THE Finest High Grade Smoking Mixtures. The scarcity of Virginia Plug during the war caused an increased demand for fine smoking tobacco, and the idea was conceived by a Northern manufacturer to prepare the plug by cutting and packing in tin boxes. Plug when so cut was considered the best article for pipe-smoking until the invention of Vanity Fair in 1867, which was manufactured direct from the finest selected leaf by a process unknown to any but the manufacturers, but, like all good things, now largely imitated. The addition of Turkish, Perique and Latakia tobacco has had the effect of furnishing smokers with various pleasing changes, and they became aware that all tobaccos are not alike, -for it is not the finest looking that make the most agreeable smoke, nor is it an indication of a good article because it is claimed to be made of " finest Virginia leaf," for it is safe to say that there are nearly as many varieties of leaf as there are different counties growing tobacco. It is our aim to produce as uniform an article as possible; though the greatest care is taken in buying leaf for fine smoking tobacco, it is a necessity that the right kind of leaf only be used when the tobacco is manufactured. When the workmen make up the "casing," every leaf is carefully opened and examined, and it not unfrequently happens that a portion of the leaf is rejected. A mixture of the various kinds of Virginia and North Carolina leaf makes an excellent smoke; the same, with an addition of Perique, produces an entire change, and again, with the addition of Turkish, the smoker will discover a pleasing difference. Turkish and Perique make an excellent smoke; Virginia and Perique is a fine mixture. Turkish alone is very mild, though when blended with various kinds of Turkish leaf an improvement will be discovered, and it will always be a favorite with pipe-smokers. Latakia is but little used in this country, and when it can be procured in good quality is very much liked. Of those who try it for the first time, many will be pleased, no doubt, with the change and find in it a new companion. Perique when used alone makes a strong smoke, but when used in mixtures is very desirable, though much depends on the selection of the carrottes, and like all other tobaccos it is manufactured in inferior grades as well. The finest is generally the best cured, and in the curing the keeping qualities are dependent. Havana leaf is only at its best when smoked in a cigar; when smoked in a pipe it will not be found at all satisfactory, There are many other kinds of tobacco used for smoking purposes, but those grown in America are, without doubt, the best for pipe use, and with the long experience in the purchase and handling of leaf, it can readily be seen where the best article is produced. All dry tobaccos are liable to bite the tongue, so, to prevent this, tobacco should be moist A convenient porcelain jar of our invention, with cell in the cover for a sponge, serves to hold tobacco in the best possible condition. Highest Award at Brussels, 1888. 15 First Prize Medals. W. S. KIMBALL & CO., Manufacturers of Fine Cigarettes and Tobacco, ROCHESTER, N. Y. |