The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-10-26
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOB. SKETCHES.
Edgerton,

The common stra paper which is IN
most general use to cover bundle tobac-
co is getting into disrapute with the
packers. The paper is made SO cheap
and slazy that it scarcely answers the
purpose it was intended and the call is
for better wrapping for the protection
of bundle tobacco. The question is often
discussed if it would not be to the ad-
vantage of all concerned if better quail
ity of wrapping was used. The general
practice is for packers to pay for the pa
per at the cost rprice so it matters little
to the growers what quality of wrapper
is used. A fair quality of MANILA wrap
ping can be obtained at about double
the cost ofrstraw paper and many pack
ers think lit would be economy to use
this grade. A large purchaser OF the
'99screp. furnished this paper to all grow
ers with whom they had contracts and
we.areiinformed they consider they were
Mellrepaid for the additional expense
entailed. The present straw papers are
wery'unsatisfactory and it seems to be
tnnly a aquestion of time when its use Will
ibe> discarded and a better grade OF wra p
ping ng'supplanting it.
**x
. President Frye, of the New England
Tobacco Growers association whose ex-
cellent advice concerning the handling
of tobacco was published in our last
paper, has also furnished the public with
some timely hints regarding the selling of
the crop:
Such radical change in asserting to-
bacco, New England especially, has taken
place in few years, owing to the de-
mand for fine grading in imitation of Su-
matra methods, that most packers pre-
fer to buy tobacco in the bundle and as
sort it themselves. This has become the
general rule, except where occasionally
grower is known to be up to the late
methods and is known to assert as well
or better than it can be done in the ware
house. In such cases packers insist ON
the grower asserting, about Sc p 10 and
more being paid The bulk of the crops,
50 far as know, is now bought to be de-
livered unassorted in the bundle, the re-
suit of which is that for the past few
years there has been universal kicking
and "docking" when crops were delivered
Reported prices at which tobacco has
been sold in the bundle are only approx
innate guesses as to the price the grower
will actually receive when tine tobacco Us
| 4 ir fho NY
suggested is that no grower should SELL
in that way without an IRON clad contract
and part purchase money paid down.
grower in 1C will insist ON that and pack
ers will not buy on any SUCH terms. l
can see but two ways to remedy this evil
growers One is that every grower should
learn to assert and grade his leaf as we'll
or better than it can be or is dome in the
er must in future be absolutely certain
that not leaf of damaged tobacco cam
be found in his crop when it is stripped
and bundled. Then unless the packer
excerpts the entire crop, he can be made
to pay for it. If he refuses to pay the
whole amount when delivered, don't take
|
hundred dollars to pay for damaged leaf
he expects or intends to find, but insist
on the whole. If the packer then refuses
to settle then and there, leave him and
go to the best lawyer you know, make
out a regular bill for the crop and let your
lawyer settle with him. This is ON the
supposition that the grower knows his
crop is all sound, all in good condition
and such as he himself would be willing
to take in and pay for if he had bought
It. Under these conditions the grower
will get his money for his tobacco every
time. If, however, the grower is afraid
| of his own tobacco, then there is no rem
|tedy l know of except to make the best
terms possible Some growers may say,
1'this won't work." but can name men
at Windsor, ct, and other towns who
have for many years got every cent for
their crops when delivered, agreed upon
when first bargained for or sold, and
these men will get the price agreed upon
TINS year, too, or the packer won't get
the tobacco The latter condition is not
likely to happen, because such are usual
ly the very crops the packer wants the
most and because, too, even the verbal
contracts are not usually repudiated
outright. One thing is sure. This GUS
tom of docking the price one to seven or
more cents per pound on delivery must
be remedied Or great disaster must some
time result to the tobacco interests. If
10 per cent, the price can be knocked
off now. what is to prevent 25 or 30 per
cent being docked later on when the
custom has become universal by common
consent, and honored by time and pre-
cedent.
*x*
Quite an interesting case has lately
been decided by the Board of Arbitra-
tion of the New York Leaf Tobacco
Board of Trade. The case at issue in
VOWED the sampling of fifteen cases of
domestic cigar leaf purchased by deal
er on the certificate of a sampler that all
the tobacco was sound, but which was
two or three weeks later inspected by a