chewing tobacco chewing tobacco chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower gum to draw out its flavor. some users chew it, others do not. it consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; it is not ground fine like dipping tobacco. unwanted juices are then spat. american red man loose leaf chewing tobacco and danish pelletized oliver twist dip chewing tobacco may be left as loose leaf or compressed into a small rectangular "plug". nearly all modern chewing tobaccos are produced by a process of leaf curing, cutting, fermentation, and processing, which may include sweetening and flavoring. historically, many american chewing-tobacco brands popular during the american civil war era were made with cigar clippings. chewing tobacco is a source of nicotine. history historical advertisement of grimm & triepel kruse chewing tobacco (1895) chewing is one of the oldest methods of consuming tobacco. indigenous peoples of the americas in both north and south america chewed the leaves of the plant long before the arrival of europeans. the southern united states was distinctive for their production of tobacco, which earned premium prices globally. most farmers grew some for their own use, or traded with neighbors who grew it. commercial sales became important in the late 19th century, as major tobacco companies arose in the south, becoming one of the largest employers in winston-salem, north carolina, durham, north carolina, and richmond, virginia. southerners dominated the tobacco industry in the united states. so much so that a concern as large as the helme tobacco company, headquartered in new jersey, was headed by former confederate officer george washington helme. in 1938, r.j. reynolds marketed 84 brands of chewing tobacco, 12 brands of smoking tobacco, and the top-selling camel brand of cigarettes. reynolds sold large quantities of chewing tobacco, even though that market peaked around 1910. a historian of the american south in the late 1860s reported on typical usage in the region where it was grown, paying close attention to class and gender: the chewing of tobacco was well-nigh universal. this habit had been widespread among the agricultural population of america both north and south before the war. soldiers had found the quid a solace in the field and continued to revolve it in their mouths upon returning to their homes. out of doors where his life was principally led the chewer spat upon his lands without offence to other men, and his homes and public buildings were supplied with spittoons. brown and yellow parabolas were projected to right and left toward these receivers, but very often without the careful aim which made for cleanly living. even the pews of fashionable churches were likely to contain these familiar conveniences. the large numbers of southern men, and these were of the better class (officers in the confederate army and planters, worth $20,000 or more, and barred from general amnesty) who presented themselves for the pardon of president johnson, while they sat awaiting his pleasure in the ante-room at the white house, covered its floor with pools and rivulets of their spittle. an observant traveller in the south in 1865 said that in his belief seven-tenths of all persons above the age of twelve years, both male and female, used tobacco in some form. women could be seen at the doors of their cabins in their bare feet, in their dirty one-piece cotton garments, their chairs tipped back, smoking pipes made of corn cobs into which were fitted reed stems or goose quills. boys of eight or nine years of age and half-grown girls smoked. women and girls "dipped" in their houses, on their porches, in the public parlours of hotels and in the streets. chewing tobacco is still used, predominantly by young males in some parts of the american southeast, but also in other areas and age groups. in september 2006, both the republican and democratic candidates for senator from virginia admitted to chewing tobacco and agreed that it sets a bad example for children. in the late 19th century, during the peak in popularity of chewing tobacco in the western united states, a device known as the spittoon was a ubiquitous feature throughout places both private and public (e.g. parlors and passenger cars). the purpose of the spittoon was to provide a receptacle for excess juices and spittle accumulated from the oral use of tobacco. as chewing tobacco's popularity declined throughout the years, the spittoon became merely a relic of the old west and is rarely seen outside museums. spittoons are still present on the floor of the u.s. senate's old chamber, honored as tradition. types