The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-06-01
TOBACCO NEWS
Ten Thousand Hogshcads Sold.

leu Sotu.
Heavy buying by Reggie contractors
have run sales of the Planters Pro-
tective association to 9.142 hogs
heads of tobacco of the crop of 1907
at the close of business on Saturday,
May II.
The demand for Reggie types from
now on is expected to be firm. and i'll
is probable that prospects OF a short
crop in the dark tobacco district in
1905 will make the buyers eager toI
protect themselves for the future.
Figures compiled by the Tobacco
Planter for its annual year book,
which is now in press, indicate that
last years crop was even shorter than
the estimates made during the early
part of the year. with Weakley coun-
.ty. Tennessee, missing. the figures col
lected show that the crop of 9O7 was
less than 100. 600 .OOO pounds. or not
quite Go 900 hogsheads.
The normal crop OF the district is
12O,0OOyOOO pounds and with Weakley
county in. It is evident that the crop
was nearly 10000 900 pounds short of
the average. OF this production the
Planters Protective association con
trolls about so. 200 hogsheads, but itI
is the opinion of well-informed to-
bacco men that these figures are great
ly in excess of the real facts in the
case Controlling this proportion
.of the crop. however. and calculat-
lrg that these Independent sales act
ually reached &C. 900 hogsheads, it is
very plain that the association is alb
solutely in control of the tobacco
market of the world as far as the
dark tobacco Is concerned.
The sales already made are about
IS per cent. of the crop. and the
heavy buying Is just beginning. With
the low quality of tobacco grown
last year the price of tobacco is now
bringing in a good return TO the
farmer for what he has to offer. The
situation at present shows conclu-
sively what the farmers can do byi
sticking together. The prospects for
good crop this year are fairly
bright. The weather has been so un-
usually severe that a great many
farmers have been discouraged, be-
their crop in the field. but tobacco
growers who take a fair view of con
ditiOns are of the opinion that the
crop will show up about as well as
the average Generally at this time
of the year there always are enough |
prophecies of a bad tobacco year to
discourage anybody who might take |
them all up seriously. If the crop Is |
not a good one this year the fact
that the plants are becoming too
large in the beds will probably have
more to do with the results than any |
other one thing.
The total number of hogsheads |
graded to date is 3S. 100, or over half
of that controlled by the association
At the present rate the board OF
graders will finish up in a short time.
Prizing is almost at the wind up, and |
in many places prizers have finished |
their work for the season. Il Is |
probable that 80 per cent of the 1907 |
crop is now in hogsheads.
Since the association official report
by Mr.. John ID. Scales the buying has
been heavy, and the sales of this
week will easily run the total over
10 900 hogsheads. Heavy sales were
made in Paducah the first OF the |
week, a total of 800 ghogsheads being |
sold. Most of this was for Il. J.
O'Brien & company, although a mum
Der of Paducah buyers took a portion
Of that sold.
james n. Banks, writing in the
Henderson Cleaner, says: "Those |
Of the manufacturers who have
bought tobacco of this association to
date should be. and doubtless are, by
this time persuaded there is mo
on the part of Kentucky |
farmers. where they have the oppor-
tunity of power, to practice extor-
ton. Kentucky farmers are coop
Grating to the end that they may re-
alze remunerative prices for tobacco,
not extortionate prices. Tobacco !,
Planter.