The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-11-02
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BO0R SKETCHES.

NOl Il u Onh
A season of casing weather during the
week has furnished an opportunity for
groweres to remove portion of their
hanging tobacco from the poles. The
air was loaded with moisture for several
days duration and the warm tempera-
ture prevailing prevented the leaf to ab-
sorb a great deal of humidity and in
danger of getting in too high case. This
is a condition that dealers have most to
fear from in the taking down of the pres
ent crop, and one which it is we'll to
dwell upon until every grower is fully
aware the Importance of being on their
guard. 1t is not probable that any great
amount of tobacco has been taken down
as yet as most farmers are still busy
with other work, but enough has been
removed from the sheds to start the
work of stripping. 1t is we'll known that
tobacco removed from the poles early
cannot long remain in bulk safely with
out stripping. The stalks are yet green
and contain considerable moisture and
will surely stain the leaves if left long in
piles. The crop has so generally we'll
cured out that probably several of the
warehouses will be started in November
this year, which is an earlier date by
some weeks than the usual handling is
commenced in this state.
Xxx
The United States Tobacco Journal
has the following on the subject of early
buying, which is very seasonable reading:
What do you think of the rush of buy
ers in the rural tobacco districts? This
question has been put to us innumera BILE
times during the past two weeks. But
it is no new question. 1t is asked every
year about this time, though always ask
ed in tone of naive surprise, as If the
occurrence were novel, unheard of. For
that reason we have given up thinking
about it. thine was when we innocently
shared the surprise and wondered what
the deuce impels our packers to rush In
to the rural districts and load up with
another years crop, at Increased prices,
MiiIeIf the crop of the previous year was
still on their hands and could not be dis
posed of at much lower figure. If we
were to believe implicitly what we are
told we would have to answer the above
question with the statement that our
packers are the most unselfsh philan-
thropists alive; that they are not in
business to make livelihood for them
selves, not to speak of such sordid
motive as profits; but to enrich solely
the poor, oppressed tobacco growers.
For, if they would not take the green
crops off the farmers hands at this
time and at the prices asked, the latter
might be starving, which prospect would
lay heavily on the consciences of the
packers and disturb their peaceful slum-
bers. To escape their dreadful alterna-
tive they, the packers, prefer to impov-
erish themselves and to see with stoical
Indifference their capital dwindling
away from year to year. Of course, the
cynic might make fun of such philan-
thropy and grieve you by tossing at you
the stunning question: If these people
have lost money in their operation every
year for the past ten years, how, in the
name of common sense, can they have
anything left to buy even single acre
of tobacco, except every one OF them had
a fortune to squander of the size pos
sessed by the Astors and Vanderbilts
and Rockefellers? Why, then, do peo-
pie rush early in the fall into the rural
tobacco districts and contract for the
green crops at ever advancing figures?
The only adequate and common sense
answer would be, that after all there
must be more than living in such a
speculation. True, some do get caught
some times, as they undoubtedly did in
the '92 New England and Wisconsin
crops. But as rule the pretension of
losses seem to be overdrawn. The profit
ableness of early buying depends, like
other speculation, on the circumstances
stimulating them. In the case of the
leaf tobacco trade it depends on the
progress and advance of the cigar in
dustry prospers and makes rapid ad-
vances every year, the speculation of
early buying can hardly fail to be sue
cessful, because there will be an un-
doubted demand for the tobacco. 1t
was SO for the '9S crop; it is SO for the
'99 crop, and all the prospects point to
the same demand for the 1900 crop.
XIX
The following good advice about the
handling of tobacco from the shed is
from the Lancaster New Era:
We take occasion once more to speak
a word by way of advice to our farmer
friends. Do not be in a hurry to strip
your tobacco. There is plenty of time
between now and next January. The
hurry to put the crop on the market we
believe often results in damaged crops
later on. It is we'll to take no chances.
Let the tobacco cure thoroughly. Some
think there was so much damaged to-
bacco in last years crop because it was
bought SO early. After it was sold farm
ers were interested in turning it over to
the purchasers at the earliest possible
moment. There was early stripping and
the watering can was called in when the
goods were not ready for stripping, with
what results we all know. We can only
warn against these evils, as we have often