The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1908-08-21
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES



new crop while yet growing in the fields
started Tuesday in the Vernon county
district. is the news brought in on the
wires. The bare announcement that
the ball is opened is enough to start
buyers skerrying in that direction. and
possibly by this time half hundred
men are out riding the country. To
what extent this hotfoot campaign will
reach remains to be seen. The prices
reported to be offered-from s to 10
cents for wrapper and binder grades -
are not so especially attractive as to
cause growers to climb over one another
to sign contracts, but pretty good as a
starter With the unpleasant remem-
brances of the mistakes of 1906 so fresh
in mind, it appears to US as passing
strange why any dealer should care to
jump into the field at this time ond con-
tract for immature tobacco that is sub
ject to so many disasters before it
reaches a time for delivery. And this,
too, in section of the state where the
crop is generally reported to be the
least prom ising. 1t is too deep prob
lem for us.
But how the new crop has come along
since the breaking of the drouth! The
warm, muggy days that followed the
rains put new life and vigor into the
plants and shot them forward at such
pace as only tobacco seems capable of.
The pinching effects of the drouth are
being Graduated so rapidly that except
in the very earliest fields that it seems
likely to disappear entirely. Without
any further setbacks the growing crop
in this locality has chance to make an
average yield. The later fields of course
give promise of being the heavier
growth.
In summing up the condition of the
growing tobacco crop, the N, e. Home
stead has this to say: This years cigar
leaf crop in all sections has come
through to the harvest period with ex-
deptionally small damage by hail. This
iB In marked contrast to certain preced-
ihg seasons where hundreds of acres of
Eddled leaf resulted in losses of thous-
ands of dollars to growers. Last week
recorded some hail damage along the
Connecticut and Housatonic valleys in
Connecticut, but this was local rather
than general. The last half of August
should witness great activity in harvest
ing northern tobacco, as the crop has
matured more quickly than it did last
season. Unless something unforeseen
should develop it looks as if there need
be little apprehension that frost will nip
the crop this fall. Little or no contract 4
ing of 1908 tobacco has been noted in
the field. This is good sign, for when
this practice is INDUCED in too often acts
as boomerang, the grower coming out
at the little end of the horn and being
forced to make good whatever losses the
dealer may incur.
~
A meeting of those tobacco growers of
Utica and Freeman whose crops were
destroyed in the GAINESVILLE fire recently
was held at Mt. Sterling Friday last and
two of their number will perhaps go to
Madison as delegates to look after their
interests in adjusting the insurance.
Sam Iverson and Ole A. Helgerson were
appointed. Those who had insurance
will not be heavy losers as the tobacco
was insured at from to 10c per pound.
The cost of sizing, casing, freights, prem
ium, etc, costs only about &c per pound,
leaving the net proceeds from 6 to Sc per
pound The Edgerton Reporter in its
criticism of the Equity movement states
that the insurance carried was only &c
per pound and it cost &c to case it, etc.
The report predicts dissatisfaction
among growers who were unfortunate
also, but we think that perhaps Craw-
ford county growers were hit as hard as
any other and not word of complaint
is heard. Those who had insurance will,
if loss is properly adjustrd, receive more
than twice what they could have sold
for last fall hence they have no reason
to complain. Those who had no insur-
ance are to blame individually, as the
Equity management took special pains
to advise every farmer who placed his
crop in pool to take out insurance.
Gays Mills Independent.
~
In an extended review of the Society
of Equity movement in the Southern to-
Eacco fields, the Cincinnati Commercial
comes to this conclusion: There IS to-
day no trust SO arbitrary as the trust OF
the Society of Equity. There is no trust
bO-Qdy III WHICH, LILO COLSiStSuGf pdl Us
the Individual members have less con-
troll over their products than the indi-
vidual members of the Society of Equity
whose crops of tobacco are pooled with
the society. The prices at which their
crops are to be sold, the expenses OF in
surance, inspection, storage interest
all items, n fact-are beyond the con-
troll of the owner of the crop, with his
investments of time. money and labor
made over to the society without power
of recall by him. IL the pooling they
have executed to the society first mort
gage on their crops, with an absolute
power of attorney to the officials of the
society to do as they may please to do
with the pooled crops, and without
power of revocation of the attorneyship
remaining in the hands OF the helpless
pooler. It is story of the greatest, the
most oppressive and the most exacting
trust of the day-a story the truths of
which come from records of the Society
of Equity; story interesting to all men,
and especially interesting to the tobacco
-, no M