178 



TlfE CI'LTVRE OF TOBACCO. 



ADSORPTIMi CMWrrriKS (iK ('KltTAIX V.MjrETIKS OF AMERICAN 

 'I'dBACru. 



/•>'/»- Ihr 



Truth ('nisiis," U.S.A. 



The cruiarity of leaf tobacco to absorb and retain diifevent flavouring- 

 substances added in the form of '' sauces " is a matter of great important^' 

 to the mannfacturei', ami especially to the foreign importer of American 

 tobaccos. In the fnllowing table are given the coefficients of absorpition of 

 some of the principal vaiicties used for the manufacture of chewing tobacco. 

 These coefficients give the amount of water which each type will absorb and 

 retain without drijiping, expressed in multiples of the weight nf the air-dried 

 leaf: they (hi not, of coiu-se, represent the actual amount of water that a 

 given sample will absorb and retain when subjected to the usual operations 

 of manufacture. It may hv s;ifely assunif.'d, however, that the results obtained 

 in practice will stand to each other in a relation that will not vary greatly 

 from that indicated by the theoretical coefficients of absorption, and the latter 

 may, therefore, serve as a sufficient basis for classification and comparison. 



The coefficients of absorption were determined as follows : The air-dried 

 leaf was carefully weigheil, moistened with water until it had become pliable, 

 then loosely eoih'd on the bottt.nu of a beaker and water enough added to 

 completely cover it. Tlie whole was then left at rest for 48 hours. The leaf 

 was then taken out, suspended over the beaker until it had ceased to drip, 

 and weighed. The liquid in the beaker was then evaporated to dryness on 

 the water-bath, the residual extract dried at 100 C^., and weigheil. Tlie 

 coefficient of absor))tion was determined from these data by the equation 



a + h — r 



wherein « is the weight of the wet leaf, 4 the weight of the 

 A\'eight of tho dry leaf, ami j- the coc^tficient of absorption, 

 as follows, viz.: 



German, low grade (Virginia) 



North Carolina bright wrapper ... 



North Carolina Yellow ($65) 



Owen county, Kentucky, cutting leaf . . . 



Owen county, Kentucky, ]iliig hllrrs 



Hart county, Kentucky, bright wrapper 



North Carolina YelW (|;r)0) 



Ballard county, Kentucky, bright wrapper 

 Mason county, Kentucky, cutting or plug 

 Regie Virginia Shipper ... 

 German .Saucer 

 Mexican Baler 

 Virginia .sun-cured for plug- 

 English Shi])per (Virginia) 

 West Tennessee Stemmer 

 Virginia (heavily ma Tiui-ed) 



Florida Seed-Leaf 



Peri([ne, air-cured... 



Ohio Soed-Leaf 



Sweet-scented Wiscimsin and Illinois ... 

 Olarksvillc, Tennessee, German ... 

 Virginia French Ivegie, A 

 Virginia (iorman Sliippcr 



dry extract, c the 

 The results were 



C!oefficieut of 

 abaorption. 

 2-88 

 2-77 

 2-65 

 2-60 

 2-55 

 2-54 

 2-39 

 2-27 

 2-21 

 2-14 

 2-07 

 2-04 

 202 

 1-95 

 1-92 

 1-92 

 1-79 

 1-74 

 1-73 

 1-67 

 1-48 

 1-41 

 1-12 



