The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-09-04


that the apparent increase of acreage IS
but 113 acres. AS the statistics were
gathered before the crop was fairly
planted, or the heavy rains that flooded
many low fields, we believe it a safe con-
clusion to say the present crop will not
exceed that of year ago. 1t Will be
noted that there is but slight variation
in the amount of tobacco grown in Rock
county during the past two years. In
the main farmers produce about the
same acreage each season, whatever the
market conditions are, nor is the area
extended much by new growers. The
town of Porter still leads with the larg
est amount of growing tobacco, with
Fulton second and GAINESVILLE and Har
mony a close third. The towns Of Brad
ford Lima, Turtle and Beloit, one-tifth
of the area of the county, grow less than
100 acres altogether. These figures also
indicate that the yield of the 1902 crop
was trifle over 1900 pounds per acre
~
The continuous rains of last week
which put an embargo upon the tobacco
harvest, seems likely to prove blessing
after all as it prevented the cutting of
vast amount of unripe tobacco that the
growers we're crowding into the sheds
The crop has made wonderful advance
ment during the week, while the farmers
were fretting because they were unable
to get upon the fields and even the latest
set bids fair to reach maturity in aver
age size and quality. The harvest now
is being pushed with all possible help,
working long hours All that is needed
now to secure pretty good tobacco is
two or three weeks more of fine weather
without frosts.
*.*
Editor Ellison of the U. S. Tobacco
Journal was arrested in New York last
week upon a charge of violating the anti
lottery law The complaint which was
sworn out by officers of the National Ci-
gar Leaf Tobacco association charges
the publication of the Floradora Tag
Co.'S advertisement as violation of the
statute. Of course the proceedings were
instituted in order to test the legality of
the estimating contest widely advertised
by the tobacco trust, under the anti
lottery statute of New York. It is hardly
probable that so large corporation as
the tobacco trust would spend such a
vast amount of money in assuming the
redemption of their cigar tags without
first securing a ruling from the proper
department upon the legality of their
scheme. However, the courts will now
be called upon to pass upon the legal
aspect of the question and we can await
their ruling before commenting further.
~
An eastern journal offers the following
caution about harvesting unripe tobacco,
which is unusually pertinent at this
time: Once more we sound the warning
words: LET your tobacco get ripe" We
say for the fiftieth time that unripe to-
bacco never did and never. will make
good filters. When the time comes that
you think you ought to cut, give the
plants few more days of life. You will
have better, sounder and more tobacco,
and it will go through its sweat better.
Nothing is to be gained by too early cut
ting, while much may be sacrificed. The
crop this year needs all the help you can
extend to it; give it the last chance of
the season-let it get fully ripe.
*x*
The Western iobbers, says the U. S.
Tob. Journal, who are now crowding our
market, are complaining bitterly about
the unreliability of the so-called official
samples and the almost good for nothing
guarantee which the tickets on these
samples represent. The complaining
jobbers claim that the samplers give
clean tickets to any packer who will
demand them, regardless the defective
condition of the goods, and that the
tickets are not dated, thus leaving the
responsibility for the deterioration c. the
tobacco after sampling blank. As the
jobbers are compelled to buy large guam
titles in a limited period and cannot
thus examine each case whether it cor