The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-08-02
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


What marked contrast in the tobac-
co market conditions today and year
ago this date! The first week of August
last year found two-thirds of the grow
ing crop under contract and buyers
everywhere trying to secure terms on
holdings and were anxious to re-invest
their money upon almost any terms they
could agree upon. Many fields we're
bought as soon as it had fairly started
to grow and speculation pure and sim
pie had seemingly carried away the en-
tire trade. Looking back upon the un-
businesslike methods that prevailed a
year ago, the wonder is that such things
could be true. The trouble that ensued
in trying to deliver crop contracted for
under such circumstances brought about
a firm resolve on the part of both buy
ers and growers not to repeat the expert
ment, and it begins to look as if the res
olution would be kept. Nowhere do the
buyers show disposition to enter the
buying field, so the action of the Society
of Equity in agreeing not to dispose of
tobacco before harvesting is hardly nee
essary. All of whicl brings out the con-
trast above alluded to more strongly,
***
Frederick J. Haskins who delights to
delve in statistics, says that one eeighth
of the net receipts of the federal govern
ment arise from taxes upon tobacco, a
crop unknown to commerce before the
discovery of America is well known to
persons who have interested themselves
in the tariff and have followed the ques-
tion at issue between the government
and the tobacco trust, but few OF those
who smoke cigars Or pipes know that the
United States department of agriculture
treats the tobacco plant almost as If it
we're thing with animal life and that it
responds so readily to scientific culture
that plant breeding is carried on with as
great sureness OF results as the breeding
of cattle. At present between 10000
and 100000 acres of land in the United
States are annually devoted to tobacco
growing. The crop is worth approx
mately $70,0O0,000 and the governments
income from the industry is about equal
to the value of the raw product The
manufactured product is worth above
$3OO,0O0,000 and 10000 persons are en-
ployed in producing it, The great in
crease in the demand for cigars, cigar
cites and smoking and chewing tobacco
necessitates an increased acreage or an
81 he hnr ~ nj nt
industry is sparing no energy nor ex-
pense to prove the adaptability of GER
tain varieties to certain soils and climates
with a view to enlarging the crop.
xxx
Among other schemes for fighting the
trust is the formation of a ten million
dollar corporation to manufacture the
tobacco of the Society Of Equity Offic-
e-s of this society claim to control about
so per cent. of the 1906 crop and about
85 per cent of the white Burley of 1907.
It is proposed to declare this tobacco Off
the market, and form a company to
manufacture it, All the tobacco is to be
sold to the new company and none to
the trust, which, being deprived of tho
raw material, would be compelled, ac
cording to calculations, to go out of bus
iness AS one of the officers of the So
ciety of Equity remarked: "We have the
tobacco The thing to do is to realize
on it without selling it to the trust 1t
is proposed to capitalize the company at
S10,O00,000, of which 100000 would be
taken by the growers and paid for ia to-
bacco. The company would sell the re-
naming five millions to bankers and
others and start manufacturing tobacco
in number of places.
*x*
The directors OF the tobacco dep t
ment of the American Society of Eeiy
met Friday afternoon in the Office of
State Secretary S. D. Kump and alrcred
the following members of a commit tee
which will meet with the IndeE etdent
Tobacco Manufacturers and Cigar MDk-
ers in Chicago to assist in fighting the
tobacco trust: S. ID. Kump, secretary ~
the tobacco department of the A. S. of
E, Rock county; Lars 0. Lein, Sr.. Cam
bridge, Dane county; Theodore Simons,
TAYLOR, Jackson county; 81. E. Holmes,
Milton. Rock county; 81. S. Pomeroy,
Edgerton, Rock county; j. G. Hanson,
Deerfeld, Dane county.