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The man is covering the flowers of selected plants with paper bags, to make sure that they will fertilize themselves and thus insure a crop of seed for planting.

in particular, and do not read the newspapers. A smooth-talking buyer, representing the Trust, comes along, looks at the contents of the barn, and says: "I'm sorry tobacco is so low this year. More of it has been grown than people want to buy. On that account I can't pay you anything like what your crop ought to be worth. But I'll tell you what I will do -I'll give you five cents

a pound for the whole. lot."

There are likely to be half-a-dozen different grades of tobacco in the barn, and this is about the value of the lowest grade. Having no pros-. pect of getting a better price, the planter accepts the offer, and thus the Trust obtains possession of the entire lot for something like half of what it is really worth. Obviously this means starvation for the grower; but sentimental considerations of such a kind cannot be regarded

by the monopoly, from whose point of view the matter is simply one of business. It is inevitable, however, that the pursuit of such a policy should in the long run drive a large percentage of the producers to abandon tobacco culture altogether.

Such were the conditions which gave rise to the great strike, which is even now in progress in what is called the "dark tobacco district" of Kentucky and Tennessee. If the growing of tobacco was not to be abandoned altogether, it was necessary to fight. Accordingly, fifty men met in consultation, and, by circular letters and other means, called a mass-meeting of planters, which was held at Guthrie, Ky., September 24, 1903. As already stated, six thousand of them were present, and the Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association was formally organized. A charter, thereupon, was taken out under the laws of Kentucky, and a representative was appointed on the Executive Board from each county in the district.

To-day the Association has ten thousand members. It began without a hogs

head of tobacco; within one year it controlled nearly 24,000 hogsheads. But of what use was this great stock on hand if it could not be sold. None worth mentioning, certainly. And it was obvious that no independent buyer would dare to purchase it, because, if he did so, he could not possibly sell it at a profit. As for the three great buying systems, notification

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BLOSSOMS OF THE TOBACCO PLANT.

was quietly conveyed to the Association. that none of them would touch its goods under any circumstances.

The Italian Purchasing System declared that it was obliged to buy from the planters direct, because otherwise the tobacco would not be sorted and packed suitably to its requirements. It was a plausible argument. For it should be understood that a single field may produce in one crop tobacco of half-a-dozen different qualities, adapted for export to as many different countries. Our tobacco goes to Canada, to Germany, to France, to Italy, to Spain, to Portugal, and elsewhere, and each country must have a special kind and quality. In a grower's barn, more or less mixed together, may be a number of grades, which have to be carefully assorted before they can be put on the market.

The ordinary planter knows nothing about such matters. To sort and pack his crop so that each grade shall be in a hogshead by itself, demands the skill of an expert professional handler. For this reason, as said above, the argument

of the Italian System was plausible enough. But, when the Association employed first-class experts to handle and pack its tobacco, the Trust people said: "It matters not; we shall never buy a hogshead of your goods."

For a while things looked rather black for the planters. Many there were who had little faith in the movement; they had known of other farmers' organizations which had failed. The Association had no money, and the Octopus was so powerful that one could hardly see how it could do otherwise than win. But at just about this time one public-spirited tobacco-grower, a man of some means, came forward and gave to the movement a substantial financial backing. He employed speakers to talk at public meetings in rural centers, and sent out circular letters by the tens of thousands. In short, through his efforts, the organization was so far solidified that it began to be evident that there was going to be a strong fight.

This substantial citizen went to fifty banks in the district, and to each one he said: "Would you be willing to advance a reasonable sum of money on a hogshead of tobacco, stored in a safe place.

and insured?" With two exceptions, they replied in the affirmative. In this way, means were found for borrowing cash on a considerable scale, in order that the growers might not starve while waiting for the market, which, in the opinion of the leaders of the movement, must necessarily arrive if they could only hold on long enough.

By this time the Trust was really alarmed, and, perceiving that no effort was to be spared in crushing an organization so dangerous to its private interests, it inaugurated an absolute boycott against the Association. The result was that nobody wanted the tobacco which the Association controlled; everybody was afraid of it, and, in effect, it was an unsalable product. For four or five months of what ought to have been the busiest selling time of the year (1905), practically none of it was sold.

Many of the planters began to think that they were making a hopeless fight -a feeling which was encouraged by emissaries of the Octopus, who assured them that the monopoly did not really care whether it bought any tobacco or not, inasmuch as it had an ample supply on hand for a long period ahead. But

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the Association told its members to hold fast; and, sure enough, after a while the Trust, which had been bluffing so hard, was obliged to weaken, finding itself compelled, whether it would or not, to purchase some of the tobacco held by the growers' organization. The Italian Government ran short, and was obliged to buy a considerable quantity; later on more was sold, and again more, until today, out of nearly 24,000 hogsheads, less than fifty remain on hand.

