Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1912-11-14
TOBACCO.
The Best Way To Market the
Present Crop.

Just at this time the tobacco grow
ers everywhere are very much in
terested in the price at which the
crop now in the barn will sell. and
the best way to market it in order
to obtain the highest possible price
for this, the money crop Of our Sec
ton.
Shall the farmers organize and
sell through their own agents at
prices agreed upon by them and the
buying interests or shall each farm
er sell at his barn door in competi-
ton with every other farmer. at the
price fixed by the buying interests?
Clearly a majority of the farmers in
what is known commonly as the
"Black Patch" believe from expert
ence that they can better maintain a
fair range of prices by an organized
effort, as considerably over half of
them belong to one organization or
another.
For the past few months all the
growers in the twenty-one counties
in Kentucky and Tennessee that
grow the strict type of dark fired
export tobacco, have been very
much interested in the fate of the
Planters Protective Association,
which has for the past eight years
handled from twenty-five to sixty
per cent of the crop in these coun-
ties. The three year pledges taken
in 1909 having expired, strenuous
campaign of reorganization has been
going on all over the section for new
pledges, and at times it looked as if
the pledges would not be sufficient
to enable the Association to continue
business, as the management was
determined not to jeopardize the in
terests of those who had pledged, by
attempting to do business without
sufficient tobacco to maintain prices
and sell promptly. At a meeting Of
the directors and officers at Clarks-
vile. Saturday, Nov. 2, the acreage
pledged was compiled, and taking
the government crop report as a |
basis, it was found that half or more
of the dark export tobacco grown in
these twenty-one counties had been
pledged, and the board voted unani-
mously to continue business and also
continue the campaign for additional
pledges. :. While the Association |
management is confident they have |
tobacco enough to enable them to
sell promptly and at better prices
than those outside the Association
will obtain. yet it is we'll known
fact the more tobacco we have the
more successful we will be in main
tanning prices, for every crop out of |
the organization means another
competitor in selling Certainly
with mixed crop such as we now
have in the barn, it will sell at bet
ter average price when properly as
sorted and priced. and each hogs
head sold to that trade for which it
is suited. will sell better than it will
loose at the barn door, and unques-
tionably the fine crops of tobacco
will bring more money when priced
and sold through the Association, be-
cause the demands for the highest
grade are not represented directed
in the loose buying.
The Association already controls
60 to rs per cent. of the higher
gr ldes of tobacco grown in the dis
trict. and some of the highest priced
trades do not buy any tobacco in
this district except through the AS
sociacion. and all of them show a
decided preference for the Associa-
ton tobacco. so do not hesitate to
say to any farmers. with a good to
hne crop of tobacco. that he can get
more money for it through the Asso-
citation than any other way. The
counties in the district that grow
the best tobacco and have been in
the Association all the time. like
Robertson. Cheatham. Logan and
Galloway now have rs to 95 per cent.
of heir crops pledged Christian
and Todd are the only counties east