The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-05-27
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.
Wisconsin has for some years past
ranked as the leader of the cigar leaf
producing states of the country, all sta
tlstics going to show that in quantity
our production of tobacco of this type
was larger than of the other states that
contribute to the cigar leaf markets.
Boosting as we often do of our state as a
leader in this industry, it is with spirit
of humiliation and chagrin that we have
to confess that not a leaf of Wisconsin
tobacco is on exhibit at the great st.
Louis exposition now open to the public.
Even among the state exhibit of agricul-
tural products there is no place set apart
for tobacco and none is shown there.
Here is an industry that brings good
many million of dollars to the state
yearly wholly unrepresented. The fail
ure to give so important product of our
soil place among the exhibits, demands
an explanation from the commissioners.
A movement was set on foot at the TO-
bacco growers convention in March
towards raising fund by popular sub
scription for making a special tobacco
exhibit but for lack OF interest it was
abandoned. But this failure does not
excuse the commission from emitting
tobacco from the state exhibit which
was prepared under their direction from
the state appropriation. The Legislature
made an appropriation of 100000 and
put it into the hands of a commission to
exploit the industries of Wisconsin and
it is almost an unheard of thing that one
of its leading products should be entire
ly ignored.
Xxx
The statistical division of the Insular
Bureau of the War Department will
publish in few days an interesting re-
port giving the exports from the Philip
pine Islands for the past five years, illus
trated bv graphic charts showing the
distribution by countries of destination
of the principal products of the islands.
The tobacco industry in five years,
using the value of exports as basis
l
article has been worth nearly S11 ,OOO,-
600. The sale of leaf has varied but lit
| tie in amount, most of the average an
nual value of nearly $500, 600 worth going
| to Spain, channel previously estab
| ished by the decree of that government
| whereby the contracting company was
compelled to take certain amount OF
| tobacco from the Philippines each year.
I ~ Of l0Vy md
shipped for the most part TO Hong Kong.
The price-lists of the various manufact-
urers in Manila show range of from
nary cigar of fair quality bringing about
! 81 per hundred, or less than two cents
apiece in United States currency. While
the tobacco trade is carried on with
| from thirty-five to forty different coun-
tries, but little of the Philippine leaf
and few cigars come to the United
States" However much the admins
| tration may attempt to force the in
! ference from these figures that the
American tobacco and cigar trades are
in no danger from an inundation of to-
bacco products from the Philippine
archipelago, no one at all familiar with
| the conditions which govern the impor-
1
deceived. 1t will be promptly admitted
that Philippine tobacco and cigars can
not paw the present rates, which are rs
per cent of the Dingley duties. For this
reason, of course, the imports of these
goods will continue to remain at insig-
nifcent figures as long as the present
law is in force; but it should be per-
| fectly clear that the moment the duty is
reduced to point at which importations
of any considerable volume can be made,
there will be no reason why the United
States would not be obliged to absorb
the entire Philippine output, which
would Immediately be enormously in
ket thus opened up.
Xxx
In every section can now be seen vast
tobacco shades, both of cheese cloth and
Stats, the tops of the former resembling
immense lakes, and underneath these
Sumatra tobacco plants are beginning to
take root and assume a healthy and
thriving appearance. On the large
plantations. as we'll as the small, the set
ting-out season is drawing to close, and
! with favorable seasons such as were had
last year, another great success will be
scored and prosperity in it's fullest meas.
ure be again visited upon the tillers OF
Gadsden's productive soil, While there
iappears the same desire on the part OF
the packers to contract for shade tobac-
co, Cuban contracts are given place on
the begging list, and while number of
acres are being planted, the acreage will
fall far short OF that of last season, and
it is thought by some that the prices will
DO likewise. The crop of last year was,
Efrom all accounts, a most satisfactory
one, better in fact than ever before, and
the sales were correspondingly good, but
with no chance to contract the small
farmers in many instances are unwilling
to take the chances on obtaining regular
prices, and where there are no shades
many are falling back on cotton. --Gads-
den County (F'la.) Times.
~
| A query is presented to the Commis-
sioner as follows: "a tenant was to have
part of the tobacco crop for his share,
but afterwards the owner Of the land
4 L 49,, 1loa7