The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-06-07
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

j
The most experienced tobacco growers
/ in the state men who have been cult
vating this crop from 20 to so years
frankly admit that they cannot recall a
year when the prospects for new crop
were more discouraging the first week of
| June, which is always considered the
! planting month. Estimates have been
made by men who have travelled consid-
erably about the growing districts that
| not more than 10 per cent of the plant
beds will be in readiness for transplant
| ing by June 90 and exceptionally favor
| so per cent. are forward enough by July
| lst. These are simply opinions, but as
| the plants oftentimes make some. phe-
nomenal growth under favorable condi-
tions, the situation may have different
aspect week or ten days hence. In
some localities the growers have become
so discouraged at the outlook that they
have planted their tobacco fields to corn
as precautionary measure, so that if
| the plants fail to reach size to be
transplanted in reasonable season anoth-
er crop will have been started. Should
| the plants come on, however, the fields
can yet be turned into tobacco by sim
| ply reitting the ground. At best the
| transplanting of this seasons tobacco
crop must be unreasonably late and
late crop must of necessity mean short
one. With the most favorable weather
conditions from this on, no one need fig
| ure the '07 crop equal to that of last
season in acreage, and hence an over
production of cigar leaf need not be
feared. The outlook as viewed by pack
ers of the 06 crop is one of confidence
that their holdings will be in stronger
demand as the season advances.
~
The prolonged cold, backward spring
will have tendency to delay the sweat
| ing of the cased goods of last seasons
packing, especially those which it is de-
signed to have the natural cure. This
fact, too, is considered in its favor.
y Tnch os the -cased leaf has hardly start
ed to warm up yet and will not get
fairly into the sweat until permanent
summer weather occurs. Then the cur
| ing can go on without any break or de-
lays which is by far the best thing that
| can happen to the tobacco and may pre-
vent damage that might occur under
| other conditions.
! ***
| A correspondent thus describes the
| PENNSYLVANIA leaf situation: | find a
| good deal of discussion among the max
| ers of FIVE cent cigars as how best to
| meet an er-increasing rise in the kind
| of tobacco that goes into the best grades
| of these goods. Pennsylvania filters are
| not only way up, but those who have to
| buy old stock say it is still going up and
has already reached figure that leaves
| no profit to the manufacturer at S27 per
| thousand Those who have well-known
| brands are afraid to use any new substi
| tute lest the substitution be found out
and loss of trade follow. 1t is under
stood, however, that Kentucky and
| MARYLAND goods are now combining our
PENNSYLVANIA goods with those frr 70 the
| states named and IN that way are still
enabled to hold their trade. There seems
to be no question that suitable old to-
| baccos are growing scarce all over Penn
| sylvania and that manufacturers who
stocked up heavily year ago are now
! running low and must either be driven
| into the markets and pay the. price,
| whatever it may be, or else resort to the
cheaper, inferior grades. The big con-
Germs who have for several years been
| buying ten or fifteen thousand cases
| yearly, now have an immense advantage,
| and it would astonish no one II some OF
the small manufacturers would have to
| close their factories.
| *xs
Interesting information concerning the
tobacco industry of the Philippine Is
| lands is contained in the annual reports
| of the authorities of those possessions,
| which have been submitted to the War
Department by the Philippine Commis
| sion. 1t is stated that storm struck
the province of Isabella on December IL,
1905, swept out almost all the tobacco
between Exchague and llagan. The
| damage to the tobacco crop was estimat-
ed at 125,OOO pesos. In his report Di-
rector of Agriculture Welborn says that
$50 far nothing of value has been done
by the bureau with tobacco. vet this tor
merly great crop is deteriorating every
year in quality and not increasing IN
quantity 1t is losing market after mar
ket, and it's very existence as an export
product is being threatened with ex-
| tinction." He recommends the estab-
lishment of an experimental station for
work with the staple crops of the islands
| especially, situated so as to have easy
communication with Manila and yet be
far enough away from the seacoast to
expect good results with tobacco The
governor of the province of Cagayan re-
ports that the cultivation of tobacco of
fers but little encouragement owing per
haps to the low price quoted 10 Mania,
the lack of markets and the tariff. De-
spite these drawbacks, however, he says
that tobacco is lone of the principal
sources of wealth" for the province. For
! Z ho o&ofo hoc VIC tho DrInPInat