The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-03-21
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton. Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.


While the Cuban tariff contention in
congress has reached no amicable settle
ment as yet, compromise has been of
fered by the congressman representing
the sugar and tobacco interests that
seems likely to be acceptable to the ad-
ministration and others who believe
some concession is due the Cubans. In
brief the proposition is that certain con-
cessions should be made to Cuban sugar
and tobacco, provided that the tariff on
imports from the United States into
Cuba shall at no time exceed those
charged by the United States on articles
of the same kind when imported into
this country. This clause had special
reference to tobacco, and is intended to
do away with the S. per pound duty
which Cuba now charges on our tobacco
sent into that island. Under this agree
ment we will be enabled to put our to-
baccos on the Cuban markets at duty
of % cents a pound. The second con-
cession by the administration side is that
this agreement shall go into effect only
after Cuba has established her govern
ment and has accepted the proposition,
which is not likely to be before next fall,
and then it shall remain in effect one
year only, or until April, 1903, when the
old tariff shall again become operative.
By that time the bounties now paid by
European countries on the sugar pro-
duced by them will cease, and they can
no longer be thrown upon our markets
at rates with which the Cuban planters
say they cannot compete.
Xxx
At the annual meeting Of the Amerl-
can and Continental Tobacco companies
held on the 18th inst, the financial re-
ports showed the net earnings of the
former to be S6647, ia, and 7,60O,74O for
the Continental The surplus above the
fixed dividend and interest charges were
S2,O76,224 for the American Co. and
S3, ,204 ,696 for the Continental. In the
balance sheet the patents, trade marks
and good will of the American is listed
at s26,581, ,4O7 and the real estate and
material at only S16,0O0,000 out of total
of eo1, 1852 of assets. There are out
standing S54 500 900 of common and Sl4,-
OOO,OO0sof preferred stock and S3,O14,94O
of script. Figuring in the liabilities of
the Continental Co. are $49 800, 900 each
of common and preferred stock out of a
total of Sill ,621, GIG. These companies
have set aside 81, $4,000 for advertising
purposes which indicates that the sale
Of the products will be vigorously pushed.
Xxx
The mania to grow Sumatra tobacco
under shade in the Connecticut Valley
appears to be increasing as the time for
beginning operations approaches. 1t is
thought that fully thousand acres will
be grown in this way, by about score
of men and companies. The extra cost
of growing tobacco under cloth is thus
summarized by the Director of the Con-
necticut Experimental Station:
"Cost per acre of lumber, S262.35; cost
per acre of wire, &C.,; cost per acre of
construction, $36; total, S299.31. Assum-
| ing that the frame will last for five years,
there should be charged to each crop
one-ffth of this sum, or $59.86. Lath for
| fastening the cloth, $1317; cost of cheese
cloth, $162.94: labor of putting on cloth,
S1245; repairs, S]2; twine for stringing
| leaves, $3.50; stringing the picked leayes,
| S466O; extra lath for stringing, $27.50, of
| which 40 per cent is charged to the crop,
S11; total, $32668. The actual extra
outlay of the first year of shading and
! harvesting was $83.63 per acre. To this
must be added suitable amount for re-
| fitting the curing barn to hold the prim-
| ed leaves, and, unless the area planted is
qnite large, there will be needed extra
barn room. These figures show very
closely the actual extra cost of raising
| and curing an acre of shaded Sumatra
| tobacco in this year"
| he claims for it there will come time
when there will be nothing but Havana
| tobacco in the market. At present his
| process is secret, and only a few of his
| closest friends know that he has it.
| "For some time psychologists have
| known that the delicate flavor of Hava-
| ma tobacco was due to certain bacillus" :"
said Secretary Pritchard of the health
department, ''but nobody thought of cul-
tivating it and applying it to American
grown tobacco. The idea struck Chi
cago man year or two ago, and he be-
gan experimenting. He finally discov-
cred the means of growing the bacillus
and is now cultivating it on large scale.
He takes the best grades of American
tobacco and covers the leaves with the
cultured microbes. The result is said to
be the production of tobacco as finely
favored as the best imported Havana.
| He is making cigars of the improved to-
bacco and selling them as Havana inn
portations.'
***
In order to properly meet the numer-
Gus inquiries constantly coming to it in
regard to the culture and curing of to-
bacco and the resources of Northern
Wisconsin, the state board of agriculture
is having printed 500 copies of two ad-
dresses given on these subjects at the
| recent mass meeting of agriculturists at
Madison. The one on the culture and
curing of tobacco was written and deliv-
cred by A. L. Fisher of GAINESVILLE, and