The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-04-27
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


A movement originating with the local
branches of the American Society of
Equity, farmers organization, has been
started to secure the pledges of local to-
bacco dealers not to engage in buying
growing tobacco in the fields. The prop
osition, however, is not meeting with the
encouragement it probably deserves.
There is no one connected with the to-
bacco business that cares of choice to
repeat the experience of the past two
seasons and enter into contracts to re-
ceive crops before they are matured or
even cured and the character of the leaf
determined. But circumstances some
times make it advisable to do so, even
though the transaction violates the good
business principles. Thus the average
dealer can hardly see why he should
pledge himself not to do things his bet
ter judgment does not approve of. On
the other hand, the farmers organiza-
ton, which is becoming quite factor in
the tobacco growing DISTRICTS has it in
it's power to accomplish what it desires
the dealers to do. Let the growers
unite in pledge not to dispose of their
tobacco until it is matured, cured and
ready for the market, and the thing is
done. If the grower would refuse to
SELL it would be useless for the buyers to
ride the country, and this risky trading
in futures would end. The solution is
easy and the burden of proof so to
speak, lies with the very people who ask
the dealers to help bring about the re-
form. Will they do it?
***
JOS Bimberg of Elmira, n. Y, sends h
circul ar sent out by Cincinnati firm
offering filters at from AZ to Sc and
leafy ~ achine binders at from to 1Oc
actual weight, and notes that the tobac-
co was grown in section of the country
that produces binder equal to cigar
leaf for cheap work. This illustrates
what is being done in the line of sub
stitution. The query is, where did they
get it?
The ''frenzied finance" of the stock
ssserket seems to have found counter
part in the frenzied gambling in futures
of cigar leaf crops. Report comes from
Wisconsin that offers have been made to
contract for three years for the Wiscon-
sin crops Of 1906, 1907 and 1908 for 10
that 12 cents have been offered for the
1906 Pennsylvania crop which of course
is not planted yet. There cannot be
.ol 4x~ o&
years ahead at boom prices for crops, If
it were permissible to say. "yet unborn"
The situation may look very roseate for
the present or few months ahead. But
one can no more tell what might happen
six or eight months hence to upset with
one stroke all "frenZied" calculations
than that any one could have foreseen
only week ago the terrible calamity
that would befall San Francisco and in
the twinkle of an eye and wipe out hun
dreds of millions of assets, and cause
loss, probably an absolute one Of hun
dreds of thousands of dollars to our cigar
industry. And then there are the effects
of the pending coal strike which may
last six months or longer as did the coal
strike three years ago, and cripple con
siderably the seed branch of our crop
industry. With such national calami-
ties obstructing a clear view into the
future it is well to abide by the old ad
age: "Make haste slow (festina lente)in
stead of jumping headIong into the abyss
of frenzied gambling in future crops
N Y. Journal.
x*#
The so-called free leaf tobacco bill
passed by the House as substitute for
half a dozen measures introduced by