The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-06-21
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

The first real summer weather of me
season, such as gives crops the long
locked for boom, has been with us the
greater portion of the week. So sudden
translation from cool days to mid sum-
mer heat has given such an impetus to
plant life that much of the lateness of
the season has already been overcome.
The plant beds have shot up with an
amazing growth that tobacco growers
find they must work long hours to pre-
pare their fields 10 advance of their
needs in transpanting. By the close of
this week good start will have been
made in the planting of the 1907 crop.
The extreme heat of mid day, however,
has not been quite as favorable for the
transplanting as growers desire, but they
are making the best of the opportunity
in putting out the crop. They find that
the plants have acquired an exception
ally fine root during the time they were
making slow progresss which will be very
much in their favor when transplanted
to the fields, as it should take less time
to overcome the shock ia transplanting.
~
The inactivity of the leaf trade for the
past six months or such matter has be-
come generally accepted to mean that
cigar manufacturers believe domestic
leaf prices too high and that by holding
off their orders break in prices would
inevitably follow. Their conclusion was
based upon two sources first that the
1906 CROP would produce some surplus
over the manufacturing needs of the
year, and also that the output for 1907
would fall short of the previous year.
Commenting on the situation, the U. S.
Tobacco Journal in recent issue has
this to say: *
But we'll grounded as both fact and
assumption may have been, time and ma
ture seem to have reversed their logical
anticipations. There was ground for
the assumption of halt in the increased
output of the cigar industry in the gen
eral unrest which was supposed would
affect adversely the prosperity of the
country and cause shrinkage IN its
progr essive consumption. But when the
returns of the monthly cigar stamp sales
came in they recorded instead of fall
ing off, an ever advancing output for
every one of the five months passed SO
far and such a substantial advance as
would if kept up proportionately for the
balance of the year exceed even the
greatest increase of 1906. Whatever ef
feet then the peoples undeniable unrest
and dissatisfaction may have on other
industries they have certainly not lntlu
enced unfavorably SO far the progress of
the cigar industry. Time therefore has
invalidated the assumption Of either
retrogressjon Or even standstlll in our
cigar production. And it must obvious
ly also upset the calculation of the forti-
tication with sufficient supply of stock
till surrender is forced on the new crops.
For the largely increased output must
have made unexpected lnroads on the
hoard of stock with the result of requir-
ing perhaps an earlier REIMBURSEMENT
than anticipated. That the 1906 domes-
tic cigar leaf crops were comfortably
larger, to state it very moderately, than
the 1905 crops were, is fact not to be
denied. But it has all the appearance
as if nature would knock out the logical
consequences of this fact which promis-
ed the manufacturer the relief in
break of prices. With weather in June
more appropriate for fall and early win
ter than for the growing season, chilling
the young plants, the prospects for an
abundant cigar leaf crop this year are
most disheartening. If the weather
should not mend or turn into real sum-
mer soon we may yet have tobacco
crop, but it will of necessity be limited
one. And in view of such a shortage
holders of the 1906 crop are not likely to
surrender on the prlce. Only bumper
crop this year would have made break
in prices reasonably certain.
*2*
It was freely predicted and confidently
expected that the cigar leaf tobacco acre
age throughout the United States for
1907 would compare most favorably with
last wear, il not run much heavier.
Growers in Wisconsin and parts of Ohio,
PENNSYLVANIA and New York bad made
preparations to extend the acreage ap-
preciably. Orange Judd Farmer has
thoroughlv canvassed the situation and
finds that in all districts, with the ex-
ception of Florida and Texas, the season
is one to two weeks late BY the open
ing of June less than 20 per cent. of the
1907 cigar leaf crop in the northern
states had been transplanted from seed
bed to field It will be June 90 before
this work will have progressed sufficient
ly to give anything definite regarding
the general mas nitude of the acreage
this year. In New York, setting will not
be wholly completed prior to July |.
AS far as being handicapped by the
late season is concerned, Wisconsin seems
to have suffered more than other states.
Many of our correspondents. in such i'm
portant counties as Rock, Dane, Vernon
and Juneau say growers had planned to