The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1905-04-28
LATH VS.. TwINE sTRINGING.

EDITOR REPORTER: In looking over
some old issues of The Reporter, found
a report in one, dated Aug. I'd, 1904, pur-
porting to come from the Connecticut
valley, in which the assertion was made
that the growers of tobacco were grad
ually abandoning lath for hanging, and
going back to twine. Now I wish to
contradict this statement. live in the
most central portion of the said district,
and Of the hundreds of growers am ac-
TAINTED with know OF not more than
dozen still using twine, and these are
only using it in sheds built many years
ago and not adapted for lath, at least in
an economical sense. No new sheds-Of
which l know of more than dozen be-
ing built this year-all being built for
lath. [ dispute that it is quicker to
hang on twine, or that it is as easy to
take down; also twine takes more help.
Lath can be easily lowered to ground
tier where it will dampen quicker than
in the top of building; twined tobacco
can not be lowered. Lathed tobacco
cures more quickly and is less liable to
sweat, also less liable to breakage in the
process of hanging, and can be more
thoroughly wilted = a very necessary
thing to be done as preventative of pole
sweat. No, twine is one of the things
gone by. Not 2 per cent. of the growers
use it, and then only as "Hobson s
choice" Some Of the old sheds were
built 30 feet wide; 80 or 36 is required
for lath Some of the old sheds 26 or sc
feet wide sacrifice two feet of space
through the shed and hang on lath
some still stick to twine in order to use
all the space. w. F. ANDRoss,
Hartford, Ct
Seven billion cigars were consumed in
the United States in 1904, according to
the records of the internal revenue de-
partment. These include domestic and
what is known as Key West Weeds as
we'll as the small per cent. imported
Pennsylvania made 1000, 100000 of these:
New York came next with 1,0OO,0OO,O00:
Ohio third with 750,OOO,0OO, and Virginia
fourth with 5OO,OO0,OO0, the rest being
scattered Florida and Key West COM
bined turned out only 25OOO0OOO This
huge total of seven billion gives about
two cigars day to that portion of the
male inhabitants of the United States
supposed to smoke. OF course, this rec
ord does not include the cigarettes and
pipe tobacco used, or the tobacco chew
ed. Americas tobacco bill, in the aggre-
gate, must truly be enormous, for aver
aging the retail price of cigars at cents,
which is a low estimate, the cost OF the
cigars was $3.50, 100000 last year.
*
American buyers returning from the
Sumatra sales say: 1.-THE noticeable
feature of the inscriptions this year was
the high prices paid. The tobacco was
high, will remain high and will go high
er. That is my opinion. The cause of
the high prices was simply competition
and nothing else. Stocks are cleaned
up both here and in Europe, and there
is an exceptionally heavydemand for the
leaf. Nor was this due to the American
buyers. Prices would be about tho
same if there had not been an American
in Holland. The Germans were ready
to pay as good prices as we, and they
were after the same grades of leaf, the
light colors. AS regards the quality, too,
take it all round, seems to me to be a
little inferior to last year. The amount
offered is about the same so far, or per-
haps a little less. It is difficult to judge
of the quality, as there is so much va
riety, but should say it was about the
same as last year. Price will. / think,
remain high"