The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1905-01-27
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

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The time was when the filler grades of
Wisconsin tobacco were thought we'll of
by the trade. That was when the ex-
port market was ready to take a good
share of the product because of their
apparent cheapness and before the peo-
pie abroad were educated to pay more
money for better goods. The last few
years our filters have fallen into consid-
erable disrepute, quite largely due to the
fact that they have damaged badly in
the cure. This year, however, the filler
grades give promise of remaining sound
and to be serviceable for certain lines of
manufacture. The best evidence OF this
supposition is found in the movement
that is under way to control the major
part of the filters of the present crop. It
seems to be pretty generally known that
the American Tobacco Co. has secured
options for most of the filters under con-
tract to packers in this state and are in
the market for all others to be had. just
what use the big trust intends to put
them to is not disclosed. It is intimated
that the company intends to experiment
in the curing of the filler tobaccos and
are building apparatus for their treat
mont. Some of their purchases will be
shipped to southern storehouses in the
bundle for manipulation there, and an
other portion handled at the different
branches in the state. It is quite cer-
tain that the American Tobacco Co. will
control two thirds or better of the filters
of the 1904 Wisconsin crop. The move
pent, however, has not appreciably in
creased the usual low price of these
goods.
***
The fight for the destruction of the
trades commercial existence is on in
earnest. It has been cunningly rushed
upon Congress ia the selection of the
Hon. Charles Curtis as it's champion.
The manoeuvrs of Secretary Taft to COM
pass the destruction of the trade are re-
vealed7in the published kilograms from
Manila, inserted in our Washington let
ter, petitioning for 25 per cent tariff in
behalf OF the tobacco growing provinces
of the Philippine Islands. These tele
grams bear the earmarks of response
to home demand. But even if not, why
should the culture of cigar leaf in at
least eight of our own states be ruined
as favor to the Filipinos? To please
merely the craze of Secretary Taft?
From all this, however, it is evident that
the danger to the trades existence is
real and Immediate To defer it at least
every trade organization should send as
strong delegation as it can muster to
WASHINGTON next week in order to attend
the hearings which will be given by the
Ways and Means Committee. Tobacco
growers from every cigar leaf growing
state and cigar manufacturers of every
grade of cigars from all the principal ci-
gar manufacturing districts in the
country should. attend these hearings
next week in a body. And the cigar
manufacturers particularly should take
strong delegations of their workmen to
Washington to ask the Ways and Means
Committee how they could rlalntain the
American standard of living by bringing
them into competition with 3511a cent
wage rate. Kill the germ of your de-
struction before it escapes the Ways and
Means Committee. u. s. Tob. Journal
Prof. Milton Whitney, chief of the Bu-
reau of Soils of the Department of Agri-
culture, has made report to Secretary
Wilson on the work of that bureau in
experimenting with the cultivation of
cigar leaf tobasco in eastrn Texas and
Alabama during the past few years. Ac-
cording to the report, examination of the
tobacco produced in these sections
showed that while some of the leaf was
of excellent quality, the crop as whole
was not such as to warrant the predic-
tion of any phenomenal development of
the industry along the lines then being
followed. However, the indications in
Texas and Alabama for the production
of tobacco so favorably impressed the
officials that the Bureau of Soils has de-
cided to encourage the farmers to under
take the growing of the crop to limited
extent. Following this idea, the bureau
in 1908 conducted a series of tobacco ex-
periments on the Orangeburg soils
around Nacogdoches, Luskin and Wood
vile, Texas. This crop has been sold
and distributed among the principal ci
gar manufacturers of the country, who
have expressed practically unanimous
satisfaction with the leaf. 1t is the gen
eral feeling of the trade that this tobac
CO will till an important place in the
market, If produced in sufficient quanti-
ties and at reasonable prices. The to-
bacco being an entirely new product,
and having at present time no fixed
status in the market, it is to be expected
that it's introduction will be more or less
slow and tedious, and the growers of this
Texas leaf must not at first look for the
highest prices. The value of this tohac-
CO. as far as the bureau has informed
itself to the present time, varies consid-
erably, the prices for the finished pro-
duct ranging from 25 to 40 cents pound,
according to the grade and quality of the
leaf, but the grower cannot expect TO
obtain at the outset more than 15 or 20
cents for the unfermented leaf. From
computations based on the past work of
the bureau, it is estimated that the cost
of growing the tobacco. under normal
conditions, should not exceed 10 cents
pound. The average yield is estimated
to be 900 pounds or more to the acre.
During the past two years the bureau
has also conducted experiments in Perry
county. Alabama, and in Darlington and
Orangeburg counties, S. c., upon the
same types of soil as In Texas. The TO-
bacco grown in Alabama, while not con-
sidered quite so good as the Texas pro-
duct. meets with much approval from
the trade, but the leaf so far produced in