The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-02-27

Prof. Jenkins, who has charge Of the
experiments in shadegroWn Sumatra In
the Connecticut valley, says that in three
years experience with shade-grown Su
matra we have learned how to build the
shade, prune, harvest and cure the crop
quite economically and successfully. The
leaf, as a rule, has very desirable color,
texture and burn. The most serious de-
feet is the varying and undesirable shape
and size of leaf AS a rule, in almost
any shade-covered field last year could
be seen three or four distinct types of
plants and all sorts of intermediate
forms. Form and size of leaf have much
to do with it's value. Too large leaf or
a poorly shaded leaf cuts to waste on the
cigar makers table and therefore is
worth to him much less. per pound than
leaves of precisely the same quality
otherwise, but which can be cut into
wrappers, leaving little waste. His con-
clusion is that what we need and must
get is a strain of Sumatra which shall
have the desirable qualities of the leaf
which is now grown IN the Connecticut
valley and shall in addition be uniform
in shape and size of leaf and profitable"
in the meaning of the cigar manufact
urer.
It is we'll known that it is very diff
cult to secure desirable seed from Suma-
ira as the owners of the tobacco pianta
tions guard their seed with the utmost
caution, refusing to sell or permit their
best seed to 60 out from the Island.
Even the u. S. government has been un-
able to secure seed through their con-
sular agents.
FIX
The effect of trust control upon the
market prices of the Southern type of
leaf tobacco is summarized in the
following dispatch from Louisville:
1t is the comment of the leaf tobacco
trade that prices have shown no material
fluctuations within the past three years
since the American Tobacco syndicate
has acquired the control of the market.
They have settled upon scale of values
which will afford the producer profit
to continue planting, and the
quotations only vary according to
the quality of the crop. Prices will
never again 60 as low as they did in
former years, nor will they raise as high.
*x*
Wisconsin raises as much tobacco as it
does bread; or, in other words, the value
of the tobacco crop equals that of the
wheat crop In point of value the to-
bacco crop also equals the cheese indus
try of the state. Each of these indus
tries is estimated to bring about $1,000
coo year to the people of the state.
The tobacco industry, like the cheese
business, is confined principally to few
sections of the state, the leading tobacco
producing counties being Dane, Rock,
Jefferson, Columbia and Vernon
k
A Washington dispatch says, David
B. Henderson, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, is holding up the Often |
bill. This extraordinary
and wholly unexpected action on his |
part has astonished not only the friends !
of the bill, but the more experienced |
members of both houses who are famil- |
lar with the methods of legislation and |
the precedents that govern the consid- /
Grafton of bills of this character. The |
refusal of the Speaker to permit the con-
sideration of bill favorably reported by |
the Ways and Means committee is Who'll
" unprecedented and has caused pro-
found sensation. AS soon as the fact be-
came known, the leading manufacturers
of the country were informed, and flood