The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-08
A SMALL CROP OF TOBACCO.
Prediction of n Virginia Dealer as
10 This Years Output.

thority for the statement that it is
likely that only very small crop of the
Weed which sOoihs viii be raised in the
tobacco belt this year
There have been a number OF elements
operating against the successful raising
Of tobacco for several years past" he
said. and the farmer has been looking
about for some time in the hope of Sc
curing Il staple product which would pay
him as WEI as tobacco AS matter of
fact. there has been steady decline IN
prices and the operations of the trust
have greatly injured the industry in ev-
cry Wa At present there are two large
concerns which absorb all OF the tobacco
raised in Virginia and North and South
Carolina While these concerns are run
under different names and are Ostensibly
separate corporations they are IN reality
one in purpose and virtually the same
capital controls both.
These TWO companies literally control
the output Of tobacco in this country
Almost all the smoking and chewing to
bacco that Is used in Europe Is grown IN
/ the Southern tobacco belt. As is very
well known, the process by which to
| bacco is raised is one OF the most tedious
! and iaboriOls with which an asriculturist
/ has TO contend. 1t requires not only
Z
but eternal vigilance as Well
With these conditions continually fac
ing the farmers ana the price constantly
decreasing. it is no wonder that the farm
ers desire change Of crop In the pof-
lions of Virginia and North Carolina de
voted to the raising OF tobacco the soil
/ IS very rich and needs but little fertiliza-
ton Yet it would seem that farmers
/ cannot get anything that would pay /
! stopped at a hotel in the extreme south
/ ern portion OF Virginia about two months
! ago. and almost everything placed on the
/ table was the product of another portion
/ Of the country. The meats came from
! Chicago the -four from the Northwest,
/ and the vegetables from New York and
! Connecticut And this was 50 because
I the farmers could not raise such things
! and compete with their Northern fellow
! grangers. The result is that when cotton
made such phenomenal rise last winter
every farmer of my acquaintance started
! to read up on the subject Of the cuitiva-
/ ton of that staple, and TO their great
/ joy found that it could be produced IN
/ large quantities by the sell they had pre-
| viousIy considered wasted on tobacco
Consequently. when I visited that portion
| OF the country a short time ago / found
| almost every farmer making ready TO
| plant cotton.
I'm my opinion Virginia and North
! Carolina will produce more cotton this
year than South Carolina, which has al
ways been q large cotton-growing State
As a result the crop of tobacco viii fail
FAR short Of what il has been and the
I shortage may affect the price
With anything but tobacco the price
would rise TO phenomenal figures, Just as
the price Of cotton went up last year. but
| I am afraid there viii he no such increase
in the case OF tobacco The trouble lies
] in the fact that tobacco has been. produc-
| ed in enormous quantities during the past
/ three or four years. Last year the ware
house of one town IN southern Virginia
sold an aggregate of over 560JG.Go0 pounds
/ and during the past winter the sales
would indicate that the yearly sales at
this same place viii be not very far short
. of that amount again The two tobacco
COMPANIES I mentioned before have taken
advantage of this large output 10 Pur-
chase immense quantities Of the weed
| Much more than they could possibly use
in one season was bought and was told
ihaJ on March ] they had II storage
enough tobacco TO run their factories fun
handed for at least two years, 70 say
nothing of the large quantity that IS re-
served for Immediate cons lmptlOn-
IT matters nothing to ne, but i am
/ afraid the farmers are gong TO SulIer
from their extreme haste IN changing
/ crOpS.-The sudden influx OF Such immense
3 oJla mites Of cotton VIII send the prlce
[ Of that staple down next year, and ven
I ture 70 predict that the 2grICu1IuTlst
/ will make nowhere near the profit he has
{ b4eu making on tobacco IN some IN
stances It may affect the price of Jae
weed. too. ] hope il VIII. Bat there Is
{ no certainty about II.
Tobacco is sold in Il manner that would
( seem peculiar to the average Northern
! visitor to one Of the warehouses me
h. F.4sar &c aFrFrl on
: va CONS to the nearest large market AID
! il would surprise people unfamiliar with
the trade 10 know that there are so many
! large markets. The town + mentioned
| DanviIIe. Va Is the largest tobacco mar
ket in the world, and the brokers ship
! from there direct 70 Europe he crop
! last year was worth IN the nelghborhood
( Of go COO l-G " hen the tobacco reaches
I the market the farmer goes 10 the ware
] house he likes best and places ms pro
, duct or the floor II small plies Inc
I wa house floors are something euOT-
/ nous too. The average warehouse has
/ q aoOr space quite as large as the man
/ hall of Convention Hall, this city The
, farmer drives his wagon right onto the
I floor and uRloads his tobacco Just where
he wants II put IN each pile he places
q forIled stick IN which Is hNsd a tag
stating the name of the farmer and the
quantity of tobacco ia the pile
Everyone wishing TO purchase tobacco
: ! has ample opportunity TO examine the
! / stock on the 1ioOF before the sales are
, ! commenced and there Is always a large
? / crowd Of brokers AROUND tite biatt ITO
= ( the first sale TO the third. there beliE
= three sales each day All the tobacco
= raised in Virginia. or almost az Of il.
: / Is sold To the highest bidder in these
= warehouses. An auctiOneer goes from
7 / pfie 10 pile and droneS out his moHOto-
= nous pater until the last pile Is disposed
: OF When the purchases are made they
mus all be paid for before ID O'Clock the
. / next morning. or the buyer VIII not De
2 allowed 10 bid again uEJu the account
i is settled 1t is Il very Interesting sight
= for Q stranger 10 watch the sales All 81
! the town characters congIegste about the
y tobacco warehouses in the South IS they
. viii be found at the corner groceries ID
{ the North. and il IS here that I'll The
{ horses are swapPcd and trading generally
/ is carried on. The ordinary tobacco
. broker is = born trader and Wlll s"at
- ANYTHING he happens 10 have He never
] squeals when he finds his partner IN q
2 transaction has beaten him, either Ht
7 ! irIste watches for q chance and gets
% ! even
2 DROWNED IN AN OLD WELL.