The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-01
q VERY PROSPEROUS YEAR
~ FOB. RICHMOND TOBACCO MEN
Review Of the Past Twelve Months Shows
That This Mart Sustains its
Reputation.
BRIGHT FUTURE PROMISED OUR CITY

seeming eif1Ol1erenCe. OIL Ddu SiopS e'ii''
like prospects; OF unfayorable seasons
| and hence light receipts, the Richmond
tobacco market made g sudden break for
better things; spent the last weeks or
months of the year 1901 in q rush and
furry, and came in on the home stretch
with banners flying and previous RECORDS
broken, winding up the season. with
! flourish. In one bound 1t rega1ned It's
position on the top of the ladder. and
established with more force than ever
before Richrnonds oli-time reptS.,.s.s,. =
| one of the most important tobacco marts
| in the warld.
! Rarely or never before in its history
| has the trade performed such antics. On
the Richmond breaks during these last
| few weeks have been witnessed slShtS
strange and unusual. Things which nave
| not occurred in years before occurred
then The entire leaf market, in fact, was
| in many respects remarkable. The very
| noticeable feature of the whole was the
| high price OF low grades. Stuff that the
| trainers hardly thought fit to bring TO
| town heretofore, was placed upon the
! market and sold at fancy figures. me
manufacturers, it is true, have noth'hS
| really startling to say of themselves
| but Of course they, too. have felt the
! effect of the activity in the other lines.
| In fact, they had a great hand IN caus-
| ing this activity. But according 70 the
| testimony of the manufacturers them
selves they have had what might wei oe
| termed a good year. AS in the instance
| of the leaf market the summer months
| we're RI, Their dull, but the fall and winter
| trade has been fairly excellent. Inc mus
| noticeable feature in the notwithstanding
/ line is the rapid increase OF the export
| trade.
To get down to hard facts, the crop or
| dark tobacco this year will probably pc
| a little larger than the one OF the year
preceding. Some reckon that 1t VIII eN-
| ceed the latter by about one-iourth,
| though whether it will run as large as
that is an open question. Brights ran
| out early in the season. and are no"
+. practically exhausted Dark Is stiii mo- e
or less abundant. and large receipts OF
it are expected after the holidays. It
! is estiamted that about 1SOo,OU0 POUNDS OF
/ the present crop or more have already
been marketed. and that this will be
! found to be less than one-thlrd OF the
entire amount to be handled. The aver
Are price is higher than last year ana
\, will probably be I or 1-2 cents Private
sales of tobacco in hogsheads nave kept
| I'D we'll Inspections are decreasing, o"
ing to direct buying, direct shipping ana
like causes.
The prospect for the new year is very
/ bright. There is every reason TO be
/ lieve that the present activity Will coa-
tinue for some time to come ana II Is
expected that after the holiday bull SAFES
| will start up with renewed FlSor. l ne
leaf dealer. the exporter and the manu-
| fact11rer are all in good financial condi-
! ton and are making rnone". There are
more buyers on the Richmond market
1 now than ever before. The past year
has been essentially a planters year nd
it is reasonable to suppose that the
farmers Will be stimulated by the hlsh
| prices. and that large crop next year
will be the result.
AS A TOBACCO MARKET.
/ From these general and rather sweeping
/ statements 1t will be seen that the CAPT
/ tai of the Old Dominion during the past
/ year has well sustained its reputation IN
the tobacco world. From the time that
teams of oxen rolled the hogsheads by
| roads and the "Jeems" River ana Kama
VIVA Canal brought them by water, has
Richmond been the tobacco Rome 10
which all roads led. It is an interesting
study to look back and note the many
i great changes that have been wrought in
! The past twenty-five or thirty years in
the tobacco world of this city. The time
when the farmer shipped his tobacco TO
Richmond; the big .'P'' put on the sam
pies, which stood for passed, signify
ing that in the opinion of the sampler
this hogshead was in keeping condition;
prosperous-but always busy. careless.
! happy-go-lucky buying in the full thought
that nothing could change the customers
from using the old brands: the time when
auction sales on the Exchange lasted all
day-the commission merchant advancing
to anybody who would ship ana selling
to ninety-day-pay people as quickly ana
as gladly as to the cash payers; the Gays
of the .'nester," from whose fine handi-
GnlGi-
/ mated. the installing of the bonded inspec-
for nlan and the wailing and the gnash-
ing of teeth; the seeking of trade direct
by the buyers on the loose markets III
brjghts, and the gradual amalgamation
of fine reggie darks into a few hands-
all these scenes pass before memory
ewes, until one finally comes down to the
reality of the present, where the shllt,hS
i sands OF trade seem finally to be settled
into q business well established and well
balanced. though this shifting process
has thrown out many a merchant ana
manufacturer.
Richmond to-day as a leaf and manu-
/ featuring center presents many points
of individuality, as we'll as Of interest
4 In her factories will be found the great
est variety of tobacco made anywhere or
the known globe In fact it would moi
be extravagant TO say that there is hard
w a popular species of the weed, no mat
/ ter where from, that is not used in some
of the factories here. Equally cosmopol
4 itan is the destination of the output. II
! its stemmeries it prepares POSSIBLY the
l largest quantity of leaf tobacco for home
/ and foreign use Of any place in the world
1 The number Of laborers engaged in this
+. branch of the business is enormous. VIII
1 the exception possibly Of England, tbs
. largest stocks OF tobacco of any type
are carried here in the Storage ware,
. houses For sale here can be found the
dark shipping types of the James River
/ section-the famed sweet sun-cured to
bacco of Louisa and Caroline. In large
4 Quantities in redried condition, come;
the bright tobacco from the border coun
4 ties of Virginia and North Carolina. ant
some from South Carolina From tbs
West come the heavier types for expor
4 purposes.
# SOME FIGURES.
The total amount of loose tobacco re
a ceive7 during the year ending December
81. 1901. was 6,346, 746 pound Thi com
4 pare with preceding years as follows
\ 1870 752loo2 pounds: 199 7.a2.S5S pounds