LOTS OF ^IIftS f/V BlISIISESi
Numbers To Rhythm ?
An Auctioneer's Chant I
"The chant of an auctioneer
is developed individually," the
tall, beefy man said. "Each
chant ia different, just like a
personality."
The man who spoke was
Kenneth Ray, tobacco auction
eer at the Mountain Burley
Warehouses for the past eight
consecutive seasons.
As he spoke in his easy-going
manner, the last sUcks of bur
ley were being carried off the
platform at one of the Boone
warehouses. "It was a pretty
good season thib year," he con
tinued. "Tobacco was off some
what this year, though, due to
an increase in acreage. But all
ia all, it was a good season."
Several seasons have passed
since he himself was a farm
boy working in the tobacco
fields near Tabor City. "I was
always around tobacco. I used
t+ listen to them auction the
tebacco off when I was a kid.
Later, I asked one of the ware
housemen if I could auction a
line of tobacco; they let me,
and I've been in the business
ever since."
His red cardigan sweater
blended with his blue pin-strip
ed shirt to mirror a collegiate
look in this college town as he
expounded on the art of auction
eering. "And it is an art," he
said. "There are lots of quirks
one must learn."
By quirks^ he was referring
t? the countless pauses, motions,
and mannerisms which are as
sociated with his profession.
"All that an auctioneer says
in his chant is numbers," the
darked skinned speaker said.
"He says numbers over and
over to a certain rhythm and
tune." Asked to go through his
chant slowly so that the young
hands of the Watauga Democrat
could copy the phrases on paper,
Ray said, "Who gimme sixty,
sixty one, sixty two, gimme six
ty three . . and so on.
The fundamentals of auction
eering, Ray said, are as follows:
One dollar to fifteen dollar bids
are quarter-dollar bids; fifteen
to twenty-five dollar bids are
half-dollar bids; the rest are dol
lar bids. l)t?
Whittling at a side board
with a small pocket knife, Ray
related that there are only
about 700 tobacco auctioneers
in the world. "It takes from
three to five years to become
capable of being a better auc
tioneer," he confided as his
blue-grey eyes stared intently
on the two-by-four in front of
KENNETH RAY
him.
A piece of wood shaving drop
ped to the auctioneer's left
shoe. Ray tapped his shoe
against the warehouse wall,
knocking the curl of wood from
its resting place.
"I like auctioneering because
it affords me the opportunity
to meet different people m diff
erent towns and to make friends
with them," he said between
meticulous strokes with the
sharp blade.
Turning to one side, the six
footer boasted, "No greater to
bacco is grown any place in the
world than right here in North
Carolina. This state is the larg
est grower of tobacco of any
state in the union. And we grow
the best."
Obviously well read on the
?object, Ray noted that the
'lOtlted States is the biggest ex
porter and importer of tobacco
in the world. Although North
Carolina raises some Turkish to
bacco, most of the blend is im
ported, he said.
"There are three main ways
of curing tobacco," Ray contin
ued. "Here in Boone and north
western North Carolina the
farmers air cure their tobacco.
This Is peculiar outside this
are*. In Florida, Georgia,
South Carolina, North Carolina,
Virginia, Canada, Southern Rho
desia, and South America the
tobacco is flu cured. The latter
is done with synthetic heat.
"And in Kentucky the farm
ers use the dark-fired or smoked
cure."
There are only three burley
markets in the state, according
to Bay. They are Boone, Ashe
ville, and West Jefferson.
"Boone is known as the Bur
ley belt," remarked the auction*
eer. "Greensboro is the old belt
and Tabor City is the border
belt."
Ray rambled through other
interesting facts such as the
auctioning of tobacco in Canada
and the preparation of the to
bacco for sale in Rhodesia.
"In Canada auctioning is* dab
by the clock system. The clock
system is a clock on the wall
which is set in motion at the
opening of the bidding. If it
begins at $70, say, it will tick
once, tjien drop to $60, tick
again, then drop to $68. Or it
might start at a point and go
up the scale. At any rate, the
first buyer to stop the clock
gets the ItMk of tobacco."
And in Southern Rhodesia, the
farmers bale their tobacco much
M Americans bale cotton here.
"Oh well, maybe that's not of
interest to ev?ryone," Ray
laughed, dropping his eyes in
? boyish grin.
The chanter doesnt spend all
hU time selling tobacco. When
he's "on the road" and when
aver possible, he travels back
and forth to his home in Tabor
City. That's a 297-mile trip one
way from Boone.
But, then, Hay has a lot to
travel home to ? six shining
faces.
Married to the former Miss
Mamie Porter of Union county,
Ray has five children. Ronald,
at 18, ia the oldest. He is a
freshman at Pembroke College
this year. Others are Roger. 16,
Mitchell, 13, -Gregory, 11, and
llobbin, 17.
Auctioning lasts about five
and a half to six -nonths each
year in the South, Ray said last
week. "During the off-season I
barber in Tabor City."
In addition to this, he is ac
tive in the Tabor City Baptist
Church where he ia a Sunday
School teacher, is a past presi
dent of the Jayrees, ia a mem
ber of Masonic Lodge number
663, is a member of the Rotary
Club, and is a past town com
missioner.
Bethel Senior
Club Meets
The Bethel Senior 4>H Club
met at Bethel School Friday
morning, January 11. with Lin
da Farthing presiding. The de
votional was given by James
Teeter.
W. C. Richardson, 4-H Club
leader, gave the boys instruc
tion on taking soil samples and
sending them to Raleigh for
testing. Mrs Martha Jenkins,
4 H leader for the girls, talked
to them on the selection of
fabrk, also on how to select
skiits and sweaters to match.
John David Farthing, report
' ?
Oae of the warehouse work
men, ? training his aged back aa
he pulled a cart of tobacco past
the auctioneer, cast a congenial
nod at the taller man. Ray,
who a moment before was paw
ing the floor with his right foot,
whirled and said, "Hay, looks
like you've got a load there!"
"Yep," came the reply. "And
there'll be more of hit next
year."
'See you then," Ray said as
he waved hi* broad hand and
stepped toward* the office
door. "See you then."
Growers Face
A Reduction Of
Burley Crop
? number of Watauga Coun
ty tobacco growers face a re
duction of their 1863 burley to
bacco allotment unless their j
marketing card* are returned to
the ASCS county office by Feb
ruary 11, 1863. Proper account
of the disposition of tobacco
produced on any farm is not
complete unlets the producer
carries out tbta part of the M
gulations.
No 1063 notice of allotment
will be mailed to any producer
un|l his marketing card has
been returned or proper dis
position of his crop has been
accounted for. This is one of
the responsibilities of growers
which should not be overlook
ed. Cards may either be brought
to the ASCS office or be mailed
by enclosing in an envelope ad- {
dresses to the Watauga ASC
County Committee, Box 331, |
Boone. N. C.
Berryhill
Riles Are Held
News has been received here
of the sudden death on Janu
ary ?th of Edward P. Berryhill,
?f Concord. Services were held
for Mr. Berryhill on January
1Mb.
Surviving him a& his widow,
one son, Donald, a former resi
dent of Boone, and one grand
son, Johnny, all of Concord.
TRADE AT HOME
The Original Critpy
(Formerly Parkside)
BLOWING ROCK ROAD
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" Celebrating Our 75 th Diamond Jubilee In ' 63 "