a CIRCULAR 249, U. § DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
the samples from the solid mass of a hogshead, breaks ' were made at 
two to. four places and the samples were drawn and laid on top for the 
inspection of buyers. The hogsheads were then recoopered and the 
tobacco was sold either at open or closed-bid auction. The method of 
“breaking” for the withdrawal of samples is shown in figure 35. This 
was the earliest form of tobacco auction market and came into exist- 
ence about 1810 as an outgrowth of the colonial procedure of selling 
BPI 124 
Figure 35.—Method by which samples of tobacco are withdrawn after removing 
the cask. This photograph was made in Louisville, Ky., more than 25 years 
ago when that city was an important hogshead market. A similar method of 
sampling prevails in Baltimore. 
tobacco at public warehouses on the basis of negotiable neveipts and 
inspections by public officers (4, 23). 
Open-auction hogshead markets flourished in Virginia, North Car- 
olina, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They were few in number as 
compared with the loose-leaf auction markets that have taken their 
place. As it was necessary to transport tobacco over long distances 
for sale, prizing was expedient. Louisville, Ky., was the most im- 
portant of the hogshead markets and was at one time the largest 
tobacco market in the world, establishing records for volume of tobacco 
handled that have not been equaled by any loose-leaf market. This 
was the last market of its kind to surrender to the newer sales method 
(the loose-leaf auction), which occurred during the winter of 1929-30. 
10 The term ‘“‘breaks’’ remains as a part of tobacco-market terminology, although the practice by which it 
arose has disappeared from farmers’ markets except at Baltimore. A common expression at loose-leaf mar- 
kets is ‘‘Blank pounds of tobacco went over the breaks today,’ or ‘‘They had a good break of tobacco 
today.”’ 
