The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-03

PFOI, d. ALcfI 11oiI
at which I was very much surpf1seo'
because he does the tobacco mafhets
in Eastern North Carolina an 1nJus-
fice. and in my opinion, waterway
interferes with the great work or DO
ing that which will place the cultiNa-
ton and sale Of tobacco on q SOUND
and profitable basis. After mentloa-
ing in detail the prices paid for to-
hscco on the Danville. Winston u
Durham markets, he says: Gould not
get the average on the Wilson market
Gas II that we're the only town in
which tobacco was sold in this section
Of the State.) I understand that the
average was very low, perhaps below
five dollars There are four big mar
hets in the east and quite a number of
little ones, all Of which make about
the same average and II no one in
Wilson would supply him with the
figures from that town, he undoubt-
edly could have Z correct IN
formation from other places and thus
ayOided the necessity of making an
erroneous guess whereby the reading
public was caused to believe tina we
fellows down here just about give the
weed away. Should I or any one else
say that the standard of education re-
ceived by the boys who attend Gull
ford and Davidson Colleges was 9s,
alld that while I could not get the
standard Of Oak Ridge, although l
asked for 1t, I understood il to be very
low, perhaps below SO, Prof. Holt
would have become Indignant and
very justly so: because the statement
would have been untrue and calcu-
lated to injure that great Institution
OF learning, If what I had TO say had
any weight or influence with q pub
lie. If | did not know the standard
Of the school,, I should say nothing
until the facts were ascertained.
If Prof. Holt was unable to secure
correct statistics, concerning prices Of
tobacco on the eastern markets. he
should have, in justice to himself and
others, kept quiet until the truth could
Y been found out.
Now as to the correctness Of the
reference which he says has been
made in public print from time to
time during the past yea TO the in
creased prices farmers are getting for
their tobacco and that greater salts
faction IS expressed than was heard
on the markets a few years ago." |
do not know; but l do know THAI al
though the crop just sold III this part
OF the State was The most inferior
Of h twenty [ have handled, yet the
average price was etUee eighty
fifty and nine cents, or nearly twice
as much as the Professor guessed, and
at least ten per cent higher than
crOEss Of much better quality have sold
or in the last few years. I do not
intend to convey the idea. in referring
o these discrepancies, that prices for
lie last crop were al all Ternuneratiye
o the farmers. for In reality they
we're not: IN fact prices would have
% get up in tall timber before I would
consider them sufficient to suitably
-eward those who labor so earnestly
md faithfully to produce the weed,
nat to show that there is some ground
'or Expressions of greater Sstisfac-
ION even down in these parts where
the comnonest grades largely pre-
dominated. and certainly there must
pc much moro satisfaction among
hose who were tun enough to
raise good crops and sell them above
thirteen cents per pound which was
about the average. SO l have been told,
al the markets around which fairly
good crops were produced, in
Guiding Durham, Henderson. Creed
more, Apex, and possibly other places.
# $500, as he says, was the average
price paid IN Durham to January 81,
for tobacco. and If the average price
On the DanVille market Of S11.e5 from
1873 to 1892 inclusive, was as high as
49, 49, s ti~'
IAN hardly see where the great Tar
Heels (V&nce) catfish story is appli-
cable in that case. Prof. Holt says.
and l agree with him fully, that con-
sidering the advanced cost Of making
tobacco, a fifty per cent advance in
prices over the $7.65 Danville aver
age from 1898 to 1907 would be Very
moderate" and it appears from the
figures given in his letter that a par
Of the Piedmont section, where goot
crops We're raised last season. have
already reached that point with ter
per cent to spare; and l am firmly o.
She opinion that a corresponding Iist
In prices will be had throughout ths
entire tobacco producing section if tn,
resolves and covenants made by tn,
farmer with himself and his neighbo,
to move his sm~okehouse and corn
crib from town to the country, to rails
home p to pay due attention
TO the law of supply and demand, t
to take charge OF, and attend to. hi