The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-07-01
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.
The transplanting of the new tobacco
crop is now so far along in most growing
sections that it is safe prediction that
this work will be completed by the usual
time for planting in this latitude, at
least by July 4. Generally speaking the
crop has gone into the fields under bet
ter conditions than the ordinary season.
There has been no hot, burning sun to
parch the plants after being pitched in
the fields, and timely rains have fallen
over most sections to give an early root
ing of the young plants. Nearly all the
early set fields now show good stand
and the plants we'll started. Rarely has
| the soil been in better condition for
working up rich and mellow, so the
transplanting machines were able to do
effective work. There is less complaint
than usual of the depredations of cut
worms, and in most localities there has
been an abundance of plants for the in
tended acreage. At the present writing
the outlook is most encouraging. De-
spite the fact of late start most of the
delays have already been overcome and
the crop starts out favorably.
~
| The quiet movement in the 1908 crop
| that has been going on for several weeks
past has absorbed so large portion of
| the unsold fraction that there promises
to be no surplus remaining in country
hands to interfere with the prospective
sale of packings. A few months ago It
was feared that much of the low grade
leaf of last seasons crop would be drug
upon the market, for the demand for ex-
port leaf was far from satisfactory, while
the trade of shippers for the domestic
market was not particularly good either.
Indications now point to gradual ab-
sorption of all this low grade stock as
the season advances. Arrangements are
being made to strip these goods quite
extensively at several of the packing
points, and it is quite probable large
amount of help will find employment
during the summer. One eastern dealer
in strips contemplates putting in force
of 200 hands in this market and give at
least three months of employment. In
this way vast amount of the filler and
partly damaged stock will be worked up
and the available portions saved.
~
From information gathered by the N.
e. Homestead, it appears that the acre
age devoted to cigar leaf tobacco in the
United States this year shows general
reduction compared with last season. In
some states this is not pronounced,
few sections even showing increases. In
other districts, however the curtailment
is unusually heavy. New York fun
nishes the most marked restriction. Ad-
vices from growers in the foremost to-
bacco counties of the Empire state show
a reduction that will average fully 30 to
40 per cent. The government estimates
the curtailment in New York to be %
per cent, but judging from advices fur
nished by New England Homestead cor
respondents this estimate is hardly large
enough. In some districts of Steuben
county it is said the acreage is not 10
per cent what it was four years ago.
This indicates the extreme disgust on
the part of farmers at low prices that
have prevailed for cigar leaf. Next to
New York, Wisconsin shows the heavi-
est reduction in acreage OF all cigar leaf
tobacco growing states. Our advices in
f! dicate an average decrease of 20 to 25
per cent throughout the entire county.
Parts of Crawford county and Juneau,
however, claim only moderate curtail
ment. Prices for the '03 crop averaged
4 to Sc per pound, the latter being the
outside figure.
The annual report of the Bureau of
Experiment Stations of the Department
of Agriculture will prove of considerable
interest to the trade, containing as it
| does highly interesting facts concerning
the cultivation of tobacco in Hawaii and
Porto Rico Plans are on foot for the
cooperation with the natives of these
islands by the U. S. government in the
| work of experimental culture, and IN the
| selection of lands especially adapted to
the growing of tobacco. Prof. Milton
| Whitney, chief of the Bureau of Soils, it
is understood, will supervise this work.
| The report contains the following obser
vations of Prof S. L. Earle, who recently
| toured Porto Rico for the Department,
on the conditions of the tobacco crop of
the island: Tobacco is an important
crop in Porto Rico. The quality of leaf
grown in the open is good, and recent
experiments show that under cheese
cloth tents wrapper leaf of the finest
quality can be produced. 1t was off sea-
son at the time of my visit, so that the
only plants seen were those that had
produced the regular crop and one rat
toon or sucker crop that had been har-
vested and were now growing second
sucker crop that was being allowed to
run up to seed. The indiscriminate saw
ing of seed from such old and exhausted
plants can hardly be wise practice.
***
The Department of Agriculture has
published report on the principal in
furious insects to plants during the year
1908, which shows that on the whole the
damage to the crops by these insects and
pests was smaller last year than for some
time past. During the year the cigar
cite beetle was very troublesome IN
1 -, oE ra1, l,.o