The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-07-04
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin
NOTE R0OK SKETCHES.
Wisconsin.

that the fields have such an even start
with scarcely missing plant through
out that attention is at once drawn to-
ward them. All this is due to the
almost perfect weather conditions during
the planting season and the experienced
grower cannot recall another year when
everything conspired to make the plant
ing of a large acreage possible in so short
a space of time. The shock of removing
the plants from the beds to the fields
scarcely made any perceptible check in
their growth this year for frequent rains
started immediate roofing as soon as
transferred. The cool weather through
out the month of June has prevented
the usual willing of the plants and has
had much to do towards helping along
the quick starting of the fields. The
cultivation of the tobacco fields is now
the principal occupation of the tobacco
growers and the first paintings now give
promise of an exceedingly early harvest.
Some of the tobacco sections of other
cigar leaf states are quite in contrast
with conditions that have prevailed in
Wisconsin. Dry weather in Pennsyl-
vania and New York has delayed plant
ing and will curtail the acreage in some
of these states. That this state has
started out right towards good binder
crop is foregone.
*x*
The largest tobacco farm in the coun
try has lately been described by spec
ial correspondent to one of the Sunday
papers. Leslie Combs Of Fayette coun-
ty, Kentucky, is the owner of the plan
tation, located near Lexington. Here from
300 to 500 acres of tobacco are rotated
between wheat, clover and blue grass.
A great many innovations have been in
troduced on this big Kentucky farm, and
everything is conducted on a wholesale
basis. The employees who take care of
the immense crop are all housed and fed
on the place. There is appointed
commissary. and ten large eating houses
where the 800 laborers are given their
meals. Comfortable sleeping quarters
are also provided them. There are nine
immense barns where the crop is put
away after being taken from the field.
Each of these giant barns will hold $4,000
pounds of tobacco There are dozens of
other buildings, such as implement
houses, seed houses, fertilizer sheds,
stables, etc. After the tobacco is strip
ped it is assorted into the different
grades and put through different pro
cesses until it is finally packed into hogs
heads, hauled to the railroad and ship
ped to market. It takes about $50 hogs
heads to hold one years crop from this
big Kentucky farm. Mr.. Combs cleared
$35, 900 on last years crop.
Xxx
If the National Cigar Leaf Tob. Asso-
citation will adopt as consistent argu-
ments upon the question of reduction OF
| tariff duties upon leaf tobacco as their
recent circular upon manufactured CT
gars, addressed to members of congress
is, the trade will acknowledge their good
work. Here is their memorial:
| In view of the proposed reciprocity
with the Republic of Cuba we beg to
offer you herewith our reasons for oppos
| ing the reduction of duties on certain
articles from Cuba:
| The Tobacco Trade, prior to the con
solidation of Cuba's largest cigar factor
les under an American syndicate, raised
no very vigorous objection to the pro
posal to reduce the duty on cigars i'm
ported from Cuba 20 per cent, as the cut
| in duty was deemed by us insufficient te
make it profitably possible for the re.
taller to sell good enough imported
cigar for ten cents. With the Cuban
| cigar business in various hands this con
dition of affairs would still obtain. But
with the absorption of this business by a
great American syndicate an entirely
different condition presents itself. Given
rate of duty that permits an imported
cigar to be sold without loss at ten cents
| the trust has an entering wedge by
| means of which it may dispose of many
other of it's products, and it will there
] fore push such cigar with all its
| strength. It's well-known methods OF
| doing business, by means of premiums
and bonuses, will receive reinforce
ment through the addition of ten-cent
cigar to its resources. 1t can use this
| last appeal to the high-class smoking
public which it has until now been un-
| able to reach, but which with this at
traction it will reach infallibly. The
dealer in cigars will be compelled to buy
the other merchandise of the trust in
order to secure this low-priced imported
cigar, with its badge of superiority in
the shape of the import stamp of the
United States on each individual box
| The danger we foresee is the monopoliza-
tion of the cigar industry; we ask OF
Congress not to hasten this end by re-
| ducing the duty on cigars imported in
deed from Cuba, but made by an Ameri-
can cigar trust.
~
! The New York Leafs Washington cor
respondent in summing up the condi-
tions leading to the temporary defeat of
| the advocates of reciprocity with Cuba
says: Throughout it has been game of
politics pure and simple and one in
which the interests of the two countries
were made to play a bad second to those
of some of our alleged national represen-
Il L. IT, L - E>