﻿164 
  HisTOEY 
  OP 
  Durham. 
  

  

  pal 
  markets. 
  Driving 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  doorways 
  of 
  the 
  ware- 
  

   houses, 
  they 
  unload 
  their 
  crops 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  chissifica- 
  

   tions 
  they 
  have 
  made. 
  The 
  various 
  classes 
  or 
  piles 
  are 
  

   weighed 
  and 
  then 
  placed 
  in 
  order 
  along 
  the 
  long 
  floors 
  of 
  

   the 
  warehouse. 
  Some 
  piles 
  weigh 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  pounds 
  and 
  

   some 
  several 
  hundred 
  pounds, 
  but 
  on 
  each 
  pile 
  a 
  card 
  is 
  

   placed 
  bearing 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  warehouse, 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   pile, 
  the 
  farmer's 
  name, 
  the 
  price 
  the 
  pile 
  brings 
  when 
  sold, 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  pounds 
  and 
  the 
  buyer's 
  name, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  

   are 
  entered 
  in 
  the 
  warehousemen's 
  books. 
  

  

  The 
  expedition 
  with 
  which 
  sales 
  are 
  effected 
  in 
  the 
  ware- 
  

   houses 
  is 
  remarkable, 
  the 
  auctioneers 
  passing 
  from 
  pile 
  to 
  

   pile 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  bu3'ers, 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  almost 
  two 
  to 
  the 
  

   minute. 
  Thousands 
  of 
  pounds 
  of 
  tobacco 
  thus 
  change 
  

   hands 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes. 
  Farmers 
  can 
  reject 
  bids 
  when 
  the 
  

   prices 
  do 
  not 
  ecjual 
  their 
  expectations 
  without 
  charge, 
  and 
  

   obtain 
  free 
  storage 
  for 
  tobacco 
  withdrawn 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  again 
  

   offered 
  for 
  sale. 
  Immediately 
  at 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  sales, 
  

   the 
  sellers 
  or 
  farmers 
  receive 
  their 
  pay 
  from 
  the 
  warehouse- 
  

   men, 
  less 
  the 
  charges. 
  The 
  charges 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  10 
  cents 
  

   per 
  100 
  pounds 
  for 
  weighing, 
  and 
  10 
  cents 
  for 
  fractional 
  

   parts 
  of 
  100 
  pounds. 
  Auction 
  fees 
  are 
  25 
  cents 
  per 
  pile 
  for 
  

   piles 
  less 
  than 
  500 
  pounds, 
  and 
  50 
  cents 
  per 
  pile 
  for 
  piles 
  

   weighing 
  from 
  500 
  to 
  1,000 
  pounds, 
  and 
  $1 
  per 
  pile 
  for 
  piles 
  

   weighing 
  1,000 
  pounds 
  and 
  over. 
  Commissions 
  3 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   Brokerage 
  charges 
  are 
  75 
  cents 
  per 
  hundred 
  for 
  buying 
  and 
  

   packing, 
  and 
  2J 
  per 
  cent, 
  on 
  net 
  amount 
  of 
  bill, 
  which 
  is 
  

   equivalent 
  to 
  about 
  one 
  cent 
  a 
  pound. 
  The 
  cost 
  to 
  a 
  farmer 
  

   to 
  sell 
  his 
  tobacco 
  is 
  estimated 
  at 
  about 
  five 
  cents 
  a 
  pound, 
  

   ■which 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  item 
  considering 
  the 
  average 
  range 
  of 
  

   prices 
  he 
  receives. 
  

  

  Excepting 
  Sundays 
  and 
  the 
  holidays, 
  the 
  warehouses 
  in 
  

   Durham 
  are 
  open 
  for 
  business 
  every 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  year, 
  though 
  

   Mondays 
  and 
  Saturdays 
  are 
  regarded 
  as 
  easy 
  or 
  off-days. 
  

   When 
  the 
  auction 
  sales 
  are 
  concluded, 
  the 
  buyers 
  imme- 
  

   diately 
  convey 
  their 
  purchases 
  to 
  the 
  prizing 
  houses, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   leave 
  the 
  floors 
  of 
  the 
  warehouses 
  free 
  for 
  succeeding 
  daily 
  

   operations, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  these 
  establishments 
  that 
  the 
  real 
  

   work 
  of 
  preparing 
  the 
  tobacco 
  for 
  market 
  is 
  done. 
  There 
  

   every 
  leaf 
  and 
  bundle 
  is 
  examined, 
  graded 
  and 
  classified 
  

   according 
  to 
  a 
  precise 
  and 
  uniform 
  formula, 
  and 
  the 
  goods 
  

   are 
  packed 
  in 
  tierces 
  and 
  hogsheads, 
  ready 
  for 
  shipment 
  

   wherever 
  wanted. 
  

  

  