CHEWING GUM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7417, 31 May 1902, Page 3

CHEWING GUM.

A Biff Industry ia tne United States As iaa been the case with many inventions wiiica lave had a material eriect upon tne progress of the worid t tne oisoovery of chewing-gum came abou* by accident (8 ay ß the "Kansiw (Jity Star"), lo be sure, tne old spruce gum was then already m vogue, but it was i*ard and brittle, and had its "atLherenta only because there was no better' substitute. Xae real cnewangaam, a* we know it to-day, has lor ite basic component the South American gum, known, as chicle. JNew Xork capitalists nrat importedsome or it, winking it would make a substitute for rubber. Alter tests, it was found un'batisiactory for tne purpose, The wnoie shipment was about to be thrown away wneu oue .01 tue experimenters picked up a piece ol the chicle and put it into his moutn. in that motion tne' idea of chew-ing-gum originated. Tne name oi tne inventor nag, uniortunately, been lost. When tne importance of nis discovery is more generally appreciated, nis name may come w> lignt. XnenJads descendants will adopt a coap-ot-axm*— a txi-coioured wrapper on. a wnitenfeid, with' a package 01. chewing-gum rampant. _„ IN ITS OBICJINAL STATE. The- chicle 01 commerce is the sap that exuues irom woumia made in tb,e rougn Dark of a isoutu. American tree, This s*p m ol ,a milky wmteuess and cons»is.tency wnen.it .linst l&sues, partly cuag'uiaues ua\ah continued exposure to tne air, out Decoines, alter boiling! a nard, heavy mass.., in tm& lorm it is ready lor- transportation, and comes to this counuy sewea.up iv big buraap packages. Tne fintst, class 01 ciucie, iute.uie large hammock ois^ucatan, is not txporteU, beiug ail required lor nome coneuxnpuou. It us calleu. " tacle " by tn« natives, and is prepared by picking the untipe fruit oi sapota and coueewng tue tnick, wiute, miUiy sapi bide is tne perfection oi cnewing-gum. It cannot be bougnt lor less titan Idol a ib t and usuauy coats more. It is snow white, extremely elastic, and highly aromatic. Ine burlap packages oi cnicie find their way to tins country, and some oi tnem, about twenty tons at a time £ reach a Kansas Uity iactory and return to the world tui packaged 01 cnewing-gum. The process of uanuormatioA is a long and very delicate oae. raocßss ov makiko gum. Fiiat # of all, a man takes the lumps of ciiic/e, wtoich "may be a loot in diainetei, and tnrows tuem on a bench whicn somewhat resembles v trougn. He break^ cao hard, 'but not brittle, mass into smaller pieces. These go into the ciopping-ma-chine to be cut still smaller. Jb'oui big knives now move up and down conunuaLy while the wooden table carrying tne cluci* revolves beneath them. .From there the chicle goes in trays 'to the drying-rooiu, kept at a uniform heac oi 14Udeg Jfahr. VVnen practically all tiie moisture Has been Removed it is ready for the cooking, whicu h done in a large kettle with double walls, between which steam circulates. Sugar, cream paste, Uavount and other ingredients are added while the cooking m in progress. A central shait with two projecting arms, revolves constantly, and k«eps the heayy mass m mouon. When ready to be removed irom the kettle the gum has aimost Uie colour. of molasses. v The - cooking is the critical part of the whole process. If the time is too long or too short, the gum w> either too soft or too brittle, in either case it is tit for nothing. . The cook must judge entirely oy the eye. l&ere is no other method 01 ureaiing. It is almost a natural gut to tell the exact moment when the cooking should cease. That is why some men never become expert at gum manufacture. They Aack "gum-eye." >lt is said" that there are only ftwenty-five successful gum-makers in the United States. A man may look on for ten years and then not learn. The dough, is then lifted out of the pot on to a tablif>, and rolled and kneaded as bread would' be. In place of flour granulated sugar, powdered very fine," is used. The loaves are cut into smaller pieces and passed' between rapidly receiving rollers to be flattened to the proper thickness. In this form the sheets of gum are passed between rollers which have knives set in their face, marking the' sheets into the proper sizes for packing. After drying for a day the gum, now in sticks, is ready to be packed and put on the market. ▲ LABOB CONSUMPTION. Many expensive ingredients are used m the cooking. Borne of them are pepsin, malt, mint, oil of wintergreen, the latter costing 6Udol a pound. The output of the Kansas City factory is 1600 packages a day. The market for the product extends over the whole country, although the south and west are the heaviest consumers. Summer, too, brings heavier consumption than cold weather, for scientific reasons. Gum relieves the thirst. Natives of the tropic* chew gum or rubber for thi* very reason. Officers in the Philippines report that ita use allowed the men to go without water much longer. Bicyclists and people under a nervous strain are addicted to it. Iv consumption America leads, but France, Scandinavia, Canada and Australia are using gum, and Engliah journals are deploring its advent as "another American invasion." During the Cuban campaign the army sales .we** enormous.