VIRGINIA SUN-CURED TOBACCO. 93 
duced here and there in the eastern portion of the dark-fired and 
flue-cured districts of Virginia (mostly in the section from Clarks- 
ville, in Mecklenburg County, to Petersburg), and also in the Wins- 
ton Salem section of the flue-cured district in North Carolina. The 
production is now confined principally, however, to the counties 
near Richmond on the north side of the James River, distributed 
approximately as shown in Table XX VI. 
TaBLE XX VI.—Estimated annual production of ‘‘“Sun-Cured’’ tobacco in Virginia, 
distributed by counties. 
Counties. Pounds. Counties. Pounds. 
Caroline Se se ee ya Sete ns ke Bo OOO. OOO) | NelMhonyenaiorya soko Uk Ne aoe eee ae 500, 000 
VO OYRUNG FEY ie renege ae cI Nae a ae 2,500, 000 Ouovere' Coolio es yon ee 750, 000 
IEEE RAYO NEP At Sic SS Sloe Se Ie See eae 2,000, 000 ———__—_——_. 
Goochilandey hee = esas sree ee ee 1, 250, 000 IDLO LSA sh he eer ee a es Soe 10, 000, 000 
PRICES AND GRADES. 
The popularity and demand for “‘Sun-Cured”’ tobacco has seemed 
to be increasing for the past few years, and it has brought fairly good 
prices—in recent years usually a little above the average for the 
dark-fired district of Virginia. The average prices obtained by 
farmers in the five-year period 1905 to 1909 has been from 8 to 10 
cents a pound. Some crops, of course, average very much more, 
sometimes double these figures, and good plug wrappers frequently 
bring from 25 to 40 cents a pound, although of course these highest 
erades constitute but a small percentage of the crop. Under the 
influence of better prices the acreage of ‘‘Sun-Cured”’ tobacco in 
recent years has tended to increase somewhat, and the crops of 
1909 and 1910 were probably close to 10,000,000 pounds each year. 
At the State fair held at Richmond, Va., in October, 1910, members 
of the Richmond tobacco trade offered special premiums for the 
best samples of sweet air-cured tobacco produced in several new 
sections as well as in the regular Sun-Cured territory itself, with the 
purpose of increasing the production. Actual future expansion will 
probably depend more upon prices paid than on any other factor. 
In assorting ‘‘Sun-Cured”’ tobacco, farmers generally make fewer 
erades than with other Virginia types—often but two grades, classed 
as leaf and lugs—unless there are wrappers present in sufficient 
quantity to make it worth while to pick them out. From the 
buyer’s standpoint the important grades are fillers and wrappers 
of varying character and value. ‘‘Sun-Cured”’ tobacco is practically 
all marketed loose through the auction warehouses at Richmond. 
The Sun-Cured manufacturing district of Virginia is outlined on 
the map (PI. I, in pocket). 
244 
