The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-01-18
The Wisconsin Binder situation.

The Wisconsin Binder situation.
1t will probably he of great interest to-
the cigar manufacturers to know what
to expect year from now when they
will have to bind their cigars with the
new 1906 crop Of Wisconsin tobacco.
This crop of tobacco has now been har-
vested, cured in the sheds, and owing to
most favorable casing weather has all
been taken down from the poles, and
delivery to packers is now under way.
The packers will now commence to sort.
size and pack it, and by the middle OF
May the 1906 crop will all be in case,
ready to commence that natural fermen-
tation which experience has proved to
be the best method for retaining those
admirable qualities of absolute reliabil-
ity of burn and Neutrality of taste which
have made the Wisconsin the foremost
binder leaf Of the United States. It
may be of interest to here say that the
question OF the perfect burning of Wis
consin is due to the practice throughout
the state of Wisconsin of using no artf-
fetal fertilizers, guano nor hsh, on the
tobacco land, but to the exclusive use OF
stable manure. AS long as the growers
of Wisconsin viii adhere strictly to the
use of stable manure, so long will the
state reign supreme, as supplying the
binders for all the large manufacturers,
who cannot afford to use tobacco from a
state where every other crop has been
raised on different artificial fertilizer.
resulting in an occasional crop that does
not burn. When it is realized that a
single case of bad burning binders is
used to cover 10000 cigars and that one
crop may consist of from ten to thirty
cases, it will easily be realized why man
ufacturers have become more and more
converted to the use of the product of a
state where perfect burning is the rule.
When all the growers in the other bind
er states return to the exclusive use OF
stable manure, we shall again sec the
large factories turn to the products or
these states without prejudice for their
binder supplies. whenever price or qual
ity makes that change advantageous,
The government report which has Just
been issued places the acreage of Wis
consin at $4,000 acres and the yield at
49. .725O00 pounds. 1t is the general con-
census OF opinion among the local WIS
consin packers and the large New York
packers that the acreage planted os me
1906 crop was from $4,000 to $4,000 acres,
so that we believe the government fig
ures to be approximately correct A
variation of few million pounds would
not affect the situation materially Ow-
ing to the light yield per acre this year.
although the planters had put in "a 10
per cent increase of tobacco acreage, the
total quantity or pounds produced OF
the 1906 crop is approximately the sanns
as that of the 1905 crop. On the otAeE
hand, manufacturers need not worry
about this apparent lack OF Increase OF
available supply Of binders, becanse 'he
1905 crop, just before the time for har-
vesting was visited by three severe haal
storms that seriously injured oae third
of the crop, cutting down the s@s ply 4
clean grades one third, while to- k9Oh
crop escaped all bat two small at"Fmss
so that 80 per cent of last years growth
will be available for high-grade cigars
OF this years crop of 5O,OOO,OOO pounds
the farmers are bringing in an average
of II per cent of farmers filters, and
when the clean portion Of the crap ~
handled by the packers over the tables.
the packer has still to throw out about s
per cent of filters and seconds; and he
has among his clean tobacco about 5, prr
able for BIS. So that of tho 50,0u0OC0
pounds, 50 per cent, or ]6,000,000 pounds,
is not suitable or available for binders,
as all the filters and most Of the sacoucs
are consumed for smoking tobacco and
the balance of the low grades is export.
ed to be used in Europe in the produc-
ton of penny cigare. This will leave The
state of Wisconsin production Of 3d.
100000 pounds, or at 800 pounds Det
marked weight IT, case will give pro-
duction of about 112,000 cases OF clean
grades. This quantity may be slightly
overestimated on account OF the INJURY
produced by he two small hail Storms
above referred to. AS the 1905 crop pro-
duced only ABOUT 10000 eases Of c'@an
grades, it can be seen that this years
prod though apparently the same
number of pounds, actually produced
10000 cases more of available grade
AS to the quality of the 1906 crop, it
will be fully equal to that of the previ-
Gus year, comparing favorably with it in
leafiness. The tobacco has little more
substance and life and gives ipdicA ions
of coming through the sweat with very
much smaller percentage of damag~. To
compare the crop in style and QUALIFY
with other years, il is similar crop o
the 1898 but is sounder jD leaf, and will
compare favorably with the 1902 and
1906 crops, having little more sub
stance and body while being fully as
leafy.-U. s. Tob. Journal.
sm.....-...s..-.n-
TAXES, nothing but fresh taxes ap~
pears to be the cry from the White Sea
T.