The Bourbon news., 1904-10-11
Letter To Tobacco Growers.

To TfE BURLEY ToBAcco GROWERS:
We beg to call your attention to our ef-
forts to establish in Lexington. Ky, an
open competitive tobacco market.
Lexington is located in the heart of the
Burley tobacco belt Within radius of
fifty miles upward of eighty million pounds
are rasied, or two-thirds of the entire
Burley crop.
We find that it is no longer convenient
or propitious for the farmer to prize and
ship his tobacco to Louisville or Cincin-
natl. He prefers selling at home. 1t is
not practicable for the average indepen-
dent manufacturer to establish receiving
depots through the Burley district and
buy crops composed of all grades direct
from the producer.
We have recently had erected here
(Lexington) near the c. S. Ry., a ware
house 120 by 260 feet, which is a place
where sellers and buyers can meet, the
one showing his product, the other offer
his price.
Our warehouse is open day and night
and you can sell at any time, either all or
part of your crop, and when sold your
money is Immediately paid over to you
without delay and without any redress for
reclamation.
The warehouse is so arranged that we
can unload fifty wagons at the same time,
and offer for sale upwards of a million
pounds day. We expect the tobacco to
be hauled in to us on wagons, each grade
being kept to itself, whether it weighs a
hundred pounds or five thousand. We
pack the tobacco into large, fiat baskets
holding about five hundred pounds. Each
grade is then weighed, tagged and offered
for sale, either privately or at public
auction, on its own merit. If the price is
satisfactory the sale is made, but if not
satisfactory the tobacco is covered up in
the basket and run down into our storage
department, from where at any time it
may be conveniently gotten and re-offered
for sale.
The owner can reject his tobacco a rea-
sonable number of times without incur
ring any expense. We, however, after
having secured for him satisfactory
price, charge 2 per cent. commission land
fifteen cents per one hundred pounds,
which is just about one-fourth of what it
costs to ship and sell in Louisville or Gin
cinnati. When the tobacco is knocked off
it is optional with the seller to say whether
or not he will accept, and in case he does
accept, it is the buyers duty TO take care
of the tobacco without further trouble to
the original owner.
There are upwards of three hundred
manufacturers in the Uuited States, be-
sides the hundreds and hundreds of manu-
facturers in Germany, England, France,
Italy and many other foreign countries, all
of which, like the Continental, would ap-
preciate the superior quality of tobacco
raised in this section and would become
competitors for same if conditions were
such that would enable them to obtain
such grades as they want direct from the
producer.
The purpose of the Burley Loose To-
bacco Warehouse Company is to offer
manufacturers this opportunity, and from
replies received we can assure the farmers
OF this section competition such as they
have never enjoyed before. Competition
on the sale of his tobacco is what the far
mer needs and with this assured him, un-
der our system of selling. he will never
have trouble in obtaining a perfect salts
factory price.
With best wishes for prosperous future
to the growers of Burley tobacco, we are,
The BURLEY LOOSE TOBACCO WAREHOUSE
Co, Lexington. KY.
c. w. BcHMER, Manager.