Let me cut you a plug

Thank you to Clarence Ehlers of Floresville for sharing this “Glimpse of the Past.” This is a picture of a Brown’s Mule chewing tobacco cutter, owned by my grandfather, Alfred Ehlers. Brown’s Mule chewing tobacco cutters were cast iron devices made by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to slice slabs/blocks of chewing tobacco into manageable plug sizes, reflecting tobacco packaging and consumption practices from the late 19th to early 20th century. The tobacco cutter bearing this name was a heavy cast iron tool designed specifically for cutting plug tobacco into 1-inch or 2-inch pieces, which made it convenient for retail...

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