The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-11-25
Tobacco Growers Advised
To Use Care In Marketing
Right Way Means
Higher Grade
Better Price
BY join sTECK

Despite the handicap of re-
duced acreage and limited farm
allotmentS. tobacco growers can
realize more for their 1860 crop
with careful market preparations
and care Ill the use of water III
ordering leaf.
That is the advice of buyers,
Warehouscmen and Extension
Service specialists on the eve Of
Mondays opening Of auctions Of
the Virginia dark-fired and sun
cured crops.
Last year on the Farmvllle
Market, growers realized 81 $50.
100, the best money return since
the record 1856 crop, and the
chances are good for equal or
better money returns this season
if growers give serious at
tention to marketing methods the
buying trade wants and will pay
for.
Watch Water
For the second year. growers
will be penaliZed for excessive
use of water by losing support
price pegs on all leaf graded
Nv, or wet. The statistics show
excessive water cost growers last
season, since III some cases they
lost a much S4 to 50 a hum
dred pounds on support-less leaf
over what tobacco in the same
grades, but rot bearing the w"
stamp earned.
Here is what graders and FIX
tension Service advisers warn
about excessive water for 1860
marketing
The use Of the W. will be
applied the same as with the 1859
crop. Type u Standards state,
Any sound tobacco containing
excessive moisture 10 the extent
that it is in an ursafe OF doubtful
keeping order, VIII be DESIGNATED
wet. This means if it is bruised
OF in danger of brulsing or in
danger Of loslng It's natural
color, o. in danger Of damaging,
it will be graded ard the special
factor "W' Will be used and the
support price will be forfeited.
Extremely wet. dlscolored or
bruised tobacco Will be marked
No-G.'
Why Necessary
This approach to the moisture
problem USDA specialists say,
is necessary if Virginia growers
arc not to lose further to Ken
1tucky-Tennessee tobacco. which
does not require the ordering
that Virginia leaf does.
From 100 pounds Of warehouse
leaf, BUYERS get 90 pounds of
dried and packed leaf from Type
p Kentucky-Tennessee leaf. Viz
glnia leaf returns 81 pounds.
10 pounds less Of packed
and processed leaf for 100 pounds
Of warehouse tobacco. Industry is
sensitive to such cost problems.
and Virginia farmers must under
stand this that's the word
from the buying trade.
The advice OF correct moisture
IS stated thus The desirable or
def is lust enough moisture to
make the leaf pliable.
+. B. Reynolds. chief Of the
dark fired government grading
corps at FarmV willie. today
stressed also bulklng and. strip
ping practices calculated to put
a growers tobacco in the best
paying grades. Reynolds and G.
R. Mathews have advised thus:
AS soon as tobacco is thor
ougllly cured. with midrlbs dry.
All the crop may be safely put
into bulk the first good natural
season in November. Tobacco
that is bulked, without use Of
water, Will keep safely for sew
eral months, and this practice
has the advantages of improving
color and uniformity, preventing
loss of weight and texture. keeps
the order high and permits
earlier marketing while prices
may be at the peak.
Strip Carefully
Stripping also is important in
getting the best price. Reynolds
points out AS the stripping pro
cess begins, water should be used
very sparlngly; use only enough
10 keep the outside leaves from
crushing A point to remember
usually when the stems be
come soft. the tobacco is in dan
ser Of bruising or Staining.
H. sorting tobacco. remember
Inc age old custom Of keeping
each color uniformly together.
Mixing colors Will greatly reduce
grade value.
Reynolds cited as an example
The drop II grade price for good
medium brown thin leaf when II
Is mixed with other colors. For a
C3F grade. the support peg is
s48 a hundred. That same to-
bacco mixed gets a C3M grade
and the price drops to s34l
That is considerable loss, and it
can be avoided, Reynolds points
out.
X Grades Dropped
There is only one change in
the 1860 grades. The USDA has
Continued on page y