The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-01-05
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

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The year just closed will pass into his
tory as the most profitable one ever
known to the local leaf trade. There
have been other fat years, but none
where everybody realized such handsome
profits on every transaction and the bus
mess cleared up so closely that dealers
were able to strike balance at the close
of the year and count their assets in cold
cash. When the year opened there was
considerable old leaf in country hands
aside from the 1904 crop which had been
quite largely bought at reasonable fig
ures. The trade had hardly awakened
yet to the fact that there was an impend
ing shortage of cigar tobaccos and the
surplus of other years was drawn upon
quietly to make up the deficiency. Later
when the stringency became more ap-
parent local dealers were able to draw
from the country supply and turn trades
iudiciously for several months before the
final rush arrived that cleaned up the
last vistage of cured leaf The ware
houses too were all the time being de-
pleted until stocks carried over the year
are smaller than ever before listed in in
ventories. Even the odds and ends and
accumulations of years have found a
ready sale at surprising igures. All this
occurred on rising market, bringing al
ways sure profit, and during the final
scramble unheard of figures for similar
class of goods. The same conditions of
trade. the scarcity of cigar leaf tobaccos,
has contributed to make the purchase of
1905 crop, while yet in the fields, safe
and profitable investment and those
dealers who cared to dispose of their
contracts have been able to clean up
handsomely-in many cases better than
is usually secured in carrying the pack
ing through the sweat. With these facts
before us we are constrained to write
that Wisconsin dealers ia tobacco have
every reason to feel that providence has
smiled upon them in 1905.
~
Neither has the grower of tobacco oc-
catie to- feel tn. the year is one with
out profit. he may possibly think he
will not secure quite all of his share of
the prosperity, bat he is going to obtain
higher prices for his 1905 tobacco by
nearly two cents than any previous crop
in some years has brought to him. The
conditions that now maintain ensures
for him a handsome return for the to-
bacco crop for some years to come. No
probable amount of increase of acreage
for the next one or two seasons can make
up for the shortage of cigar making leaf.
Even the filler grades are bound to be in
good demand for some time to come. 1t
will be remembered that the writer of
this column urged growers year ago to
plant more tobacco. Had the advice
been needed, Wisconsin farmers might
now be receiving a million dollars more
for this crop than they will receive.
Again we say, prepare to make the 1906
crop bumper one-the markets need it.
~
Another season of casing weather this
week has afforded an opportunity for
growers to remove the most of their
hanging tobacco for stripping. Deliver
les will soon follow now and packers are
arranging to start the seasons work of
handling the coming week. This will
release close to a couple of million dol
lars for tobacco and labor to be distrib-
uted through the tobacco growing coun-
ties the next few months. AS most of
this money will be drawn from eastern
banks and remain in the state, it ought
to help some. And it Will
~
Nearly every year. for a long period,
there has been shortage in some varie-
ty of cigar leaf in which Connecticut or
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio or Wis
'consin have had insufficient crops. and
compelled manufacturers to experiment
and substitute at more or less expense
and trouble. The only way out of the
trouble is to increase the acreage of ci-
gar leaf. The slightest glance at the
records will show that this acreage has
not kept pace with either wealth, popu-
lation or immigration, much less with
the three COM bined. In the past decade
national wealth has increased 70 per
cent. and population 25 per cent. Since
the last census immigration has brought
in 100000 persons, of whom over one
half are smokers. In the same period
cigar leaf acreage has increased but 20
per cent. While it is true that greater
skill and better culture have increased
the leaf output per acre and improved
the quality, the increase is much less
than that of the consuming forces. To
keep healthful balance between pro-
duction and consumption demands that
there should be an increased acreage of
cigar leaf. Political and social disorders
in Russia, impending dynastic changes
in Austro Hungary, economic influences
in Italy and Industrial conditions in
Great Britain promise heavy immigra
tion for many years to come, which
means an ever-growing army of smokers.