The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-07-12
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

CioSc VI Tue tIduop4o1tiIS oOooOh Az oiA
sections. IF there be any belated grow
ers who have this work yet to complete
they must recognize they are taking
long chances in expecting crop to ma
ture set after the middle of July. It
must be remembered that close to half
the crop of this state has been trans
ferred to the fields about two weeks
later than the usual time for transplant
ing in this latitude, and to extend this
time still further week or ten days is
placing a great deal of dependence upon
Providence for exceptional weather con-
ditions to mshe the crop. All that por-
tion of the c.. that was safely in the
fields by the beginning of July has been
favored with copious rains that have
given the plants strong roofing and an
excellent start which is fast making up
for the delays of planting. Seldom has
there been a more even or better stand
secured and the plants have scarcely
stopped growing in removing them from
the beds to the fields. Should the pres
ent weather conditions continue for the
balance of the month, these fields prom
ise to approach harvest not far behind
the usual date of other years, despite
what might be in store for the later
planted end of the crop.
***
In its issue of July 13, American Agri-
culturist says of the progress OF the to-
bacco crop: The latter part of June
and early July brought an abundance of
warm favorable weather, facilitating the
work of setting out tobacco seed beds,
and of cultivating young plants in the
field. In most instances throughout
New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
Ohio and New England there has been
sufficient moisture to enable newly set
tobacco to push forward with the ut
most celebrity. Transplanting in New
England was practically completed by
July l, in Wisconsin and New York
many growers overlapped we'll into the
seventh month. However, the past few
weeks have proved most favorable for
tobacco growers in the two states
ln&med, and it can be detiaitely stated
that the outlook for the 1907 crop is far
better than during the middle of June.
Settins tobacco in the open was delayed
this year to such an extent that lnfOr-
nation regarding the acreage has up to
the present time been most difficult to
secure. AS far as can be learned, how
ever, the area devoted the crop in cigar
leaf producing states is not radically
different from last year. Had the sea-
son proved earlier, no doubt the plans of
growers for legal increase in the to-
bacco acreage would have been carried
out more fully than has been done. All
that planters now desire is plenty of
warm weather from now until fall, an
absence of hail, sufficient moisture and
withholding of frosts. If these eondi-
tions fulfill, the tobacco outlook for 1907
| may be put down as satisfactory.
~
The Department Of Agriculture is
planning to secure unusually trustworthy
reports of the acreage planted in tobacco
| for the current season. These reports
will be made as of July l, and crop re-
porters in all the tobacco growing dis
tricts are being cautioned to use great
but in adopting the proper basis in their
calculations to determine the percentage
which should be credited to this years
| acreage. During the past three years
great pains have been exercised by the
| Department in securing reliable reports
| The preliminary acreage reports are
! carefully checked over later in the sea-
son and final report is made upon the
acreage actually harvested. The figures
| thus obtained form the only correct
| basis for estimating the seasons crop,
| the multiplying factor being the average
yield per acre in the particular region
| under consideration.
| *x*
| An elaborate description of four vari-
| eties of cigar wrapper tobacco which
| have been produced by A. D. Shamel,
| the physiologist in charge of tobacco
| breeding Investigations Bureau Of Plant
| industry, Department of Agriculture, is
| contained in the year book of the de-
partment. just issued. The varieties
| treated of are Uncle Sam Sumatra, Haz-
| elwood Cuban, Brewer Hybrid and the
. Cooley Hybrid, brief descriptions of
which appeared in this correspondence
recently. Their production is the evolu
| ton of experiments made by Mr. Shamel
in the Connecticut Valley since 1903
during which he made large number
of crosses of the native with the stand
| ard foreign grown varieties and selected
about 400 individual seed plants grow
! ing in the fields. These hybrids and
| others, amounting to 750 in all, have
been tested in the field, laboratory and
manufacturing establishments during
| the past three seasons, the inferior and
undesirable types discarded and the val
uable types used for further tests. Mr..
| Shamel says the four varieties above
named have proved to be valuable not
| only in the Connecticut Valley. but in
| other sections of the United States
adapted for growing cigar wrapper vari-
eties. The experience of the writer dur
ing the past four years has shown that
| breeding experiments Systematically car
/ ried out can be made of great practical
| Importance to the tobacco industry. 1t
! costs no more to grow an improved va
riety of tobacco giving higher yield OF
better quality than to grow unimprov-