31 



As already shown, the tobacco will cost the large grower, delivered 

 at the packing houses, at least 18 cents per pound. This by no means 

 ends the cost. The present methods of fermenting, assorting, classify- 

 ing, and baling cost from 6 to 8 cents per i)ound, including cost of 

 material, interest on money, insurance, etc. The tobacco will sustain 

 a shrinkage in this process of work of at least 10 per cent, and often 

 the shrinkage will reach 20 per cent from the time of delivery to the 

 packing house to the time the tobacco is marketed, so that the final 

 cost of the tobacco at the time of marketing can be estimated to be 

 from 30 to 32 cents per pound. The following is about the result of an 

 average Florida packing: Of a lot of 100,000 pounds there will be about 

 10 per cent first wrappers, 35 per cent second wrappers, 40 per cent of 

 good clean tillers, and 15 per cent of trash and waste; or 10,000 pounds 

 of first wrappers, 35,000 pounds of second wrappers, 40,000 jDounds of 

 tiller, making in all 85,000 pounds, with a loss of 15,000 i^ounds. The 

 point of interest now is. How can the per cent of upper-grade goods be 

 increased? This must be solved by continuous experiments along the 

 line from seed bed to bale. 



