Looking at some old store ledgers (ca. 1860s) plug tobacco and smoking pipes
were frequently sold within the same order (small individual and family
orders) indicating that these plugs of tobacco or at least a portion of them
were going to be used for smoking. It is my understanding that tobacco came
in a "plug" as opposed to whole leaf or twist tobacco. A plug could either
be smoked or chewed. Plugs were often flavored for taste and aroma (sugar,
rum, cloves). After cigarettes became popular (early 20th century) plug
tobacco was used less for smoking and primarily for chewing. However, today
you can still find plug tobacco for smoking. I think some of the main
differences between plug tobacco for chewing and smoking would be the
additives (some smell better and some taste better) and possibly the
fineness of the cut.

Grant










Grant L. Day, RPA
 Principal Investigator
 Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc.
 Lexington, KY 40508
 Phone: (859) 252-4737
 Fax: (859) 254-3747
 e-mail: [log in to unmask]
 website: www.crai-ky.com









-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Robin
Mills
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 8:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: "PLUG" Tobacco Tins

HISTARCH members,

I used to assume that tobacco .......
.......Question: Is my original assumption clearly wrong ("plug" = "chew")?
Is
"Plug Slice" = smoking or chew, and "Cut Plug" = chew?

Any advice or insightful comments would be appreciated.


Best,

Robin