The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-11-28
TIE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edperton. - Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.


crop had cured, and yet only small por-
tion of the crop has thus far been re-
moved from the poles and stripped. The
weather has continued so mild and
pleasant that growers have preferred to
devote themselves to other farm work
leaving the tobacco until the closing IN
of winter. The farm work now, how
ever, is so far along that casing weather
would find the growers prepared to give
attention to the tobacco crop and doubt
less good portion of the sheds would
be removed for stripping. By that time
dealers will be ready to receive the goods
and the warehouses opened for the han
ding of the crop. The warehousemen
see long season before them and are
naturally anxious to start the work of
asserting the crop at as early date as
they may have sufficient stock on hand
to keep the force steadily employed.
***
The enlisting of organized labor in the
cause is the most effective weapon the
antitrust agitation has thus far been
able to WELD. The American Federation
of Labor at the New Orleans convention
adopted resolutions declaring fat boy
cott of trust goods. Every store that
sells trust goods is to be branded as un-
fair by the labor world and every trust
brand of cigars, smoking and chewing
tobacco is to be put under the ban. The
independent retailers now begin to feel
as though have found an ally to give
them strength in their war against the
trust. The movement is also being
worked with marked success in the fac
tory towns OF New England where un-
ionized labor is particularly strong.
*x*
About sixty cigar manufacturers in
the stogie district of Pennsylvania have
entered into a combine and will distri-
butte their product through common
medium. It is hoped that by placing
the business in central management
competition will not be so strongly felt
1t is reported that options have been
taken on other large factories that later
will come under the control of this com
bine. Mr. S. L. Johns is said to be the
leading spirit in the movementsthat may
eventually band together the thousand
shops through Pennsylvania. + y
S. B. Heddles & Son have their crop of
shade grown Sumatra tobacco all ready
to put into the curing room this week
where it will be put through bulk
sweating process before it is assorted. AS
Mr.. Heddles has curing room peculiar
ly adapted to this kind of sweating, both
Mr.. Baines and Mr.. Bemis will have
their crops of shade grown cured at the
same time. The crop has to be watched
during the time it is in the sweating
room and turned over number of times
to keep it in proper condition. After the
tobacco is cured and sorted it is not put
in cases but is put in bales the same as
imported Sumatra. From two acres of
their covered field, Heddles & Son picked
2427 pounds of leaves, which is consid-
cred big yield.
*x*
A dealer, not being satisfied that he
must keep book showing sales of his leaf
tobacco since special taxes were repeal
ed, asked what law there was on the
question. He was advised that, in pur-
suance of Section 1850 of the Revised
Statutes, every dealer in leaf tobacco is
required to make daily entries in two
books. kept for that purpose, of the
number of hogsheads, cases and pounds
of leaf tobacco sold by him, with the
name and residence, in each instance, of
the person to whom sold; and, if shipped
to whom shipped and to what district;
and that the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue had prescribed the form of rec
ord, Book So, that shall be kept by deal
ers in leaf tobacco, and in which must be
entered all sales to cigar manufacturers
or to other leaf dealers.
***
Energetic farmers who have tried in
vain to raise Havana tobacco on Ameri-
can soil need not complain of their i'll
luck. Bright men in other countries,
and even governments, have been, and
indeed, are still endeavoring to raise Vir-
ginia and Carolina leaf on alien soils
without success. At one time it looked
as if Uruguay, Paraguay and especially
Argentina, would produce qualities SINH
lar to those of the United States But
the promise of the first crop was dis
PEELED by the second, and the best Ar
gentine leaf has never approached the
poorest American grades The French
government has tried many expensive
experiments in Algiers, Tonkin, Cochin
China. Senegal, New CALEDONIA and
Madagascar, but has not yet turnsd out
really merchantable article. The last
workers in the field are Belgium in
Congoland, and Germany in both East
and West Africa. The 1902 crops in
every reported instance have been SO
deficient in quality that the planters de-
spair of success. No returns have yet
been received from the experimental sta
tions in South and West Australia. 1t
is believed by American experts who
have studied the climate of that country
that. it is utterly unsuited for tobacco
culture. America, the home of the
plant, appears destined to retain the
largest part of the industry founded up
on the leaf. In one branch there will be
a strong competition, viz, between the
Perique of Louisiana and the black to-
baccos of the Amazon and central Bra,