Markets are situated in towns or cities in growing areas where one or 

 more warehouses sell tobacco at auction. There are 898 warehouses at the 176 

 auction markets in the United States (1971). The largest market has 28 ware- 

 houses, and some of the smaller markets have only one. They are located in 12 

 states and sell 13 types of tobacco, as shown in the following table. 



Tobacco auction markets and warehouses, by States and classes 

 in the United States, 1971-72 season 





; Flue 



-cured 



: Li 

 : air- 



ght 

 cured — ' 



Fire 



-cured 



Dark 

 air-cured 



Total 



State 



: (5 



types) 



: (2 types) 



(3 



types) 



(3 



types) 



(13 



types) 





Mar- 



Ware- 



: Mar- 



Ware- 



Mar- 



Ware- 



Mar- 



Ware- 



Mar- 



Ware- 





kets 



houses 



: kets 



houses 



kets 



houses 



kets 



houses 



kets 



houses 











Mil m 



b e r 

 3 













Va. 



10 



44 



3 



19 



7 



1 



1 



17 



71 



N.C. 



45 



224 



3 



13 











48 



237 



s.c. 



11 



47 















11 



47 



Ga. 



23 



97 















23 



97 



Fla. 



5 



18 















5 



18 



Md. 







4 



14 











4 



14 



Ky. 







30 



228 



3 



11 



7 



32 



40 



271 



Tenn. 







20 



108 



2 



14 



1 



5 



23 



127 



W. Va. 







1 



2 











1 



2 



Ohio 







1 



4 











1 



4 



Ind. 







2 



4 











2 



4 



Mo. : 







1 



3 











1 



3 



Total 



94 430 65 395 8 32 9 1ft 



Maryland type, Maryland only; Burley, all other States 



T76 895" 



1/ 



Warehouse construction . The auction warehouse is designed for the pur- 

 pose of providing proper and uniform marketing conditions for the display and 

 sale of farmers' tobacco. An important factor in warehouse construction is 

 the provision for lighting. U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations re- 

 quire that the tobacco be classed and graded under "proper light for correct 

 determination of grade or other characteristics of tobacco." Natural daylight 

 has always been regarded as the proper source of lighting, and the type of 

 building that provides such natural lighting is so distinctive that an auction 

 warehouse can be instantly recognized. The low roof, studded with sky-lights, 

 identifies it at once. Artificial lights have been developed, which are sat- 

 isfactory for grading and classing, and it is possible that such lighting may 

 replace natural lighting to some extent in the future, particularly when new 

 warehouses are being built. 



Some of the largest buildings have an area as large as seven acres and 

 can display as many as 7,000 baskets of tobacco at one time. However, the 

 average warehouse is not this large. The floor is made of heavy planking, 

 concrete, or asphalt with a driveway down one or both sides, and, in some 

 of the larger buildings, also down the middle. These driveways arc usually 

 below the floor level for the convenience of farmers in unloading the tobacco 

 onto the floor, and buyers in loading it out after the sale. 



- 29 



