The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-09-08
THE
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

is yet standing in the fields is novel
experience with Wicconsin growers and
something that has not occurred In the
past 20 years. But the eagerness of
certain buyers to break the record has
precipitated as lively an opening cam
paign as the state has ever witnessed.
Vernon county was the section where
operations began where the presence OF
a few outside buyers caused the local
dealers to rally their forces and the
county was pretty thoroughly canvassed
within the next few days. The effort
appears to have been not so much to
buy tobacco as to prevent the other fel-
lows from making contracts. Possibly
300 or 400 acres have been actually con
tracted for in that section, ranging from
10 cents down in price Some buying
has also been done in northern Dane
county and about Oxford and Albany
sections The buying of tobacco in its
green state can seldom be defended as
good business proposition either for the
buyer or seller. The contracts gener
ally contain stringent provision concern
ing the delivery and the dealers have
plenty of loop holes to escape receiving
the goods unless they come up to ex-
pectations. Such trades amount to but
little more than engaging the crop and
prossibly that may be the intent of buy
ing at time when neither the character
or quality of the leaf can be foretold
Xxx
The sending of Mr.. n P. Strauss into
the state to open headquarters for buy
ing of leaf for the American Tobacco Co.,
adds new element to the market the
coming season. Just what effect it will
have upon business is uncertain until
| the plans and movements of the big
trust is unfolded. 1t has been antici
pated for some time that the A. T. Co.
would eventually enter the field and pur
chase the enormous quantities consumed
| by them from first hands. However, up
| to the present time, their needs have
been largely of low grades which they
| could seemingly gather up much more
easily from packers who would otherwise
seek an export market. So long as the
| larger portion of their purchases are con-
fined to the low grades the average
packer will not feel disturbed by their
| presence in the market. Mr.. Strauss
has been looking through the market
points during the week with a view of
locating buying station and possibly
may conclude to establish headquarters
at Madison although the matter is not
entirely settled. 1t is no ways probable
that the handling of such enormous
quantities of leaf which the trust needs
will be confined to any one market but
rather scattered over the various ware
house points in the growing section.
Xxx
There is no class of information which
the daily press aims to impart, where
the average writer falls down SO COM
pletely as when he seeks to instruct the
public upon tobacco topics. Here is
where they plunge into deep water i'm
mediately and foundering about dish up
stuff that is neither facts or even in
telligent fancy. More misinformation is
sent abroad on the subject of tobacco by
the secular press than any other method
we can call to mind. What brings this
matter freshly to mind is an article pub
lished in last Sundays Milwaukee Sen
tinel claiming to give sketch of Wis
consin tobacco growing but containing a
mass of swash that would make even a
dray horse who has done service in the
tobacco towns smile audibly. A quota
tion or so will suffice to show the kind of |
"stuff" inflicted upon the public under |
the guise of news:
"The reason why the veins are so thick !
in Wisconsin tobacco is that the growers |
do not pick the suckers soon enough and |
not enough care is taken in topping the |
mature plants
"Some tobacco raised in Wisconsin has |
assumed almost fabulous worth. What |
could be secured of the famous '88 crop |
outbid Sumatra and the remains of the |
'93 and "a crop threaten to do likewise.
These crops were thought to be worth
little or nothing at the time of cutting, |
as they were raised during periods of |
drouth, but in curing in the cases they |
have turned out so fancy that most of |
this tobacco has been exported, only to
be imported again to make America |
finest cigars.
"a recent shipment OF So cases of Wis
consin tobacco direct from Madison to
Bremen speaks of its railway facilities as |
a tobacco shipping center. And the |
Bremen importer has just duplicated his |
order for 1897
Think of it, an So case lot exported
from Madison! Every other tobacco
shipping point in the state sends thous-
ands of cases every year to export and it !
is not considered wonderful either,
merely an incident of the trade. Such |