Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-20
GRADING POOL TOBACCO
SELMER NEPRUD
Director of Publicity

There seems to be considerable con-
Germ among some tobacco buyers as to
the method to be used in grading the
pool tobacco. When the Kentucky
Pool was started the same story was
circulated-IT CAN'T BE DONE.
When the fruit growers of California
started to figure out a system of grad
ing fruits the fruit buyers said-IT
| CAN'T BE DONE. When the cotton
growers of the south through the man.
agement of its Cooperative associa-
ton started to devise a system of
grading cotton, the cotton buyers said
1T CAN'T BE DONE. The same thing
is true in Wisconsir--the pool is work
ing out grading system for bundle
tobacco but SOME buyers say-IT
| CAN'T BE DONE.
In Kentucky the system adopted by
the Binley Pool has worked out to the
satisfaction of the buyers and to prove
that statement 16,000,000 pounds sold
within a period of two hours on basis
of grades established by that organ
ization.
The grades of cotton established by
Georgia Cotton Pool are recognized in
all the important cotton markets of
the world, and besides that the cotton
growers are paid on quality basis.
The fruit that is sold by the Coz
operative Fruit Growers Association
of California is known all over the
United States for its uniformity. The
fruit growers of California are in the
fruit-growing business. If they raise
fruits of exceptional quality they are
paid for it according to their grading
system.
There probably may be some mis-
takes made by the pool in inaugural
ing this system but the writer is quite
sure that thing thai happened in
Kentucky will not occur Ia Wisconsin.
On a warehouse floor in Kentucky
mot owned or controlled by pool) but
operated by warehouse man and where
tobacco was sold to expert buyers,
ONE BASKET OF TOBACCO WAS
SOLD ELEVEN TIMES AT ELEV-
fEN DIFFERENT PRICES. Such
thing cannot occur under a grading
hsystem.
Where are several reasons why the
pool wants to grade the tobacco when
in the bundle, and when tobacco is
still on the FARM There undoubtedly
If a buyer comes in and wants 2.000,-
grade in the bundle. HowAwoulc the
pool management be able ITO know
which farmers to call in unless they
had taken samples of their tobacco
and know in which grades their to-
bacco was listed Under the system to
be established the pool can fill any
order for tobacco through samples
which have been taken. The tobacco
can be hauled, if sold in bundle, direct
to car and thereby save the enormous
expense of re-handling In case to-
bacco is packed, the warehouse man
ayers viii be able to get more uni
form packing. -
The pool win also know the approx
innate number Of pounds of tobacco
which it has to sell. In the past,
every one knows that no farmer knew
| the number of pounds Of tobacco rails
ed in the state, or the amount Of to-
bacco on hand. Only last spring. when
the pool was being organized, some
buyers said that all the warehouses
in the country were packed to the brim
with tobacco--what kind of tobacco?
Were those warehouses packed to the
brim with No. / Wisconsin Binder :?
No farmer knows, but the Pool will
be in a position to know these things
before very long.
In the past, what grading system
was used by buyer to determine the
price he should pay for a crop of to-
bacco? At times, anybody who could
drive team Of horses qualified as
tobacco buyer, and no doubt, used his
| Judgment. Undoubtedly there were
as many grading systems as there
were buyers in the field. Will 1t not be
better to have ONE SYSTEM that
the farmer, also, viii know. There is
no doubt but what the farmer viii
raise tobacco of better quality when he
| is paid on a quality basis.
Another advantage of grading sys-
tenn as proposed by pool is the fact
that the grader will not know the
grower of the crop which he is called
upon to grade.
The POOL WILL SHOW NO .FA-
VORS AND WILL PAY FOR TO-
BACCO ON QUALITY BASIS, all
! the time being governed bv the law of