The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-05-08
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Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

NOTh BUOk SkbIUdhS,
No branch of the tobacco business
has been so unsatisfactory the past year
as the trade in domestic filler grades.
Prices have ruled low throughout the
year and yet there has been very little
call either at home or abroad for these
goods. This is especially true in the
filler grades of the binder states where
the quality of the goods rank below
those that produce filler leaf suitable for
needs of domestic u. anufacturers. An
export market has usually been the out
let for the cheap grades of leaf but
demand abroad has ceased to be suffi-
cient to take care of the surplus of late,
partly because our goods are not up to
the usual standard and partly because
that market has been supplied by other
leaf fully as cheap as our tobacco can be
sold for. Quite large per cent of both
1900 and 1901 filters damaged in the cure
and it is feared that much OF the 1902
crop will he likewise affected. 1t is also
claimed that growers are making their
filters poorer each year in tying up a
good deal of trashy stock that has little
value for the purposes intended, which
in no wise helps the situation. Under
these conditions packers have scarcely
been able the past few seasons to obtain
cost out of the filler portions of their
packings. Unless there is notable i'm
provement in the market it is quite
probable that buyers will not be able to
pay the customary cents for green fill
ers when another crop is purchased and
will insist also upon cleaner grading
than has heretofore been practiced.
***
The young plants are showing in
abundance upon the plant beds, but the
continued cold, backward weather is
producing slow growth. Another hard
freeze during the week, severe enough
to injure some Of the small fruit, is not
believed to have hurt the plants under
canvas protection. Growers in this lati-
tude have learned to provide themselves
against great many contingencies and
invariably SOW plant bed area enough
for double the intended acreage, so there
is very rarely scarcity of plants when
transplanting season arrives. Fully a
month must elapse before planting and
this seems ample time for the young
plants to reach proper size for the fields
under anything like ordinary weather
conditions
***
Gift cigarette packages and entice-
ments generally to promote the purchase
of tobacco manufacturers are likely to
go out of vogue soon, the assembly COM
mittee On Judiciary having reported a
sweeping substitute bill on the matter.
It provides that it shall be unlawful for
any person or corporation to place in or
attach to any parcel, package, bundle or
box of cigars or cigarettes or tobacco of
any kind any tickets, coupons, vouchers,
certificate or other memorandum, con-
promise that such ticket, coupon vouch-
er or certificate will be redeemed upon
the return of the same to the person or
corporation issuing such tickets, cou-
pons, vouchers or certificates by the de-
some specified gift, present or premium
in money, or any article of property to
be determined according to the number
0r .%r, of fSoIzo o&c
vouchers or certificates, as the case may
be, which the holder may from time to
time have accumulated. Furthermore
corporation to offer for sale or sell any
parcel, package, bundle or box of cigars
or cigarettes or tobacco of any kind, con-
tanning or having attached thereto in
any manner any such ticket or coupon,
voucher or certificate otherwise received
by him. Every violation of the provis-
ions of the act can be punished on con-
vIctlon by fine of not less than S25 nor
more than 800, in the discretion of the
court.
*x*
Some information concerning the char
acter of the soil upon which best types of
Connecticut Valley tobacco is produced
is given in the government report of soil
survey issued by the department:
"The Hartford sandy loam occupies by
far the largest extent. and plays the most
important part in the tobacco industry
in the Connecticut Valley. It extends
from Glastonbury to South Hadley, and
covers in all an area of over 80 square
miles. A portion of it is probably the
undisturbed old lake bottom, but there
are also more recent river-cut terraces.
The formation occurs in broad terraces
which are very level in places and gently
rolling in others. The formation is found
at elevations ranging from 80 to 26O feet
above sea level. The soils are red, brown
or yellow, medium grade sandy loans,
about II inches deep, underlaid with
yellow sands, containing little or no or
ganic matter. The general crop of Con-
necticut seedleaf tobacco is grown on
these soils. This represents what may