ANALYSIS OF TOBACCO GROWERS ASSOCIATION 



73 



State grader at the market at Lynchburg, Va., recently stated that 

 association members, on the average, sorted their tobacco better and 

 received higher average prices than farmers who had not belonged 

 to the association. 



Taking everything into consideration, the grading system adopted 

 by the association was one of the positive and useful contributions of 

 the association, and the officials of the association should be given 

 credit for this contribution. It demonstrated that the grading of 

 tobacco was feasible. The grading system met with the approval of 

 the War Finance Corporation and the Federal intermediate credit 

 bank and was used as the basis of financing both the green and 

 redried tobacco. 



A number of independent warehousemen and leaf dealers were 

 visited and their opinions asked regarding the association grading 

 system. The unaminous opinion was that on the whole the grading 

 system was satisfactory. This is borne out by the fact that several 

 of the largest tobacco companies purchased large quantities of tobacco 

 from the association and seemed pleased with the grading. On the 

 other hand one of the reasons advanced by the Imperial Tobacco 

 Co. for its refusal to buy tobacco from the association was that the 

 association grading was found to be unsatisfactory and unsuitable 

 for their requirements {12). 



Table 31 shows the attitude of the members toward the grading 

 by the association as brought out in the membership survey in answer 

 to the question : " Was your tobacco satisfactorily graded by the 

 association " ? 



REDRYING POLICIES 



Tobacco in the green state is subject to heating and deterioration 

 unless it is given constant care. To prevent tobacco from spoiling 

 it must be put through a conditioning process. All tobacco received 

 by the association which could not be sold within a few days after 

 delivery was immediately consigned to a redrying plant for condi- 

 tioning. It became the intention of the association after 1922 to 

 operate its own redrying plants, but the investment in warehouse 

 property was so heavy that it was considered best to allow private 

 redriers to redry the association tobacco in order to avoid the heavy 

 investment. The association hoped to own and operate its own redry- 

 ing plants at a later date. 



Table 31. — Replies to question, " Was your tobacco satisfactorily graded by the 



association? " 





Replies from members of— 



Reply 



Sun-cured 

 pool 



Dark-fired 

 pool 



Old-belt 

 pool 



Eastern 



Carolina 



pool 



South 



Carolina 



pool 



All pools 



Yes 



Number 

 27 

 3 



1 



Number 

 80 

 21 



1 



Number 



131 



63 



1 



Number 

 92 

 27 

 13 

 22 



Number 



110 



45 



5 



1 



Number 

 440 



No 



159 



Don't know 



21 





23 













Total 



31 



102 



195 



154 



161 



643 







