The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-25
A Tobacco Cropmaster.
To the Editor Of The Post

To the Editor of The Post.
/ Houston. Texas, December 20.-Th,
most important factor needed in our new
and growing tobacco Industry ia a cron
master There Is lot of nondescrlpt to-
pacco lying around here in Texas that ac
tlially doesn't deserve the name. Tht
seed is fiom somewhere and II is raises
I somehow, and 1t Is handled someway, ant
now we are clamoring for buyer. There
Is cry here for tobacco warehouse. 10.
me state that II company today would
pay cents a pound for all the tobacco
lying around 1t would fail, for most of the
| stuff, with few exceptions, is no good
| is not cured, is not properly sweated, and
| II a person would get ali this together he
could not find or make certain grade out
of It.
| We must remember this that If we wan,
good price for a horse we must have a
| good horse and if we want a good price
| Tor tobacco We must have good tobacco
Tobacco that IL expected to bring you 80
| to 80 cents per pound must be better taken
care of and handled than cotton at 1
cents,
In old tobacco growing districts wnere
there are old men that have grown tobacco
from childhood. there Is one man, also q
tobacco raiser, who is employed as crop
| master. The cropmaster tells them when
to plant, sucker, top cut, house, etc. He
tells the old tobacco raisers when their
tobacco is ripe. They may know when 1t
Is ripe, but he tells them and they do as
he tells them, because they know by that
means all the tobacco of that district will
be alike, the easier their tobacco will be
sold and the better the price will be. For
they know 1t makes a great difference
whether they can say have 10000 pounds
first. 5000 second and 1870 filters, or we
have 100, 900 first. 80. 900 to 10000 seconds.
etc. big firm will buy from farmer
direct if it can get enough 10 be able to
make a certain brand OF cigars all the year
around than to go to the jobber and have
him hunt 1t together for them.
The duties OF a crormaster are to choose
and procure the seed and instruct the farm
ers in the sowing, planting, culivating.
housing. curing, swelulng, boxing. and
mainly the marketing For long before the
crop Is ripe he can correspond with good
reeronsibls touses He can say this as
ISOLATION or this community has or viii
have so much tobacco; 1t will be all ham
died such way and my grades are so and
so; o. they can say they wish IL sortea
aud packed in such nabner
He will have enough in bulk to make 1t
worth their while TO como down AMI LOOK
at ii. Furthermore should there be
.ueiser WHO has not the means to put him
through or by some accident lacks the
funds 10 take care Of his crop, he can so
and get the money for him by assuring
rhe parties that be has so much tobacco
and that he is having it under his super
vision. etc, or the association can make
It a point to help out such members.
There is no tobacco growing district
where the cropmaster Is not tAc most inn
portant faoter. and we mere need him more
tnsn anywhere else. because We must get
tobacco raising down TO System and the
sooner we &c SO the bitter.
The Harris County Tobacco Growers as
In their last negt'ny agres1 t.
employ such 2 man and | shall let him
6eal me when anv tohaeco Is rioe. for
know 1t will be OF hensft to me and all
or us to hive Il known that We can raise
ro,d and uniform 'ob,cco.
There is big difference In desling with
a LARGE manufacturer and dealing with
warehouse company. large manufacture
knows what brand OF cigars Re can make !;
Re knows what he can pay ana II " Is
worth a price he Is the most apt 70 pay
Il: whereas warehouse man wants ana
has TO buy Il at what he can get Il Tor Ine
chances are that he will have to keep II on
hand ! year Or two yeaEs; It VIII Lose IN