The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-05-04
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


The prospective acreage of the coming
tobacco crop seems very likely to be con-
fined to the shed capacity growers al
ready possess in the older growing sec
tions of the state. This might not be
true If it were not for the high price of
building material which each year rises
higher in the scale and will continually
prove serious obstacle in the way of in
creasing tobacco acreage in all the cigar
leaf states The construction of curing
sheds is generally made of the cheaper
class of soft lumber, but even these
grades have gone up steadily 100 per
cent. in the past few years, until this
item is now to be reckoned with when
increased curing capacity is considered.
OF course there are great many unused
sheds in some of the older growing coun-
ties which may again be utilized in ex-
tending the acreage devoted to tobacco.
Growers, too will repair their old curing
houses and put them in shape for the
coming crop and doubtless plant all the
acreage their sheds will accommodate,
but few are disposed to build new cur
ing houses even under the encouraging
prospects of extra large profits the COM
ing few years. In some of the newer
growing sections in the northern portion
of the state, where building material is
nearer the source of supply, consider
able new shed room may be constructed,
but the fact remains that the acreage
will not be increased so largely as the
conditions would warrant were building
material not so expensive. There was a
time when the curing sheds in Wiscon-
sin held over 10000 acres of tobacco.
How many of them are yet in existence
or how many have since been added is
rather difficult to say.
"Should the next domestic tobacco
crop fail, then most assuredly, the cigar
self in very desperate position" is how
g man we'll versed in the affairs of the
fcaf market expressed himself. There
is as yet, however, no call for worry; the
supplies of both domestic and foreign
tobaccos now in hand are sufficient to
last the year, and in addition Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Wisconsin and New York
hope this year for the biggest crops on
record. Prices are high and will GER
tainly remain so for another year at
least. The better grades Of domestic to-
bacco are at least 40 per cent. above the
values ruling In normal times (if the
term can be accurately applied to so
fuctuating a commodity as tobacco),
| while the lower grades run all the way
from 100 to 200 per cenS. above quota
tions of average years. The reports that
have been circulated regarding corner
| in tobacco are all moonshine; there is
nothing whatever in it. The present
situation is due to natural causes alone
chief among which is the eve increas-
| ing production of cigars and tObaccos
The growth in the latter branch of the
| industry has been veritable godsend
| alike to the farmer, the leaf dealer and
| the cigar manufacturer; it has caused
| demand for the refuse, scraps and waste
products of raw tobacco. Such stuff Ill
past years was either thrown away as
| waste or was sold for cent or so per
| pound; today it brings as high as %
cents. This stuff, it is said, goes mainly
| into the manufacture of cheap smoking
| and chewing tobaccos. Hence, If leaf
houses are not doing very heavy busi-
| ness today they, like other branches OF
| the tobacco industry, have had their
| wind falls and have little to complain Of.
+, Actually the jobbers are the only people
who have any grounds for grumbling,
| and they only because they did not see
far enough ahead and lay in larger sup
plies in time"
| *.
| The Bureau of Soils of the Depart
ment of Agriculture proposes to cult
| vate 27O acres of Cuban seed filler to-.
bacco during the coming season in An
derson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Lavaca
and Lee counties, Texas, through farm.
ers in those sections. Four experts of
the Bureau will supervise the work, and
so confident are they of the success of
the forthcoming crop that they have al
ready sold the tobacco to be grown to
Taussig & Co., the Chicago leaf dealers,
at the rate of l5 cents per pound. This
firm has also agreed to purchase ten
| acres of Sumatra tobacco which the ex-
perts will grow during the coming sea-
son under shade in Nacogdoches county,
! and five acres ia Anderson county, at
40 cents pound. The tobacco experts
say that from their past experiences the
Texas soil is well adapted to the growing
of the Cuban seed filler. In Perry and
Dallas counties, Alabama, 70 acres of
Cuban seed filler tobacco will be raised,
which has been already purchased by
| Taussig & Co. at l5 cents pound. Ten
acres of Cuban seed filler are also to be
grown in Ohio, which has been contract
ed for by Cincinnati firm at 40 cents a
pound, packed, and one hundred acres
| additional are to BE raised IN Ohio by
! farmers in different sections of the state,
| the product of which has been engaged
by three Ohio tobacco firms at from 10