The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-05-26
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

of the 99 tobacco crop promises to oe
delayed beyond the usual time for trans
planting in this state. The season was
late in starting the plant beds and while
the conditions were favorable Tor a
quick starting of the seed, the two weeks
of cool weather that followed has kept
the growth slow and backward. An
abundance of plants are reported where
the beds were protected by canvass and
plenty of rain has maintained steady
growing, but what is most needed now IS
warm, rapid growing weather. SO much
bad weather has delayed the growers in
their other farm work so that but little
if anything has yet been done towards
preparing their tobacco fields. However,
a few days of the right kind of weather
makes some remarkable advances In the
plant beds and if rains are not frequent
enough the growers can hustle the plants
by applying liquid fertilizers and keep
ing them properly sprinkled. The next
three weeks will determine whether the
new crop goes out under satisfactory
conditions or not and the weather con-
ditions must in all respects be favorable
to that result or the planting season will
be much delayed over the usual time in
this state. At best but few fields can be
transpIanted before June 10Th.
Xxx
The Lancaster New Era thus discusses
the probable effect the trusts will have
upon the growing interests:
It has been asked what effect the
various tobacco trusts which have been
organized of late will have upon the
general trade. The question is hard to
answer. Some pretend to believe that
| the grower and packer, as they now eX-
| list among us, will be crushed. This,
however. is more suppositional than ap-
parent. It is not likely that the trusts
| will enter the field and buy up tobacco
at their own price. There is nothing to
prevent packer from doing the same,
and pay any price he chooses. There is
nothing to prevent thousands OF cigar
makers from buying direct from the
growers, as many of them now do They
will be able to make cigars as cheaply as
combines, and more cheaply, too, as they
are certain to find purchasers for their
goods wherever they take them. Unless
all packers should 60 into some trust, or
combine, we cannot see why they Will
not be able to buy and pack and sell just
as they now do. Suppose, however, that
such combine could be arranged to die
tate prices for raw leaf to every tobacco
grower in the land, and that prices
should be lower than the cost of pro-
duction, the first result would be that
the cigar-leaf product would at once fall
below the requirements of the country,
and only better and remunerative prices
again set the tobacco farmers to work.
It is no easy thing for trust, or half
dozen of them, to kill or crush an in
dustry that ramifies into dozen States
and engages more than 10000 individuals.
A trust can successfully deal with half
a-dozen concerns, or even hundred, but
it is very difficult thing to deal with
thousands. Then, again, to crush the
grower by offering low prices, and there
by stopping production, is to crush the
trusts themselves. Ii the growers go
out of business the trusts must certainly
follow. It seems to us as if the danger
has been greatly magnified.
TX
A convention of all persons interested
in the cigar leaf tobacco industry was
held at Philadelphia Monday and Tues
day. The object is to form a national
organization, permanent in character, OF
packers, iobbers, dealers and others in
terested in cigar leaf tobacco. The re-
cent rulings of the internal revenue de-
partment are given as the cause of the
uprising.
The use of Cuban tobacco appears to
be greatly on the increase.
Please note the constant increase in
quantity. The Weyler edict of 1896
stopping expectation from the island
caused our imports to assume enormous
proportions during 1896. After the
edict went into effect our imports at
once dropped almost into insignificance,
but with the closing of the war and
planters again resuming work, imports
of considerable quantity may be looked
for this year.
***
The tobacco industry of the country
certainly pays all, if not more than it's
rightful share of taxes, to keep Uncle
Sam on his feet, even while engaged in
warefare By the table below, the to-
bacco industry paid internal revenue
taxes during the first three months of
1899 of S13, ,155, 500. The taxes paid dur
ing January, February and March, 1898,
on tobacco amounted to S8,216,O70, or
difference of nearly S5,0OO.0OO. There
has been a considerable falling off of
taxes paid and therefore output of ciga-
rettes, the past nine months, at one time
over 100000 taxes being paid. While
stocks of leaf tobacco on hand are greatly
reduced, and especially of all the best
grades from whatever section, yet the
large output continues and is likely to
do so in the future, whether the quality
of same be good or bad.