The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-12-12
TIE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.


curing stage, there are growers who have
steadily refused to enter into any con-
tract until their tobacco had been
and in readiness for sale. We
have in mind type of this class OF
growers in Mr.. Orrin Pomeroy of Fulton,
one of the earliest growers in the state,
now in his Seth year, who finished strip
ping his 15-acre crop at 8 p. m. on Fri
day evening last On Saturday noon the
crop was sold to waiting buyer and on
Monday morning began the delivery of
the same to the buyers warehouse. Mr..
Pomeroy has the satisfaction of knowing
that the dealer had ample time to exam
inc the crop and to know just what he
was buying and there was no chance for
any misunderstanding when the crop
was delivered. Besides he observed the
rule that the time to sell tobacco Gro p
is when it is ready for market.
***
The u. S. Tobacco Journal has figures
to show that the leaf trade has very lit
tie cause for alarm from the increasing
business of the big corporations as long
as the consumption keeps pace with the
increased production of manufactured
goods. 1.-The quantity of leaf used ia the
production of large cigars during the
calendar year 1901, according to the an
nual report of the Internal Revenue
Commissioner, amounted to 112,889,75
pounds, and the quantity used in the
production of little cigars to 3,49S,5ll
pounds, or together one hundred and
sixteen and quarter million pounds.
Deducting the twenty million pounds of
foreign leaf which are consumed by our
cigar industry, there remains balance
of ninety-six and. quarter million
pounds of domestic leaf which entered
into the quantity of our cigar output
during 1901. AS our output of cigars IN
1902 will at at a most conservative calcu-
lation exceed that of 1901 by at least
seven hundred millions, there will also
have to be an increased consumption of
12,85O,O00 of domestic leaf, and to raise
it would require an additional $4,000
acres. Has this acreage been added
during the current year, and will any
one pretend that there has been too
much domestic leaf raised for the in
creased demand of our cigar industry?
And if not why should not the leaf trade
be booming? The high price? Can the
trust be the sole cause of it. or is it not
rather the economic principle of demand
and supply? But suppose the trust to
be non-existent, is there anybody insane
enough to assume that the farmer would
not have raised the price for his tobacco
crop under 100 per cent. increased de-
mand for it, and that he would have let
it go at the same price as five years ago
when our cigar production was just half
of what it is noW?"
***
The United States government is
about to distribute Havana and Sumatra
seed in Luzon with view Of improving
the Manila leaf. Experts in the Philip
pines declare that the quality has de-
creased steadily though slowly in the last
twenty-five years, and that as the plants
originally came from Cuban seed, it is
expedient to go back to the originals in
order to improve existing conditions.
Sumatra experts declare that the Suma-
ira leaf will grow as we'll in the Philip
pines as in the Dutch Indies.
xXx
The Secretary of Agriculture on last
Tuesday issued statement that his de-
partment has for some time recognized
the fact that very excellent tobacco can
be grown in Texas. Some has been
grown this year, which has been sub
mitted to the inspection of experts, who
say it is Cuban leaf with the character
istic aroma of the Cuban product. In
consequence of this opinion, the Depart
ment will send two surveying parties to
Texas to prosecute the survey of the
area containing this soil, and will, in
addition. enlarge the party of tobacco
experts so that Is or 20 acres of tobacco
shall be grown under government super
vision, thus producing sufficient guam
tity to be handled on commercial scale.
After this has been done, the product
will be submitted to leaf dealers for their
opinions on the commercial value of the
crop, before fuller encouragement is Civ
en- to Texas growers. That is no doubt
the proper method to pursue, but it diff
fers very widely from that followed by
the Department in this State. Last year
several experts were sent into this coun-
ty for the purpose of testing our soils,
they could grow an acceptable tobacco
from Cuban seed. For reasons which it
is unnecessary here to mention, the ex-
pertinent was not a success, so far as the
or anyone else knows. The
conclusion reached by the Government.
was that Lancaster county soils are not
to Cuban tobacco, but private
this season, with both Suma-
tran and Cuban types, has given most
excellent results. Whether these exper-
iments will be continued next year or
not we do not know, but the fact re-
mains that after all we can grow the two
tropical types most in request by manu-
facturers. These experiments also show
that experts are not always expert, and
that single experiment is not suffi-
cient test of any agricultural theory, es-
pecially when so precarious crop as to-
hacan iC 0oncnrnnd d-T,ancactpr NnU Fra