, 1843-02-18
REPORT.

requiring saio 10 lnq1lr6 into the
expediency of erecting .a-public warehouse
in the city of st. Louis for the purpose Of
storing aud inspecting tobacco. and also
certain resolutions requiring said committee
to inquire into the expediency of preventing
by law inspectors Of tobacco, flour, beef,
pork, and all other articles Of produce from
becoming dealers in said articles, or becom.
ing the agents of any other persons that
deal in said articles for the purpose. ofspecu.
lations, SO long as they are authorized by
law 10 act as inspectors-.espeetfully report
as follows:- zr4gD. FaHt . ALL
Your committee are of opinion
that tobacco is a subject of So muci,
Importance to So large n portion o.
the citizens of this State, rs to claim
the most serious consideration OF the
Legislature. The crop. within few.
years, has increased soirnpirly. thatii
is now n source from which a larger
amount of m6ney-is derived, thar
any other agricultural production.-
It's production is not confined 10 a
small or particular partoof the State.
bot is successfully cultivated il peI-t
haps t~hree-fourlhs of cthe State
Hence there is no article of onragri-
culture in which aslarge a portinn OF
the community are so immediately IN
terested, and no other article so much
needs the f,stering AID of legislation.
BY n reference To the federal CEN
sns OF 1910, your committee find that
II that rear there were raised'i in VIM
ginia 1854 hoesheads:in kentucky
$685.; in Tennessee. 1900; in Ma
rvIand. 1854; North Carolina. H.
Is; Missouri. 6.o44; OHIO, 3.279; In
diana. 1914: Illinois. 800: Arkansas.
SO; anc South Carolina, 81. lin this
calculation. 1900 pounds are assum-
ed as the weight of 4 h~ogsllead!)-
This shows Missouri was then the
sixth tobacco State ia the Union; but
from the best information your COM
mIttee can obtain relative to the a.
mount OF the present crop now on
hand. they conclude it is not less than
thirty thousand hogsheads; which
shows a vas, increase of the c~ulliya-
ton of that article within two years:
and from the INNER Sc bodies of land
suitable TO its growth. and our climate
being 50 congenial to that plant, ii is
obvious that VIC shali very soon pro-
ducc more than any other State in
the confederacy; and if n reduction
of duties in foreign countries is not
effected, SO as TO render tie consunp-
ton greater, we shall be nearly the
o3lv growers of tobacco: for it will
be useless for the Eastern producers
of that article to undertake to COM
pete with us-our SOL and climate
give us the advantage derisively.
The mount on hand, az supposed.
thirty thousand hn9sheads. at three
dollars thirty three and "re-,hird
cents perhundred. (the probable aver
age price. after deduciihg expenses OF
transportation to marke'.) will a.
mount 10 the sum of $1,000, OoO-an
amount mast likely equal to any 9th
er two articles Of production in his
State. ..s
As our trade Is snow carried on. this
heavy amount of our produce will he
carried principally 10 New Orleans.
and male subject to the legislative
enac,ments of Louisiana. That body
being only interested in speculation
in tobacco, hence We may readily in
fer the interest of the grower will not
be very closely attended to.
The tobacco shipped to New Or
leans is generally first shipped To St.
Louis. That being Il s! ort distance.
il is not uncommon for it to he placed
in the bow Of the boa, ar on the
guards. exposed TO the weather.
When it arrives. 1t IS 10 remain 81
short n time that it is not stored with
much care. From thence it is ship.
ped to New Orleans, there thrown on
the wharf, perhaps exposed to the
rain before it is stored. BY that time,
the hogshead is thoroughly wet and
muddy, f the tobacco is not also; j,
is then stored in this conditinn-per
haps the houses in which il is placed
badly arranged, and in that damp and
warm climate the tobacco moulds in
a short time, and when opened shows
to bad advantage. The outside
from the moisture absorbed from the
hogshead, is frequently injured, and
has to be reduced or crossed. In ,hi.
way III planters frequently are rnuch
disappointed by having. their tobac.
CO perhaps crossed, when they ex.
Pected it to pass in the first class.-
Sometimes it is the case. that the out.
side OF the tobacco, from the cause.
above enumerated, render it necessa
ry to hew off the outside and reduce