Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-12-22
WHAT COSTS TO
PRODUCE TOBACCO
Some Woodford County Facts
That Prove Value of Weed
Given by Authority

Newman gives some interesting facts
on what it costs 70 produce tobacco.
What he saws y-'ll be of interest to
every tobacco grower in this section.
He writes:
The Burley Tobacco Growers Asso-
citation has been organized recently |
and has elected it's officers to serve
until the first of March. It's purpose
until the first of March. It's purposes
are not to pool the tobacco, not to
cut out a crop and not to tie up the
tobacco belonging to it's membership
in any way. 1t will endeavor to as
certain facts in regard to the hurley
tobacco business and to present these
facts to the producer, to the public
and to the manufacturer. 1t will
urge the curtailment of Burley pro-
duction until supply and demand meet
and will insist that a good crop of
tobacco bring the cost of production
and fair profit.
Let US begin at home and try to
ascertain what it has cost to produce
the present crop of hurley in Wood
ford county. What is true of Wood
ford is practically true in adjoining
counties. l think a fair estimate
would be that there are 10000 acres
planted to tobacco this year in Wood |
ford county. On an average, one man
and his family can grow and handle
nh Of 70
a few acres of corn and a small gar
den will keep a family pretty busy at |
all times. The average family is |
five persons. Ten months out of the |
year are required IN planting. culti- |
waiting, housing, stripping and mar
keting the tobacco crop. Time may be |
found to grow 10 or Is acres of corn. |
The teams, cows and hogs will con-
sumo all the tenants share of the |
corn. He possibly may find time to
do few days work for his landlord
and his neighbor. In this way, he !
may be able to clothe his family and
himself.
The great money crop of Woodford
county, beth for landowner and ten
ant, is the tobacco crop The time
was in this county when wheat was
grown, sold and shipped away from
here in large quantities and bank de
posits increased materially. Corn
and live stock shipments were also
factor in bank deposits. The money
received from wheat this year in the
county was hardly noticeable in bank
statements. The receipts from corn
and live stock caused scarcely a rip
pie in financial affairs. Receipts
from tobacco, on the other hand, |
largely increased bank deposits. |
These reach their high point in Feb
ruary and March.
Another tobacco crop is then start
ed and at least 100000 pounds of
tobacco ae produced annually in our
county. A thousand pounds to the
acre is large estimate for this coun-
ty this season. The yield will be
nearer $50 pounds. At best, a man
and his family will receive 5000
pounds of tobacco as his share of the
crop. If he and other members Of
and his tobacco sells at 80 cents a
pound, he receives 5000. If his meals
cost 20 cents per person, it will cost
So per day to feed his family, or ex-
actly 5000 for 30 days. He must
work at something else the other 65
days in order to live.
How can he save anything at such
wages? The landowner must contri-
butte something to his support in or |
er that the tobacco grower my pull
through. In the long run, the land
owners portion of the tobacco crop
will cost him equally as much per
the tenant. 1t would seem that it
was time for the Iandwoner to cease
figuring to make something off the
tenatn's labor, and equally time for
for the tenant to stop trying the get
somethiny from the landowner for
nothing In our opinion, the land
owner and tenant should sit down to- |
gether and count the cost of growing !
tobacco. Then they should unite with
other tobacco growers and demand
the cost of production, plus a reason
able profit for their product.
At least three million of dollars
have been withdrawn from bank de-
posits in Woodford county since
March and invested in the present to-
bacco crop. At 80 cents per pound,
ten million pounds of Woodford coun-
ty tobacco would simply return this
money to the banks during the to-
bacco sales season. At 20 cents a
pound, this crop would lose the grow
ers of Woodford million dollars,
which would be reflected in bank de-
pOsits