Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-12-17

sell almost anything in the shape Of to-
bacco: we had but little competition, Ger
tainly not half we now have. Maryland
was the third tobacco-growing State;
now the seventh. Several States are
now growing is that a few years ago
knew nothing about the cultivation of
tobacco. Like everything else there is
always Q demand for good article, but
the question II asked, how can we be
sure of getting good crop. Under GER
tain circumstances IL Is almost impossi-
BILE 10 get one. In the first place we de-
pend upon getting early plants, the next
the seasons to grow it, and last and most |
important, suitable weather to cure il.
In North Carolina and other places
where they cure by artificial means, they |
are not SO dependent upon the seasons. |
Here with our sir caring we are wholly |
dependent upon Divine Providence, but |
there are many improvements we can |
make. In the first place, many acres of
land are put In tobacco that are not suit
able for il; then the farmers do not take |
sufficient care In making their crops;
they look more 70 the pounds than to the
quality. / think If farmers would adopt
low topping there would not be somuch
mixed tobacco in stripping. The leaves
would be more uniform in length and
also in color. Now you take plant of
tobacco, 20 to 25 leaves, you have seve
raj different lengths and colors. II is
hard for ordinary hands to properly as
sort such q plant. Now take plant
tRai va sapgsa down e L y e ~ IND end
and properly assert that plant of tobac-
co. II we can afford to spend the sum-
mer in making and the fall in saving our
crop, surely we can afford to spend a
part of the winter and spring in proper
ly asserting and packing. was in q
barn yesterday and picked up these three
bundles of tobacco. Now, we will see
how this farmer has assorted his tobac-
co. Well, here is &c., &c., &c. and &c.
tobacco in this bundle. Now, you say,
we don't assert in that way. Well, per-
haps you do not, but n great many do not
assert as well. I was in Baltimore last
week and my attention was called, by a
seller and a buyer, to some samples of
new tobacco just opened. They were
terribly mixed, both in stripping and
packing. One sample had five bundles
of mixed crop and leaves in them, rang
ing in value from one to nine cents, and
one bundle of second leaves from cents
to unsaleable. Kany farmer in this audi
ence sent an order to his commission
, merchant for barrel o. No. mackeral,
, and upon opening it found it contained
about one-half herring, would he not re-
, turn it and try to find q more reliable
man with whom to deal9 The tobacco
. growers of Maryland have treated their
. customers in q similar manner, and they
. have borne with them until patience has
ceased to be O virtue. was In a sale
=. room last spring and the commission
= merchant was selling some tobacco to
buyer, and after he had sold several sam
r Piles at what thought was fair price,
he picked up sample and said, Harry,
3 let me sell you this I want to close
= it out" His reply was, mo; told you
yesterday would not buy It." and threw
r it down. examined it and found it
badly mixed with tobacco in value from
/: 3 to 8 cents. remarked to the buyer,
mixed tobacco any more you sfutndw.
{ sue circular to the farmers" His re-
ply was, I'VE have talked and begged
. them for ten years to stop mixing their
tobacco and they pay no attention to us.
now let them feel it," Now, the manu-
facturer of cigarettes and smoking to.
bacco, which is principally the use made
OF our tobacco, on account of its burn
ing qualities, cannot use 3 and 1Oc. to-
bacco in his fine brands, therefore, being
mixed, he can only pay the price of the
low grade. The smoker who has ac-
customed himself to good brand of to-
bacco can detect the smallest mixture of
common tobacco. Such being a fact.
shows the importance of the manufac-
turer HAVING uniformity in his tobacco.
think every farmer should try to give
MS customer his crop as near the way he
wants it as possible. We have got to
stand on the merits of our tobacco, and
for that reason should do all we can to
satisfy the consumer. Has there been
any Improvement in the growing, hand
ling and packing of our tobacco in the |
last twenty years, Ifail to see it. Now,
do not hesitate to say that no men have |
been so unfairly treated as the buyers of |
Maryland tobacco. Now, a halt is de-
manded, and the life of the weed de-
Ponds upon better handling and more
uniform stripping and packing.
INA "a H~~Ag~.~gN