Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-23
A BREEZY TOBACCO LETTER.


urged to support for the protection OF the |
grower; and, again, that an experiment has
been made in Lancaster to conclusively prove
the comparative merits OF the imported Su.
matra aud the home raised Havana which |
demonstrated clearly that our home raised
Havana is worth a. much as the imported
Sumstra
Now, have been putting this and that to-
gether, and have query or two would
like some one of our tariff experts, tobacco
buyers or huncombe Lawmakers to answer
for me; F; aud, by way of an introduction, |
will enlarge somewhat on this question of
tobacco growing and tobacco selling, which |
tor the past six months or more has been
uppermo>t in every growers thoughts. |
And we may possibly start dis
cussion that may yet bear some
fruits Some two years or more ago the
packers aud buyers OF Lancaster in lengthy |
posters and in tiattering praise and words |
big with promise of handsome profits, pre-
vailed on the larger number of our growers
to change from the heavy and certain Yields |
of seed leaf to the deceitful Havana trouble |
some to plant, delicate aud difficult to rear, |
and yielding only one-half in weight aud, |
as experience has proved, buyers will pay |
no more for ii per pound than for the old |
varieties. We have watched the papers from |
week to week the past season and in fact for |
several seasons, and we Will say here that on |
cursNry view we can see but little i'm |
provement IL in fact there is not falling oil
In the average Of prices obtained since we
discarded the Old varieties for the new,
which Is protected 10y duty of seventy.tiye
cents pound.
MUCH USSoLD TOBACCO IN LITTLE BRITAIN.
These prices run about from eight to twelve
| cents for wrappers on the average, and occa-
| snnal lots from twelve to twenty. And il our
| farmers would ever get these prices when
| they are ready and anxious to SELL their lot
would not seem so hard but there is yet con-
IA, ,y.t, a
Little Britain. And for the want of this
money that they should have had for their
| tobacco months ago, our storek eepers, millers
| and coal mems books show long accounts un-
paid. Now this is not all the growers fault,
| for this is Havana, we'll cared for and is good.
| few buyers looked at it, offered ten cents
and went away and reported they had bought
| all the tobacco in this section and vet when
| you tell these growers they are protected by
| a muuihcent government 10 the extent of
| seventy-tive cents per pound, they blandly
| ask "hows' For the life OF me cannot tell
them can you
In speaking of the test made by Mr.. Rru-
baker, you say 1T seems to prove conClu-
siveIy the possibility OF obtaining satisiac-
| tory results from perfection OF quality in the
native product, and that ii a 75.cenl duty is
vigorously laid and collected honestly upon
the imported article, Lancaster county grow
ers need not fear the competition OF the
world" Pray, tell rs then, what need they
fear If all protection is not a snare and
delusion, they certainly should not fear
outside competition. But the old facts
remain tnat not one cents worth
| of that protection reaches the farmers
| pocket Now in the interest OF Justice and
fair play | protest against this thing being
longer saddled on the grower put the credit
where the money lodges, in the pocket of the
| buyer and packer and for brief period let's
set the organ to another tune and leave the
foreign article to the tender mercies of bun
combe congressman and tariff shouters, and
devote short time to protecting the grower
| from the buyer, the only enemy he fears after
| the minor ones OF worms and hail.
| THE MATTER OF MARKETING THE STAPLE,
| There is something inherently and radically
wrong in the manner of marketing this great
staple in this county that is disgrace to the
business capacity and antagonistic to the
| progressive spirit and love of system, order
| and fair play for which our county is Justly
| noted. | will not take up YOUR valuable
space with an enumeration of half the evils of
this system-suthce IL to say that no man can
form the remotest idea of when, to whom, at
what price or If ever he will be able To sell a
crop in which he has put whole year labor;
and when once some buyer has condescended
| to agree to give him one-tenth of the amount
| that he il said to be protected, tor his crop,
he goes in fear and trembling ex pecting aud
seldom disappointed dockages, short weights,
| white vein, &c, &c.
| Possibly no buyer comes near, or if he
comes he tax es one half what he knows his
tobacco should be worth for tear other
buyer cOmes--for interest, debts, rents and
| notes are all due in few weeks.
And now with the hope of arousing an in
| terest which will grow into action / will lay
| before you the Virginia plan, and for ought I
| know 1t may be the plan elsewhere. ] do
| know ii works admirably there, and after a
| trial of a hundred years or more no fault
| whatever is found with il.
| THE VIRGINIA PLAS.
| I
state, / will briefly show the workings of
| their system and to do so will describe
| tobacco warehouse, OF which there are three
| frund's, Lynchs and Martins, or at
| least were in my time there, aud many
is the day in war times that we used
| to gather and shoot marbles on the ample
| floors OF these warehouses; with grape shot.
| They are owned and operated usually by
| stock companies, mostly composed of com
| mission merchants OF the town, and the main
hoor usually covers about a-half square and
| Is open for way or to drive in from the large
yards with shedding tor horses, attached.
| There are facilities Tor sorting, sizing, pack
| ing, etc, with hands ready to do the work for
| buyers from distant cities. Once a week each
warehouse has Its break (auCtion salel and
| the day before strings of wagons will drive
| in from miles away in the country or prob
| ably ship their tobacco by cars to some com.
| mission man who attends to ii for him and
every man y lot OF tobacco is put in pile on
| the tloOr duly numbered and ticketed and
| booked with owners name and limit OF price,
| II any. Tobacco is seldom baled. Then at
| ten o'clock on break days numbers OF the
| packers, manufacturers, speculators, etc, at.
| tend from all surrounding cities, even as far
| oil as Baltimore, and each lot of tobacco Is
| sold at public vendue to the highest bidder,
| unless there is a limit left by the owner and
| 1t is not reached, which is rarely done as the
| sales arc all well attended and tobacco brings
| all tits worth all the time. The prices they
| realize are surprising. l was shown five
| years ago number OF sales above fifty cents
| per pound, and one sale of ninety cents and
there Is a brand Of chewing tobacco made in
| Richmond, "a, in which the manufacturers
| boast there is not pound of tobacco used that
costs less than fifty cents.
| Then when sale is over all tobacco Is sat
| tied for at cashiers desk, and the grower
| comes in after dinner tor his money which is
| paid him, less commission for selling
| Cases, (they always use hOgsheads) hands
| NC, are furnished right there for packing the
| purchases OF the dealers from distant cities,
| VINO may attend the breaks at the various
| houses until they get what they want and
| have II all packed at one house. Insurance,
| shipping, storage, &C., is all done by the
| warehouse company and is paid by purchaser
| at reasonable fixed rate. As Lynchbury is
| iuIl OF tobacco manufacturers these pur-
| chases are mostly taken direct to their fac
tories, and there manipulated to suit them
| selves.
| An APPEAL FOR REFORM.
Now, Messrs, Editors, your paper has been
| active and effective in bringing ahout nau