- 2 - 



Table 2, — Volume and value of piupchases and sales at Maryland looseleaf tobacco auctions, 1955 



season 



lype of sale : 



Volume 



: Price 



: Value 



Total sales. • 



1,000 pounds 



U3,007 



37,19U 



5,813 



Dollars per cwt, 

 U0.02 

 39.53 

 U3.19 



1,000 dollars 

 17,212 



Npt sales ................. : 



Hi, 702 

 2,510 



Resales 



Packers' purchases 



Packers' resales 



37,052 

 139 



hi. 20 

 39.)t6 



15,266 



Net packers' p-urchases.. 



36,913 



Ul.21 



15,211 



Warehouse purchases ]/...» 

 Warehouse resales 3/7 



3,188 

 3,171 



35.59 

 li3.U9 



1,135 

 1,379 



Difference 



2/ 17 



7.90 



2Ldi 



Speculators' p\irchases.. ., 

 Speculators' resales. ..... 



2,767 

 2,503 



29.31 

 U2.99 



811 

 1,076 





2/ 26U 



13.63 



265 







Source: The data on purchases and sales for the 195U crop were made available by the tobacco 

 auction warehouses in the several markets through the cooperation of the Ilaryland Tobacco Author- 

 ity. 



3/ Includes pickups, lost tickets, and tobacco returned from packers, 



2/ About 80,000 pounds lost in handling and 200,000 poimds sold direct to packers or held over 

 until 1956. 



PRICES LOI'JER IN 1955 



Maryland tobacco has not shared in the increased demand for cigarette tobacco to the extent 

 that flue-cured and bur ley have. 1/ Production of Maryland tobacco since 19 U9 has averaged UO 

 million pounds, but total disappearance has averaged only a little over 36 million pounds. Domes- 

 tic use for the past 5 years has averaged under 

 29 million pounds, and exports have averaged 

 less than 8 million pounds. The difference 

 between production and use has increased stocks 

 from 60 million pounds on October 1, 1950, to 

 8I4. million pounds on October 1, 1955, the high- 

 est on record — 11 million of this is in govern- 

 ment loan stocks. 



The 1953 crop, which brought 5U cents a 

 pound, was supported under the Federal loan pro- 

 gram, as were the 19 U9 and 1950 crops. Of the 

 UO million pounds produced in 1953, 33 millions 

 went directly to users on the I'laryland markets, 

 About 7 millions were placed imder Government 

 loan. The 195U crop brought slightly less than 



2/ Maryland Experiment Station Bui, U5l, 

 p, 31. The Station also made available unpub- 

 lished studies of supply and danand as they af- 

 fected the price of Maryland tobacco. 



Figojre 2*— A uniform hand of good quality 

 Maryland leaf. 



