The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-03-10
ialE SOUTH CAROLINA
TOBACCO CROP
Mr.. John c.. Sellers Makes Some
{t& Practical Suggestions.

ton as shown in recent letters by
Messre. Sprott and Cothran and the
comments Of the ceditor of The News
and Courier on the editorial page.
These gentlemen are no theorists or
book farmers and discuss "what they
know and testify what they have ex-
perienco," and their opinions are en-
titled TO great weight I think after
!, all the misunderstanding and cob
lwebs are wiped away we can all a.
gree on this one thing, "our tobacco
markets open too early and close too
soon."
To bring about longer marketing
season some of us advocated in 1916
a compulsory grading and bundling
of all tobacco before it could be Of
fered for salcc on the warehouse floor
@Nt there was such a difference of
opinion lmong farmers and ware
houscmen and tobacco buyers that the
scheme fell through and the grading
law failed to pass the Legislature
) Many Of the farmers insisted that they
ldidn't know how to properly grade to-
bacco, that it was expensive and that
they were anxious to get rid Of their
tobacco SO as to have the money to
gather their cotton which began to
open about the close of the tobacco
Reason, all of which was true and
could not be gainsaid or denied. Some
of the warehousemcn and buyers in
sisted that they had interests in the
North Carolina or Virginia or Ken
tuckey markets which they could not
afford to neglect and therefore could
only stay here a short limited time
and then "hie themselves away to pas
lures new"
Twenty to thirty years ago
SYhen there were a few warehouse in
Che State all tobacco was graded and
tied up (not that grading and ticing
up really adds anything to the value
Of tobacco, but the time required to
put tobacco in condition to grade does
add to its vaiuc), WAREHOUSES; were
not open for the sale Of tobacco till
sometime in August, and they re-
manned open longer than now, be-
cause the crop could not be gotten
ready for market end the warehouses
of those days usually kept large
force of graders on hand to help out
the farmers who could not grade at
Ahome. 1t was soon found that large
pjart of our tobacco was for the ex-
port trade and exporters preferred the
loose leaf (for even if they buy the
bundled up tobacco The first thing that
is done when Il reaches the stem
mcries is to unit the bundles pre-
paratory to extracting the storms, and
this ticing up is simply matter Of
time and money!, the buyers let it be
known that they would pay just as
much for the loose leaf as they would
for tied up tobacco Of the same quail
ity and farmers soon found out this
was true by grading and ticing up
bne-half of a curing and carrying the
other half and selling both at the
same time and receiving as much for
one as the other. 1t was then chat
all kings screws broke loose" as the
boys used to say, and as soon as, the
fires died down on thefrst curing of
sand lugs the local papers would an
nouncc that if a,l warehouses would
be opcn next Tuesday with full crops
of buyers on hand all anxious to pay
the high dollar, so bring on your to-
bacco while the price is high, etc, and
afrom then till the North Carolina mar
kets oren it is hurry, hurry, rush,
rush.
Many farmers take the tobacco that
was fniahcd being cured Saturday
nights, get it in order Saturday and
Sunday night, take it off the sticks
Monday morning, tie it up in cotton
sheets, lood it on o wagon, carry it
to market and sell il the same day,
and there is no man living who can
tell what its value is in it's then con-
dition.
1t is we'll known feet that if to-
bacco is taken from the curing brrn
in proper condition, carried to the
pack house, bulkcd down while still
on the sticks and securely covered
with sheets il will wonderfully i'm
prove in very e!,ort while. AS the
farmers say, "it> comes to itself" in
Erom three to four weeks. All the
Afne color it is ca2"blc Of showing
comes out end it feels like sor,cthing
fhot hoe tfo l., II If VII o,, q e,,i' q l,lo