Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-06-19
Tuesday, June Is, 1888.
The IoeAcco INDUSTRY.
Taking the Lenf To Market-The Process
of Curing the Weed.


of Curing he Weed.
There is no happier being on earth than
the negro farmer riding into a southern
town behind a half starved steer, with a
load of tobacco in his prairie schooner.
Ii represents the product of a small patch
in a favored part Of his farm, but it may
bring him 81, 200 or more.
At one of the sales al Durham, the
busy little town in the center Of the
bright yellow North Carolina tobacco
belt, or the Golden belt, as they call it,
O gray haired old colored man stood
watching the crowd of buyers rs they
bid against each other on the piles that
represented his crop. As the amount
rose higher and higher his eyes grew
larger and larger, his limbs shook. and
he changed his quid of tobacco from side
to side so quickly that he didn't have a
chance TO chew it. When the price
reached 81, 800 be could no longer con-
tain himself, but shouted: stop right
there, gemmans; dat's enoughl Dis
nigga can't stand no more. Never had
g. much money in all my born days"
and he might well be surprised, for his
old steer had drawn it all Il the sales
warehouse at one load.
These tobacco auctions are lively spec
tacles. In one of the largest warehouses
In Durham as many as 1000 piles of to-
bacco are laid u at one sale. The auc-
tioneer steps from pile to pile as he sells,
the buyers following him. lie never
says a word about the quality Of the leaf,
but simply rattles of the figures, never
stopping till the pile is knocked down.
The buyers know the quality rs soon as
their eyes rest on il. Occasionally they
will run their hands into a pile, select a
bunch and feel of il. but usually pile
after pile is sold without a person touch
ing it. The rapidity Of the selling is re-
markable. The bids run right along,
each bidder knowing just what he is
doing. These bidders are the most ex-
pert men in the business and represent
houses in the surrounding section and
distant manufacturers and dealers. The
New York and all the foreign markets
are represented at all the tobacco sales in
Durham, n, c., and Lynchburg and
Danville, Va.
The North Carolina bright yellow to-
bacco industry has proved a mine of
wealth TO the planters. When Sherman's
army stopped near Durham the boys got
some Of the tobacco 10 smoke in their
pipes. They were so delighted with it
that when they reached their homes they
sent for more The tobacco thus got the
best kind Of advertising.
The crop is a troublesome one TO han
die. There are three kinds OF worms that
like to feed upon it, Of these the horn
worm likes the plant so well that 1t has
TO be picked of by hand, and the field
hands go searching for it by lantern light
at night. Then the matter of curing the
leaf is a very delicate one. A whole crop
may be spoiled altogether or precipitatel
several grades lower in the scale by a
little carelessness or unskillfulness in reg
ulating the heat. The barns are usually
seventeen and a half feet square, Just
holding 450 sticks. The heat is raised
from the following heat at the rate Of s
ueBs- every TWO hours. Len the neat
reaches l3j degs. it is kept there twelve
hours, It is then raised ) dogs. every
hour and n half until it gets 10 $50 degs.,
which cures both stem and stalk ia a
short time.
Kentucky, with her III, 900, 900 pounds
of tobacco, equals the next four highest
states. Leaving out Virginia's 10, O00,-
900 pounds, Kentucky's product equals
those of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee,
North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut
and Missouri, which are the principal to-
bacco states, although New York looms
up with the respectable product Of CASH.
431, Massachusetts 5,3G9.438, Indiana
s,S72,sl2 and Illinois 1886, s2J pounds.
New York Press.