MARKETING TOBACCO. 269 



constructed shed, into which wagons with the loose to- 

 bacco are first driven. The floor of this shed is about three 

 feet lower than the floor of the warehouse. The tobacco 

 is taken from the wagon and placed in long piles on 

 trucks, with the heads outward and the tails in the cen- 

 ter. This loaded truck is then wheeled upon the plat- 

 form scales and weighed, after which it is taken to an 

 open floor space to which it is assigned, and the tobacco 

 skilfully dumped. A card bearing the warehouse num- 

 ber, weight of the pile and name of owner is fastened in 

 the cleft of a stick, which, in turn, is fixed in the top of 

 the pile of tobacco. As far as possible, the various 

 grades are kept separate. The tobacco is then ready 

 for the auction, and the owner, if bid prices are not sat- 

 isfactory, reserves the option of rejecting these, and may 

 subsequently sell privately or offer his tobacco at another 

 time at the same place publicly. 



The charges for handling loose tcbacco in this char- 

 acter are not burdensome. That for weighing each pile 

 is 10 to 15 cents ; the auction fee is at the rate of 10 to 

 15 cents per 100 pounds, and if the pile weighs more 

 than 100 pounds, a set figure of 25 cents. Finally, there 

 is a commission of two and one-half per cent on the 

 amount of sale, which goes to the warehouse. Immedi- 

 ately following the sale the tobacco is removed in large, 

 flat-bottom baskets, each holding 200 to 300 pounds. 



Sales of Prized or Inspected Leaf. Licensed ware- 

 houses for the sale of tobacco prized in hogsheads are 

 numerous throughout the heavy shipping and manufac- 

 turing districts, and are governed by certain wise restric- 

 tions under State laws. These are generally very rigid, 

 and properly require that everything shall be done by 

 the warehouseman to insure fair dealing between buyers 

 and sellers. It is the purpose of the law that these reg- 

 ulations will so cover every case as to make it unneces- 

 sary t<* carry disagreements to the courts. Provision is 



