Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-30
LEAF TOBACCO OUTLOOK;
FIGURES TO END OF YEAR
Farmers Waiting for copcning Of
Markets-BrtSht Prospects.
LONG HOLIDAY SEASON: WHY?
Short Crop Estimates Prove to BE a
Iittlc Erroneous-Moro Leaf In
First Hands Than Dealers Have
DccD Figuring On.

The 70: horn voices OF the Virginia
and North Carolina loosc-leaf tobacco
auctionecrs have not been heard In
the land for more than q wee. now.
and mono OF then, will be heard until
! the middle or latter part OF this week.
They aud everybody else connected
, with tho leaf tobacco trace have been
| taking what they are pleased to term
holiday. 1t has not been an idle
season with the leaf tobacco dealers
| In the cities and towns where tobacco
is sold by tho farmers through the
warehouses;. THEY have been busy
enough. cleaning up factory floors"
us the saying il; that Is. getting their
former purchases into hoEshcads and
into the storage houses. that they may
have room in said factories and prize
ries to begin business on the remand
er OF the crop OF 1917, which, IL is OK
pectcd. will be rushed to tho markets
by the farmers as soon as any suit
able weather comes along in the month
OF January.
The long Christmas season holida:
In the leaf. tobacco trade was invented
for the farmers benefit or rather. in
response TO his demand. Virginia
farmers have no, set gotten over the
! ancient custom Of making a whole
! week OF Christmas rest and festivity.
and the average grower Of leaf In
this GOOD old State would a. soon
think OF piowinE mis- corn on a July
sunday as OF curtinG tobacco to town
for Sd L. IN the warehouses during the
week from the eth OF December to
| the frat days in January. The dealer.
like this. foT It gives them the chance
TO clean un." as above indicated
CROr NOT As SMALL
As FIRST SUPPOSED
Turing tie holiday spell. warehouse
men and some of the dealers in Rich
mond and other markets have been
out. or sent agents out. into rural dis
tricts 10 ascertain how much IT The
1917 crop OF leaf tobacco set remains
in the hands OF the growers. Sucl. IS
have been heard from report thu. IN
noar.r every section OF the tobacco
growing region there is more leaf re-
manning in the barns than they had
! supposed.
Ever since last August there hav"
! been reports OF short crop Of tho
weed That was nothing unusual. for
: there are such reports every year about
| :he t!me the August moon fulls Las;
August end since then they were very
pronounced. AID in the course OF time
I everybody believed that the 1917 cror
! was really far below the average. Then
! the high prices that prevailed as soon
as the selling season opened. AMI have
/ prevailed ever since. caused the farm-
ers to market their weed as rapidly
as possible. All OF this led those who
are :v The habit OF aguring oa the
. 4! iroa tor
TIE bulk OF the tobacco grown In Vir-
Sinia and North Carolina IN 1917 ,ras
! sold before Christmas and that The
offerings and sales after tho holidays
(! would he insignificant. as compared
with former years. Certainly some O.:
the investigators Who during the pas;
week or ten days. have been out spy
! ing" through the land have come hack
Impressed with Che idea that reports
. OF short c:o7 we're greatly exaggerated
that there IL much more leaf tobacco
| In frs; hands than they had been Lee
TO Think. aud that the days OF large
| sales OF the weed grown in 1917 are
not set orcr--aot by long shot
SUCH arc the reports that have come
in a; Dan"il.c. South Boston, Ctasc
: city. South Hin. Kenbridge ard some
o:her Virginia bright markets. afd
. EHH!!S. Reports nave reache1 WINSTON
Salem, Durham and Rocky Noun, OF
! the North Carolina markets.
No DANGER OF FALLING:
PRICES For THE LEAF
The investigators who went CIV, from
Richmond into the sun-curins regions
are sure that but little, II any more
than half of tho sum-curcd CO? las
been sold. ard ths:. commcns!ag with
the frs: sales IN January, weather
conditions permitting. the offerings on
th!s mi"kct Will be very large md
continue large 70; some time 10 come.
The deaiers and the manufacturers
are glad enough 10 hear this news, for
il is certain that they had begun to
act little gloomy over the oft-re-
peated reports OF the shortness OF tho
crop and were beginning to fear that
TIC demand would not he near sup
piled. They are ri keen for stock.
aon:c cf them Going so far as To say