues, and ascribes to it more good qualities than 
to any other known plant. He always carries it about with 
him, and if perchance he gets out he is truly miserable. He 
not only loves but worships it as a cure all. His wife and 
daughters know its virtues full well, and use it with equal 
grace and relish, believing it gives a lustre to the eye and a 
freshness to the cheek rarely surpassed. Among the variety 
of ways in which it is used none attracted my attention so 
‘much as the novel manner of snuff-taking in various parts of 
Virginia, West Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. 
“Tn some localities the practice is unknown, while in many 
others it is very common. I first discovered young ladies 
putting snuff into their mouths as if eating it, when my 
curiosity was excited to an alarming extent, but on being 
invited to ‘dip’ with them I soon learned that they were not 
eating, but ‘rubbing and chewing’ it, as they called it, and 
in such a lively manner as to soon convince me that they 
appreciated it. I found the habit to be quite common even 
among the young of both sexes—all indulging in it as if it 
afforded real satisfaction to the appetite for tobacco in some 
form. 
“The young ladies however seemed the more attached to 
the ‘rubbing process,’ as it has been appropriately styled, and 
defended it with equal logic and grace whenever it was 
assailed. The young gentlemen when in the society of the 
young ladies generally join them in this unique use of snuff, 
as they are always sure to be invited and urged if they 
decline, and to merit their favor of course they must appear 
