Evening star., 1936-05-10
MARYLAND TOBACCO LOSS
INWORLD MARKET HEAVY
Methods of Parking, Shipping and Buy.
ing Source of Complaint From
France and Other Countries.

WIN representative proQucer ofganl.
cations of the State. But there the
matter probably will rest unless dire
economic needs compel the Baltimore
dealers. who completely monopolize
the Maryland tobacco market, to read
the warning and adopt remedial
measures.
The situation is set forth in q Uni
crsity Of Maryland extension bulletin:
Baltimore Is the market for all
Maryland tobacco. The commission
merchants who represent the pro-
ducers, the buyers, the State inspec-
tors, the storage facilities, all are To-
Gated at that point. The practices of
pricing tobacco on the farm and de-
livering it to central market for
auction in the. form of closed bids is
peculiar to Maryland and has no
counterpart elsewhere in the United
States. It represents a system that
has developed through many gener-
ations and has led to practices that
have undermined the demand for
Maryland tobacco and which, if not
remedied. may be expected to operate
further to the detriment of Maryland
growers. This constitutes the central
problem ="
Maryland is a State of small farms.
Only 7 per cent of the tobacco-grow-
ing areas exceed 20 acres. Over a
hve-year average 38.5 per cent of the
farms were between 6 and 10 acres.
There are l,l44 growers in the State
ana ~ per cent of these plant under
three acres of tobacco. AS a conse-
quence. their losses through a dwin-
ding foreign trade have been seri.
GUS for the little men.
Many enterprising MARYLAND grow.
ers have chafed Under these condi-
uons, realizing the discrimination
against their products which such
practices have raised at home and
abroad.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore market
Will accept only the standard tvpe
hogshead and growers who may wish
10 ship in smaller bulk or in bales.
which would end many of the pres
ent complaints, are powerless to do.
Machinery Change Would Be Needed.
1t Is impractical, from the viewpoint
OF the Baltimore officials, to pack leaf
IN smaller, or half-sized, hogshead
lots. All the machinery used in max
ing 1t possible for samples to be
plucked for grading at the warehouse
Is QUILT Tor the standard size hogs
head and any change, it was said.
would neceSsitate installation of new
machinery.
The hogsheads are packed on the
1arm. Sometimes small grower has
not enough leaf of one grade to fill
the 600 or 700 pound container. and
often several grades of tobacco are
mixed.
Inc excellent reputation a great ma
Jor1ty OF the growers have for skillful
packing is not sufficient to overcome
the Ill effect of the poor, occasionally
actually dishonest packing on the part
OF less scrupulous growers This
method includes the mixing of various
grades In the same hogshead, whether
Que to ignorance or design, and the
packing OF foreign matter with the to-
pacco. even an occasional stone.
coupled with this method of false
weighing is the practice of oyersam-
pnng, by which is meant the deliberate
selection of the best hand of tobacco
from each draw to represent the hogs
head and the plucking of inferior
leaves to still further raise the sample.
Since most of the defects are due
to the small size of the individual
crops. officials point out it would ben
eflt such farmers by Cooperating tn
the extent OF pooling their interests for
packing. If five or ten farmers brought
their crops of three to four hogsheads
10 single asserting floor and packed
them carefully it would remedy much
OF the complaints against mixed
grades. They would also be in a posi-
ton to demand better prices.
The drought ruined the MARYLAND
crop in 1880; the 1881 crop was fair:
the 1882 crop was the best crop during
recent years; the 1888 crop was dam
aged by heavy rains in August and
the same thing happened in September
oi 1854. There were thousands of
nogsheads of common tobacco stored
IN Baltimore which no one wanted and
which finally were sold to the British
Co. for making cheap Gig
arettes.
While Maryland tobacco before the
war was sold for Is to 16 cents a
pound, some fancy grades in recent
years brought as high as 63 cents. and |
me top price in 1884 was 571h cents
Most OF the 1884 crop, however. sold
1t price far below the actual cost |
II production.
some relief may possibly come
through the reciprocal trade agree |
nents which the State Department is
Regulating with foreign countries
nat are large purchasers of American
,obacco.
Hull Tells of Efforts.
secretary of State Hull pointed this
,ut in his recent communication on
ne situation in Maryland.
OF course" he said. "s = the
cope and extent of the concessions we
ire able to obtain from foreign coun-
ries in trade agreement negotiations
related to the scope and extent of
ne concessions which we are in a
'ositlon to offer ir return"
The first step for the MARYLAND
'rooucers to take. Government off,
ials apparently agree unanimouslv
GEMS to be to discard their present
practices. which slowly but
urely are strangling the export trade
q Maryland leaf.
LIsls N II L