The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-20
FERTILE TOBACCO FIELDS
SEASONS CHOP PM0MIaEs TO BE
 BIGGEST EYEE HARyESTED.

of1,7o0 Pounds--Area Under Cultivation 11,o00 Acres, Producing b6,0O0 Cases- Outlook for Prices Better Than for Sev-
 cral Years Past-Crop Promises to be of Superb Qua1ity-Cuban Stock of Leaf Practically Exhausted. and This Year's Crop Small.
 Springfield Mass, Aug. 1S.-AIore | than half of the cigar leaf tobacco crop grown in the United States has been safely housed, and up to date returns to the New England Homestead war rant that paper in pronouncing 1t the highest uniform quality and largest yield per acre ever harvested. Returns to that journal show 2e,0Oo planters of this crop this year compared to 95,O0o in 1892, while about 6S,OOO acres l were devoted to cigar leaf this year compared to 100000 in 1892. This is ex- elusive of Florida, where considerable l interest in the crop has been shown and where leaf of particularly fine l quality has been produced by expert enced native and Cuban planters. If the new unharvested crop avera- ges in yield and quality with that al- ready cut it is expected that the crop will equal 225,o00 cases (350 pounds per easel The quality promises to be equal if not superior to that of the fa- nous 1892 crop which made over 300,0o0 cases. The proportion of the crop suit able for wrapper leaf promises to be- large.
 The average yield per acre runs from 800 pounds in Ohio to 1000 in Wiscon- sin, New York 1850; Pennsylvania, 1900; New England, 17OO. The total crop is some 30,000 cases less than in 1895, but with a favorable curing sea- son will average much better quality than either the 1893, 1894 or 1895 crops. l New England furnishes about 11,O00 acres this year, yielding 56,00O cases; New York, 4600 acres and 17,b00 cases; | Pennsylvania, 17,500 acres and 750O0 cases; Ohio, 19,000 acres and 4400O cases; Wisconsin, 10,500 acres and &C., 900 eases. These figures will be re- duced should hail, wind or frost in jure the unharvested crop. The out look for prices is better than for sev- eral years for old leaf because of the decreased supply and increased de- mand; for the years crop because Of | of paratively small amount
 The New England Homestead pre- sents an array of statistics showing the reduction in stocks of domestic cigar leaf of fine quality and also of imported wrapper leaf. Consumption is. on the increase, the taxes paid for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896 being on 4,23S millions cigars and 4.043 mil- lions cigarettes.
 l The cigar production is now nearly as
 large as four years ago, although 15
 per cent less than in the even year
 ended June, 1893; cigarette production increased 35 per cent. in four years, but
 does not consume much cigar leaf. | Cuban stock of old leaf is practically
 exhausted, and the crop this year and
 next must he small A large part of the wrapper leaf grown ill Sumatra has been unfit for this market, over 40 per cent. of imports of these wrappers hav- l ing been shipped back to Europe dur. | ing the past year as not suited to the American demand. While natural con.
 ditions of supply and demand thus in- | dicate better prices for the '95 crop.
 there is more uncertainty than usual,
 because of unusual conditions that now
 exist. For several months fine cigar | leaf tobacco has cost manufacturers
 from 10 to 25 per cent more than they
 paid for leaf of like quality g year ago,
 but, in spite of the shortage, dealers
 are cautious in contracting for the new l crop.
 l American Agriculturist is not able to
 report a single sale to date of the new
 crop, and finds a general tendency
 among dealers to wait until after the election. Owing to foreign competition
 the American wrapper crop Is very sus-
 ceptible to political results, as was
 shown by the fact that, whereas the 1 opening prices for the '92 crop in New England gave total value of $6,0G0
 900, prices rapidly declined after elec-
 ton, and farmers received hardly $2,- | 900, 900 for that crop.