The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1905-11-10
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


The old story of "the early bird, ETC., y
applies with especial force to the move
ments of the tobacco market the present
season. Those buyers who were first in
the field and started the market, even
though their action was characterized as
unbusinesslike and illadvised, have,
through lucky circumstance of good
growing and curing weather, proven for
tunate spectators for once. The deal
ers whose business acumen could forsee
the market conditions and had the cour-
age to take the chance have most as.
suredly hit it right this year. In their
wake followed an army of small dealers
who jumped into the buying movement
on purely speculative basis, like taking
flyer" on the stock market. And this
class of tobacco men who with small
means or moderate credits that have
made killing" by disposing of their
contracts and cleaning up handsome
profits on their investments that amount
ed to but few dollars of advance
money. There has never been a time in
the history of the tobacco business when
the contracts for future delivery have
been bought and sold so freely as the
present season, and always at fine
profit. A few especially active operat-
ors have been able to turn their hold
ings two or three times. 1t is the move
ments of this class of men that have
kept the market active in searching the
remnants of the crop and prices at high
standards. Such an opportunity may
not come but once in a lifetime, but they
are making the most of it and the har-
vest is bounteous one while it lasts.
***
Mr.. Stephen Haight of Rockdale, who
with Ole Lein of Albion, went as dele
gates to the Owensboro, KY, convention
of tobacco growers, returns very much
impressed with the earnestness of the
convention. Mr.. Lein was made a mem
Der of the National committee, which
position carries with it the duties of
director. There were 700 in attendance
nd they marched in procession through
the streets of Owensboro. Mr.. Haight
said: sThe convention surprised me
very much. I had expected to meet a
lot of farmers with theories, but discov-
cred a number of people with practical
ideas and determination to fight the
devil with his own fire. The tobacco
trust has ruined the tobacco market in
Kentucky and Tennessee, but now these
producers have formed combination
and the whole years production goes
into general pool Shipments are
made direct to foreign countries and the
money received is divided proportion
ately. The scheme is certainly on a
great scale and rebounds greatly to the
advantage of the tobacco growers of
those states. A committee of fifty fixed
the minimum prices for the 1905 growth
but nothing was done abort Wisconsin,
as the present figures were about all the
market could afford There were doc
tors, lawyers, ministers, as we'll as farm
ers at the convention
~
An estimate of this years cigar leaf
crop puts the figure at 156,OOO,0O0. or
about six millions mo- nan the yield of
the 1904 crop. In the /. s.4nion of the u.
S. Tobacco Journal, this figure is too
high, as damage from one cause or an
other has considerably reduced the
available quantity of the cigar leaf from
this years crop In it's Judgment the
actual supply of cigar leaf from this
years crops will hardly be adequate to
the demand and the best proof of the
prospective shortage are the prices paid
by packers to growers for the 1905 bind
or and filler crops. From 13 to IA cents
were paid to Pennsylvania growers for
their filler crops, about 10 cents to the
Wisconsin grower for his binder crop,
and an average of from 10 to y cents to
the New York grower for his binder and
so per cent. higher than but few short
be voluntarily offered and made by
packers if in their keen judgment and
supposedly correct calculation of the
COHulLIouS VI supply anu uouauu there
would be no justification for it.
~
Much has been heard of the famous
Cuban tobacco, but few are familiar
with the size of the crop Of the Gem of
the Antilles" According to review is.
sued by the department of commerce
and labor, the area devoted to the super
ior Cuban tobacco does not exceed 100,-
600 acres, whereas the total area of the
island is about 20,000,000 acres. This
shows the possibilities of the extension
of the industry, as the needs of the world
call for it. There appears to be some
thing in the soil of Cuba that gives its
tobacco the unriyaled flavor color and
burning qualities that other sections can
not equal. Some give credit to the at
mosphere as well. Superior Cuban to-
bacco is largely produced in one of the
six provinces, Pinar del Rio. In sec
ton of that province forming sunny
southern slope is district covering
about 500 square miles This is known
as the famous 'sVuelta Abajo," where
the cream of Cuban tobacco is grown.
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