This was the crop of the year 1904. The crop of 1906 is not yet packed, the planters being now engaged in delivering it to the "prizing houses," where it is sorted and put into the hogsheads. Of the latter crop the Association, it is ex-. pected, will have under its control, in Kentucky and Tennessee, not less than 40,000 hogsheads. For the organization has been largely increasing its territory and membership; and only a few months ago it acquired additional strength by absorbing the Dark Tobacco Assocation of Virginia. When a little more territory in Kentucky has been brought in, together with a small part of Maryland which raises export tobacco, the whole of the region that produces this kind of weed will be embraced in the movement.

The Association now controls 150 prizing houses, each one of which is obliged

to enter into a contract, secured by bond of $5,000 to $10,000, guaranteeing that the packing shall be honestly and skilfully done. Men employed for the purpose go from one prizing house to another during the prizing season, to see that the work is properly executed, and, if not, to admonish and warn. The organization is not satisfied to provide or inflict penalties; it must be sure that none of its tobacco that is not up to standard in all respects shall be put upon the market. Accordingly, it employs bonded inspectors, who examine the product and make sure that the labels on the hogsheads correctly describe the contents.

The tobacco is finally put away in the storehouses. But, as was not the case under the old system, the product is sold by officers regularly appointed for that purpose-officers, that is to say, of the Association. And, by an expert system of classifying, the buyer is enabled to ascertain exactly where he can find the kind and quality of goods he requiresso many hogsheads in Warehouse A, so many in Warehouse K, and so on. Naturally, this arrangement greatly facilitates operations.

So far the Association seems to be winning. It does not wish to crush the Trust, but merely to place itself on such a basis that it shall be able to deal with

the combination on equal terms. The planters, in a word, are no longer to be at the mercy of the Octopus. And, as a measure of self-protection, the organization will in future require the Trust to make its purchases in bulk-the idea being that if it were allowed to do otherwise, it would purchase a small quantity here, another small quantity there, and so on, until all track would be lost of what it had bought. Under such circumstances it might quietly accumulate a stock of tobacco so large as to render it temporarily independent of the growers—a situation which would be disadvantageous to the latter.

Under the new system, the sales are so concentrated that the planter is at all times fully acquainted with such dealings in the commodity as have occurred, and thus cannot be misled as to the real value of his product. He himself does not know how to handle and classify his crop, owing to which fact he has not hitherto been on equal terms with the

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING HEAVIER (SUPERIOR) TOBACCO SEED FROM THE LIGHT SEED.

Seed is in lower part of glass tube. Operating the bellows throws the lighter seed out at the top.

large buyers, who employ experts; but, as matters are now arranged, he escapes this disadvantage, because such buyers are compelled to make their purchases through the Association.

The planters, some time ago, appealed to President Roosevelt for help in their fight against the monopoly. He responded with enthusiasm; and for two years past the Department of Justice has been trying to get at the Trust, employing skilful lawyers for the purpose, but as yet without very satisfactory results. It is perfectly well known that an agreement exists by which the American Tobacco Company, the Imperial Tobacco Company, and the Italian Purchasing System act together, but the difficulty is to prove the fact. If it could be proved, the combination might be broken up by process of law.

Meanwhile the Association has been trying to persuade Congress to release the planters from the tax of six cents a pound which is levied on all leaf tobacco that the grower sells otherwise than personally and directly to the buyer. This means that he must himself hand it out and receive the money for it; he cannot depute the duty to an employee, or even to his own wife. Now, it is urged that no other agricultural product in this country is taxed; so why should not this burden be lifted from the shoulders of the struggling tobacco farmer? As a matter of fact, it ought to be removed, and the House of Representatives has already passed a bill to such an effect. The President would undoubtedly sign it, but the Senate balks, opponents of the measure taking the ground that it would reduce the revenues of the Government. Trust influences, as everybody knows, are strong in the Senate.

Nearly all of the "herb nicotian" that we export is dark tobacco, which is greatly preferred by Europeans, containing more nicotine, and being proportionately stronger. Most people in this country like the "bright" tobacco, the growers of which, it may be said, are crowded quite as hard by the Trust as the planters of the export weed, like methods being employed to drive out independent buyers. When a condition of things is reached where there are many thousands of producers and only one buyer, the Octopus occupying that exclusive position, the situation is so far perfected as to swell the money-bags of the monopoly to the utmost practicable point.

The bright tobacco growers are them

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