The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-12-20
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK sK ETOHEs.


NOTE BOOK SIX ETOHES.
There are many indications present
that the large consumers of Wisconsin
tobacco are stocking up with the l9OO
crop sufficiently to carry their factories
through two years. and thus be indepen-
dent of the present crop when it comes
on the market next fall. This circum-
stance is cited as one of the reasons why
the 1900 tobacco has met with such un-
usual sales, and too at prices heretofore
unknown for Wisconsin leaf. 1t is not
an uncommon Occurrences for manufac-
turers having large capital, when they
find tobacco that exactly suits their
needs, to stock up heavily, for they are
assured then that the product of their
factory will run evenly for long time to
come This is essential, too, in main
tanning the sales of popular brands OF cl-
gars. 1t will be noted that the bulk OF
sales of 1900 have gone to the large man
concerns in big blocks, rather
than to jobbers, as heretofore, and the
competition among them has tended to
hold prices up. If this view of the sit
uation is correct one, it discloses
another reason why local packers can
not see their way clear to invest in the
new crop at the going prices. The 1900
tobacco, even at the prices it is now held
at, is better purchase than the new
crop, because the latter cannot be offer
ed them a year hence at the same figure.
Besides, the quality of the cured stock is
now known to be satisfactory and as the
manufacturers view it, no mistake can
be made in stocking up, while with the
new crop many contingencies may arise
before it reaches manufacturers of ci-
gars.
*
Reports coming from New England
say that growers are having the same
trouble in delivering the new crop as was
experienced in this state year ago, re-
sulting from shed damage in the curing
Of the crop Some buyers are repudiat-
ing contracts and nearly all demand
reduction from the price agreed upon.
One newspaper in voicing the complaints
of growers says: "A code of moral obli-
cations seems to prevail with the average
ssp44cco packer unlike that of any other
business" This is putting the matter
pretty strong to be sure, but one thing
at least is true, such conditions are Incl
dent to almost every attempt to contract
tobacco before the tobacco is ready for
and would not occur if both
grower and buyer would only wait until
the tobacco cured before considering any
proposition for disposing of the crop.
When will people profit by experience?
*s*
Prof. Jenkins, who has had charge of
the government experiment station in
Connecticut in growing Sumatra leaf
under canvass, recently delivered an ad-
dress giving summary of his work, in
which he says:
Our observations in 1901 leave us with
more confidence in the possibility of
raising the Sumasra type of tobacco in
New England at profit than we had
year ago. 1t has not been demonstrated.
1t cannot be fully determined until this
years crop has been sold, manufactured
and smoked. Producer, middleman, ci-
garmaker and cigar smoker must all be
satisfied. But | now consider it proba-
BILE that some growers can raise the Su-
matra type of leaf at a greater profit
than the domestic type. | advise no one
to 60 into the business at all extensively,
but advise all successful tobacco grow
ers to consider it, and if they have suf-
fcient capital to justify business ven
ture to try raising small patch at least
under, shade. The crop yielded at the
rate of 1858 pounds of primed Sumatra
per acre in the bundle, less by 250 pounds
than last year, when we planted two
inches closer in the row. To summarize:
The shading cost $249 56, stringing the
leaf S4980, and extra lath for hanging
S5 80; total, S30475. To this must be
added the extra cost of setting the piece,
extra barn room, extra labor and some
little fuel Qanterns) on the seed beds.
*,*
The United Cigar Mfg. Co. is the
name selected for the consolidated cor
poration of the large New York cigar
factories spoken of lest week which are
to join hands January 1st. Herbs, Wer-
theim & Schiller at present manufacture
in seven factories-two in New York city
and five in Pennsylvania -l25,0 100000 ci-
gars annually, and the yearly output of
Hirschhorn, Mack & Co. in four factories
one in New York and three in New
Jersey and elsewhere-is about 75,000.-
000.' Hirschhorn, Mack & Co.'S factory
in New York is on 68th street between
First avenue and Avenue A. An addi-
tional factory to be 55x150 feet and six
stories high is now building at the south
west corner of Avenue A and 6Sth street
and is expected to be ready for occu-
pancy about May l. The company will
have excellent distributing facilities in
New York, in New England, in Chicago,
in California and elsewhere. Consolida-
tions Of cigar manufacturing firms are
no new thing in New York. The first
important consolidation was that of
Brown & Earle with the Lichtenstein