The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-09-19
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK. SKETCHES.

In some respects the buying of the
new crop this year has been conducted
with more moderation than ever before
attended an early movement. Usually
when buying has started in the fields
dealers would rush in and lively scram-
BILE would ensue, during which some
reckless and ill-advised trading might be
done. This year buyers have taken
| more time to looking over the fields, rid
den more miles and closed less contracts
than in other seasons. This condition
| might be due partly to the fact that a
large part of the time of the buyers has
been devoted to breaking down the ask
ing price of growers. Trying to buy the
crop for few cents less than the farm
ers generally ask for it is slow business.
Then again, many growers are averse to
signing contracts for the future delivery
of a crop that is not cured and in no con-
dition for market. So many contingen-
cies arise between the harvest and the
final delivery of cured leaf that growers
prefer to wait and see what they have
got to sell before agreeing to deliver
merchantable tobacco at a specified
price, The trouble of other years on de-
livery day has not yet been entirely for
gotten. Their position is not bad bus
iness proposition to stand upon, either.
Despite the condition alluded to the
crop is selling freely and will probably
continue to do so while half hundred
or SO buyers are in the field.
Xxx
The first frosts of the season followed
in the wake of a cold wave Thursday
touching vegetation in low places. What
little tobacco was then standing when
the warning came was hurriedly cut and
piled so that but very small fraction of
the crop was standing in the southern
growing counties when the frosts came.
The scare closed up the harvest season
with slam, and the crop is secured in
about as fine condition as is often ob-
frost damage, corn in many places has
| been injured, proving again that tobacco
| is tf.e safer crop of the two, SO far as
danger from frosts is concerned. Since
] the cold wave has passed warmer wealth
er has ensued more favorable to the cur
| ing of the shielded leaf. While another
I l. .o1 .x, ho
there is very little complaint heard re-
garding the condition of the crop now in
| the sheds. The early harvested portion
/ is now cured down to the stems and is of
| a remarkably bright color.
*x*
Another trust is reaching out it's ten
ticles trying to get hold of the retail ci-
gar trade in some of the large cities
| under the title of the United Gig ar
Stores Co. Representatives of the COM
pany have been in Milwaukee during the
! week and The Sentinel thus describes
the results: -
| Strong efforts are being made by
| agents of the United States Cigar Store
company, which is generally believed by
tobacco dealers to be a subsidiary COM
| pany to the American Tobacco company
to secure figures upon the leading retail
cigar Establishments in Milwaukee pre-
paratory to opening a fight upon the
products of the independent tobacco
merchants. It is said that nearly every
one of the leading cigar dealers have
been approached by these agents with
propositions to purchase their business
and some of the prices offered have been
large. 1t is believed to be the intention
of the United States Cigar Stores com
pany to open similar places in MilWau-
kee for the purpose Of competing with
the local dealers that they cannot buy
out and to drive them out of business if
possible. Several of the local dealers
have been offered lucrative salaried po-
sitions with the new company as mana
gers of the stores and one has been Of
fered position as general officer OF the
company. It is said that everywhere the
company has gone the Cigar Stores COM
pany has been working hand in hand
| with the tobacco trust, even to the ex-
| tent of the trust refusing to sell its goods
| to retail dealers who have refused to sell
| to the other company. Both IN Chicago
| and New York the Cigar Stores company
| las OCCu SollIuS Itc SOOiS az AOoo ohnd
cost. disposing of scent goods at two for
cents, and selling 1O-cent cigars for 5
cents. The independent cigar dealers
say that the cigar trust, as they term the
| company, is flooding the market with
| goods of an inferior grade, and they
maintain that in the end if the indepen-
dent dealers are driven out, the public
| will be at the mercy of the tobacco trust
and the cigar trust. A well known local
cigar dealer said that the new company
has apparently money to burn and it is
offering inducements which indicate that
| money is no object to it. The agents re-
fuse to say who is back of them and they
! are confident that they will be able to
force the independent manufacturers
| either to quit the business or9to sell to
| the tobacco trust. -'@
~
The secretary of the treasury has been
prompt to recognize the danger to the
Legitimate cigar trade involved in the
| recent ruling of the department permit
ting returning tourists" TO bring with
A