Just came across this on youtube The Sailor's Pleasure
From the video:
This curious object is a prick of tobacco. It is made of leaf tobacco, which was usually soaked in rum. After it was rolled up in canvas it was served or tied with tarred twine. This would compress it as solidly as possible. When the tobacco had matured it was cut with a knife. It could be smoked in a pipe or chewed.
Tobacco was issued to the men of the Royal Navy, who sought to preserve the tobacco using materials available on board ship. This would prevent the fragile tobacco leaves from drying out and crumbling. The tobacco was quite fragile and could dry out quite easily and crumble. The first stage in the preparation was to sort through the loose leaf tobacco to select the best leaves and remove stones and foreign bodies. Some seamen would sprinkle water directly on to the tobacco. Otherwise the tobacco would be soaked in clean canvas or cloth and left overnight.
The following morning when the bundle was opened the leaves could be trimmed and rearranged. Most of the tobacco was placed in the middle and tapered out evenly to the ends. Rum or brandy were sprinkled on at this point. The contents and canvas would be rolled up. The bundle was tied at the middle and both ends with twine in the style of a hammock. Sailors were familiar with the rigging of hammocks. Tarred hemp line was wound around the bundle, which excluded the air. The line provided additional protection. Pressure was applied to the plug in the turning process to exclude as much air as possible.
The prick could be stored for months, if not years, but once opened needed to be smoked or chewed. The canvas could be re-tied to exclude air. This form of preserving tobacco was a real art and continued into the mid 20th Century. Former sailors recollect that it was very difficult to smoke as it led to the development of a terrible cough. Its popularity waned due to the increasing availability of rubbed tobacco for pipe smoking and the cigarettes known as 'Blue Liners' (due to the blue line running through them to show that they were duty free).
From the video:
This curious object is a prick of tobacco. It is made of leaf tobacco, which was usually soaked in rum. After it was rolled up in canvas it was served or tied with tarred twine. This would compress it as solidly as possible. When the tobacco had matured it was cut with a knife. It could be smoked in a pipe or chewed.
Tobacco was issued to the men of the Royal Navy, who sought to preserve the tobacco using materials available on board ship. This would prevent the fragile tobacco leaves from drying out and crumbling. The tobacco was quite fragile and could dry out quite easily and crumble. The first stage in the preparation was to sort through the loose leaf tobacco to select the best leaves and remove stones and foreign bodies. Some seamen would sprinkle water directly on to the tobacco. Otherwise the tobacco would be soaked in clean canvas or cloth and left overnight.
The following morning when the bundle was opened the leaves could be trimmed and rearranged. Most of the tobacco was placed in the middle and tapered out evenly to the ends. Rum or brandy were sprinkled on at this point. The contents and canvas would be rolled up. The bundle was tied at the middle and both ends with twine in the style of a hammock. Sailors were familiar with the rigging of hammocks. Tarred hemp line was wound around the bundle, which excluded the air. The line provided additional protection. Pressure was applied to the plug in the turning process to exclude as much air as possible.
The prick could be stored for months, if not years, but once opened needed to be smoked or chewed. The canvas could be re-tied to exclude air. This form of preserving tobacco was a real art and continued into the mid 20th Century. Former sailors recollect that it was very difficult to smoke as it led to the development of a terrible cough. Its popularity waned due to the increasing availability of rubbed tobacco for pipe smoking and the cigarettes known as 'Blue Liners' (due to the blue line running through them to show that they were duty free).
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