The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-03-25
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

f. NULL DOOh EA04OA0Gs
& The sugar beet promoters are making
the best of the unfortunate condition
that prevails throughout the tobacco
growing districts of the state, and of
course find ready listeners to the glow
ing promises held out to farmers for pro-
ducing this crop. The fact that last
season brought exceptional returns to
the beet growers, while it was an off year
for tobacco raisers, gives an opportunity
for drawing very pleasing contrasts in
favor of the sugar beets. The reason
then is plain why the beet promoters
invade the tobacco growing districts
rather than other localities of the state.
They know the tobacco growers are good
cultivators of the soil, that their lands
are in fac state of fertilization and they
are accustomed to give close attention
to growing crop, all of which is desir-
able in growing sugar beets. There are
at least some things which the tobacco
growers should remember. 1t is not
reasonable to expect that every tobacco
crop will prove profitable one, and the
same is true of beets. What should
always be kept in mind is that the sugar
beet is vastly more exhaustive to the
soil than tobacco. Don't forget this fact.
-
The anti-coupon legislation has begun
to assume some shape in congress. A
bill has been agreed upon in committee
which is believed contains all the restric-
| tions against premiums or prize offerings
| with manufactured tobacco, though it
| must be conceded that strong influences
are at work to defeat this legislation, as
| it was able to do in the last congress. In
other words, it becomes test of strength
| between the tobacco trust and the inde-
| pendent manufacturers. Mr.. Towney,
| who has the matter in charge, is very
sanguine that he will get the matter to
a vote in the house at an early day and
| that the bill will pass by large ma ajority.
xx*
There is fellow down in New Eng
| land who has novel way of getting even
| with the tobacco trust, and If he hadn't
been SO grasping by working good
thing beyond it's limit might have es-
capped the clutches of the law. The cul-
prit is Alfred M. Tanning, who has con-
| fessed to having forged a million cigar
bands in order to get the premium Of
fered by the company. The idea is said
to be original, and the officers of the
| American Tobacco Company say that
had Tanning only been moderate in his
| desires there was no reason to believe
| that he would ever have been detected.
| The great number of bands, however,
that came from Springfield for redemp
tion gave rise to suspicion. The New
York police were notified, and after con-
siderable sleuthing, Tanning was ar
rested, half million forged bands and
lot of trunks, umbrellas and music boxes
being found in his possession. In one of
| the trunks there were letters showing
| that he had received premiums from the
cigar company through at least eight
| different postofices. Tanning is an en-
graver by trade. The charge of forging
is made possible because he had counter
| feited the personal signature OF an officer
of the company, which appears on the
band. He had counterfeited six differ
ent brands and in order to enhance the
deception had enclosed the counterfeits
| in freshly emptied cigar box that they
might become thoroughly pervaded with
| the smell of tobacco
~
| A correspondent of the N. Y. Leaf
| writing from the Connecticut Valley,
says: A crisis has been reached in the
| shade-grown Sumatra situation. The
venture to date has undeniably been a
| disappointment TO those who embarked
| in the culture of tobacco under cloth in
| the belief that the Connecticut Valley
| was destined to produce the S6,OOO,OOO
worth of Sumatra leaf now annually in
ported by American cigar interests. The
net result of three seasons has been an
| immense loss to growers and their back
| ers, and the uncertainty of the situation
will be reflected in the 1904 acreage,
which will not exceed 400 acres, or half
the area set to tent-grown tobacco last
year. Among those who will abandon
| the culture of shade grown tobacco are
Olds, Whipple & Pinney, of Suffeld, CT,
! and John A. DuBon, of Poquonock, CT.
The international Tobacco Culture Cor
poration, which last year grew IS acres
under cloth, is in receivers hands.
The effect of the decision of the first
named growers will be far-reaching. The
experimental half-acre of Sumatra to-
bacco which was the inception of the
tent-grown industry in the Connecticut
Valley was raised under Mr.. DuBon's
care at the State Experiment Station at
Poquonock in 1900; and Mr. DuBon, who
is one of the brainiest men in the New
England tobacco industry, had such con-
fidence in the future of tent-grown to-
bacco that the following year he planted
II acres under CLOTH. The action of Mr..
DuBon and o., w. & P. will undoubtedly
lead to the retirement of smaller grow
ers who have been undecided whether to
continue or not. That shade-groWn to-
bacco cannot be made success is not
| conceded even hy those who are aban-