The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-09-25


thin and the early portion at least of re-
markably bright colors> Some shed
damage has undoubtedly occurred dur
ing the prevalence of the bad weather
bu. the extent is not as yet ascertainable.
Growers by watching their sheds care
fully we're able to prevent in many cases
serious losses. Danger from this cause
has now probably passed as the curing
is beyond the stage where these results
occur.
A GAINESVILLE dealer has got into print
in an interview that attempts to explain
a few things that have puzzled great
many people: There is less tobacco
moving in this section now than at the
same season in any previous year, and
freight men will tell you so,'' said we'll
known warehouse man of GAINESVILLE in
commenting on the general condition of
the market. .'The reason-well, for one
thing, the manufacturers are laying low,
getting along with odds and ends and
hoping that the new crop will cost less.
Tobacco is luxury, you know and the
market, unlike that for such commodi-
ties as wheat, is often ruled by fads and
fashions. There was time when Ger
nany afforded fairly steady market for
all low grade leaf that was offered. This
is no longer true. They want only high
grade now. Ia this country the manu-
facturers are turning to Pennsylvania
where the farmer not only sorts his leaf,
but sells it several cents under the price
demanded by the Wisconsin grower.
Consequently we are left in the lurch,
because we have to ask a price that is
too high. The average price paid by the
warehouses for the choicest crops in
Vernon county this year has been be-
tween 8 and 10 cents pound. A few
figures will show what it costs us to put
it on the market. Let us take as an IL
lustration 100 pounds bought at 10 cents.
That is $40. Allow for handling, putting
in cases, storage, commission, ETC., 2
cents pound That makes 81 for the
hundred pounds. Deduct 33 per cent,
or 33 pounds, which will sell for about
cents, or S1.32 for the hundred. This,
of course, is a large percentage of some
of the better crops. Subtract this sum
from the S12 and you have S1O.68 as the
cost of 66 pounds-something over Is
cents pound. Yet, from every recent
indication, 1515 cents is too high to
tempt manufacturers. The grower in
this region expects too much for his
crop. Tobacco would still be a good in
vestment for him with several cents re-
duction. If he raises 1900 pounds to the
acre and gets cents for it, his gross re-
turns amount to S162 with the cost per.
acre about $50. It is almost impossible
to convince the farmer that the leaf
grown in this vicinity is not sold for
wrappers, yet that is the truth of the
matter AS everyone in the tobacco
business knows, the market demands
light, thin, spready binder and light,
bright crop is worth third more than
the darker tobacco. To get light leaf
On dark soil it is necessary to plant by
the first of May. But the large proper
tion of the farmers in this vicinity are
old-fashioned and insist on planting late.
It is wrong-the whole crop should have
been in the sheds long ago. The tobac-
co area is extending right along, and
further north on the acreage of lighter
soil, finer, brighter leaf than that pro-
duced here, is being grown. Some sort
of a>fertilizer will have to be secured for
the soil in this vicinity which has been
planted to tobacco for forty years.
~
A destructive storm swept over the
lower portion of the state of Florida on
September 18th. Great damage was
done, and cigar interests also suffered.
Fortunately Key West seems to have
been out of the range of the storm, but
Tampa was struck with full force. The
cigar trade in tampa has been injured to
great extent. The roofs of some of the
factories have been blown away and the
stocks of tobacco and cigars have been
damaged to the extent of many thous-
ands of dollars. Other losses in the city
of Tampa pale into insignifcance as
compared with the damage to this indus
try. One factory alone claims to have
lost at least $4,000 by water injuring
their stock of tobacco.
***
The report that the Tobacco Trust is
increasing its dealings with German fac
tories, recently made to this country by
one of our Consuls in Germany, has
caused some concern to the Virginia
growers and handlers of tobacco, who |
have already had much cause of COM
plant against the trust because of the |
low prices which it pays for it's tobacco |
The German government has no regular |
or official representative in this country, |
as have other European monarchies, |
where the handling of tobacco is State |
monopoly, the manufacturers buying |
from American dealers and the dealers |
buying direct from the people. A Rich |
mond dealer who has sold extensively to
the German factories is of the opinion |
that the trust will endeavor to undersell |
the regular dealers until the latter are
crushed out of business, when the prices |
would be raised.