The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-24
COMING.
AT LAST u S |
The Tobacco Markets About
BY. Fifty Million Pounds Il
4 55is5s Short. n
is DUE TO THE WEATHER g j he
But the Warm Season Of Last
Week Will Send Immense
Quantities in.

I'M .,'he influx of tobacco that Is expected
/, upon the Richmond market this week Is
q notable event from moro than one
point Of view
Two or three months OF most remark
4 able weather have delayed to this present
time tho real opening Of the markets,
which should have come many weeks
ago But the ground has been hard and
frozen stiff, and With steady persisteEcc
tho weather has refused to permit the
farmer to handle his products. The weeks
dragged by ana the tobacco crop until
now has been tied fast to the farm. Last
wear immense quantities were sold before
Christmas-thc bulk OF the entire yield,
in fact This year tho condition IS re-
vcrsed, Christmas5 came and went, pu "
The markets were bare. Some stuff came
I In, but It was very little. q
t,rhc Richmond markets. over 3,0Oo,oU
pounds behind; the State at large about
50,0o6,O0O.
All this is Immediately due 70 tho
weather. The tobacco Is there, but <
couldn't be touched. Last week things
opened I'M somewhat and about nall
million pounds were sold here. Toward
tho end Of the week a warm. damp rail-
cnsued and though It began to grow
cold yesterday, It \ Is believed that tho
farmers have at last gotten the season
they have. been waiting for since VI
ycmber. Consequently tobacco Is expected
10 pour intoa Richmond this week. All
the breaks will be piled high. and there
will ba the usual busy scenes---on the
auction floor and on the streets croWoed
X with canvas-covered wagons
WHAT MR.. VAUGHAN SAYS.
speaking or the tobacco conditions yes
terday Mr.. l.. B. Vaughan. proprietor
+ OF Crenshaw Warehouse, said:
Facts arc often as strange as fiction.
Apropos, from the best light before us
e the Virginia tobacco markets were & pc
hind in sales between twenty-five ana
fifty million pounds on the first OF jan
uary, as compared to same date !. last
Al wear. outside figures nearest to facts.
This is due, first to the large crop OF
1902, followed by good prices and season N
The 1908 crop, perhaps onc-quart ter small
or in size. was followed by reverse
causes-lower prices. long, colo, cry
weather, climatic conditions. largely due
TO decreased sales. our market has I'M
proved In price since Its opening pre-
4 vailing prices as good as last season:
4 quality considered; floor average, SIX ana
\ n half to 81. "a asf,
II Richmond will sell this week probably
10000 to 10000 pounds. and FOR me sea,
son between one and threc-quarters and
two million pounds (estimnted). say, one-
third or, one fourth OF the Richmond loose
Ssaless Thesacrop as "a useful dom este one
for home manufacturers. being ripe, good
leaf and texture and clean Of. grit, but
rather thin for foreign trade. Our sales
consist almost of air or sun cured STOCK
under strong demand.
Last years Q9G3) crop, by government
report at washington, In round numbers,
10000, 900 pounds. OF which only seven per
cent, or, say. 100000 pounds. was sun or
air cured. This we think fairly correct
we estimate the sun or air cured pc
tween eight and ten million pounds. we
have for long time felt this small pro-
portion serious drawback to extending
trade on this elegant tobacco. we DOUBT
II the price OF this grade could be doubled
the present price II the crop could be
increased in like proportion. BY this we
mean supply not equal to demand. at rea-
sonable prices. ~.
The most popular grades used--Flrst.
hurley, say, 125. 900 pounds; second,
bright or flue cured OF same or greater
quantity. Hence you see our. sun or air
cured leaf cuts but little figure IN the
great makeup. hampered by small sup
ply raised in four or five northsde VIZ
ciniai counties. The Green River tobacco,
of kentucky, approximating next to sum
cured in character; sun-cured tobacco the
best of all others, God save the COM
tmonweal th,"9l ttlst 50 q 3E " 50 stSa 4