The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-01-19
OUR TOBACCO IS IN GREAT
DEMAND.

y
in this article the best news they have
heard in the past twenty-five years.
Their one export staple-tobacco-is is
in greater demand than ever before.
and a return of prosperity for the to-
bacco region Of the State will surely
follow. Coming after the almost des-
perate conditions which prevailed last
spring, and which depressed the South
ern Maryland farmers to such an eX-
tent that they held series Of county
mass meetings and appointed represen-
tatives to gather in this city in order,
if possible, to ascertain the cause of the
depression in their one marketable crop,
it seems almost too good to be true.
These, however, are facts-given on
the authority of one Of the best-posted
tobacco men in Baltimore.
The Schumachers, it will be gemem-
bered, have been exclusive buyers un-
der the French contract system for
some time past. Last spring the
French government ordered them to
ship 10000 hogsheads of Maryland to-
bacco. This was prior to the time
when it was possible to forecast the
crop accurately, and the Schumachers
replied that they could only bind them
selves to furnish 10000 hogsheads of
the quality required under the contract.
This amount was shipped. Before the
last shipment was made the French
government found that the supply of
MARYLAND tobacco was insufficient for
its purpose. Then came step which
is without precedent in the history of
the trade. Agents were sent to Amer
ca to buy tobacco for direct shipment.
They visited Baltimore, where large
quantities of tobacco of lower grade
than that purchased by the Schumach-
ers under their contract, were brought
and shipped to France. Why they did
not ship more will appear later. These
agents also visited Kentucky and
Virginia, where they bought large
quantities of leaf, also for direct ship
ment.
1t happened that the demand for
Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia to-
baccos was unusually large this year.
Prices on the lower grade of Kentucky
tobaccos have increased threefold, and,
in consequence, Western manufacturers
have found the low-grade Kentucky
leaf, which they had been using for
fller-slugs in the technical term-too
expensive. They also sent agents to
Maryland, and their buyers. reaching
the market in advance of the French
agents, almost made clean sweep. At
present there is less marketable Mary
land leaf in the state warehouses than
at any similar period in the many years
past.
1t is estimated, in fact, that the total
amount of Maryland leaf purchased by
Western American manufacturers in
the eighteen months last past is more
than they have brought during the
whole of twenty-five years Immediately
nrccoding. Large quantities are being
used in factories in St. Louis, Coving-
ton and Cincinnati.
Even the lowest grades of Mary land
leaf, which heretofore have been almost
unstable, have been disposed of during
the past few months.
The demand has been almost entire
ly from the West and from France.
German buyers say that their market
is glutted, and have bought under their
average, if anything.
So great has become the necessity
of manufacturers IN the West for some
thing corresponding in quality to the
Mary land leaf that, for the first time in
the recollection of many tobacconists,
they are using what are known as
"ground leaves
From the statements made above the
cause Of the demand in the West can
easily be seen, although it must still be
regarded as extraordinary that an arti-
Gle which has always been neglected in
America should suddenly be looked up
on at its true value AM where before
it was drug IN the market bought
up and shipped by the thousand hogs
heads.
There is, Of course, always Il possi-
bility that present conditions will not
last, yet leading dealers are inclined to
think that the same causes which have
produced such activity in the West
and in France are likely to continue, in
which case Southern Maryland farmers
may hope to regain the position
which they held in the early part of
the century.
One precaution, according to 4 prom
inent local dealer, should be taken by
the growers of tobacco to insure con-
tinuation Of the favor which their stand
ard crop is now being received by
manufacturers at home and abroad,
and this is point which was enforced
by several commission merchants at
the Maltby House conference last sum
mcr. 1t is often noticed that the to-
baccos shipped to Baltimore district
from the farms are not carefully grad
ell Where this is the case there is an
aunOVauce to both the dealer and the