The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-11-12
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

Il . = =
what is the matter of the 1906
crop?" This question has been fre-
quently asked by people familiar with
the fact that it has been an incubus
upon the market for the past two years
and they are still looking far salts
factory answer. The answer is easy.
the market has been poisoned. Pri-
marily it was the price. The tobacco
costs too much money. The grower
was the man who pocketed the profits,
while everybody else who touched it
was sorry. No crop ever grown in the
state is due to lose the general packer
so much money as the 1906, and yet the
crop contained some of the best bind
ers the state has ever produced. The
Unusual percentage of damage that
came in the cure when first sampled
was thrown upon the market at what
ever figures it would bring and the
manufacturers who bought it were dis
appointed in the results and thus the
| crop got black eye which has ever
| since been extremely hard to get away
from. The sound, desirable binders of
the 1906 crop are all right and meet the
requirements of the trade, and but for
the reputation that has been tagged to
lit, it would be in good demand yet.
These goods have been slandered, ma
ligned and sacrificed so long that some
packers have lost hope that they will
ever regain their standing in the trade.
There are, however, some manufactur-
ers who recognize its merits and con-
tinue to use it i'll preference to any
later year crop. There will be more of
them after the crop is out of the mar
ket. The 1906 crop has been the goat
long enough.
Wisconsin tobacco growers are send
ing in to the college of agriculture of
the University of Wisconsin the results
of this years experience in growing to-
bacco from the 1900 samples of i'm
proved seed distributed by the Wiscon-
sin college this spring. Approximately
70 per cent Of the tobacco crop of the
state was grown from seed furnished
by the college authorities, who are in
terested in checking up the results of
the experience of Wisconsin growers
with this improved seed. Future ef-
forts to improve the variety will be de-
termined partly by the results reported
by Badger tobacco growers.
IS
The selection of Mr.. A. L. Sylvester,
the New York leaf dealer, to take
charge Of the cigar leaf interests of the
American Tobacco Co. places a compe
tent, practical tobacco man at the head
of the largest manufacturing industry
of the country. 1t seems also con-
fession that heretofore men in charge
of this department lacked the practical
experience necessary to meet the de-
mands of so large a business. In as
suming his new responsibilities, Mr..
Sylvester will take hold of the manage
ment with free hand and will be Civ
en- absolutely carte blanche in the cigar
| leaf manipulations Of the company. 1t
| is understood that he is expected to ex-
ercise his own judgment, and that ne
will not be hampered or interfered with
| in any way in his direction of the de-
partment over which he preSideS; but
that, on the other hand, he will be held
strictly accountable, and will be ex-
pected to produce result.
Official figures indicate that the Dutch
syndicates producing the Sumatra to-
bacco have not been as successful IN
recent years as they formerly were. At
the Sumatra inscriptions this year there
were sold 271, 1858 bales at an average
price of 11Oc Dutch against the sale of
| 272, 463 bales at an average price OF gle
Dutch last year. 110c Dutch is 44c in
our money and that's the price realized
for the. running lot containing stuck
blatt, third, second and first lengths,
or as we would call it here, filler, bind
er and wrapper leaf. At Gle Dutch the
companies were reported by our Amer
1 lCdIl COllSUl dI k1lIlOtCIOdul w HdtC lOOC
| last year eight million dollars. The re-
alization therefore this year of about
SC per pound more could have hardly
netted them large profit.
Another successful cigar manufactur-
| ing concern has been absorbed by the
tobacco trust, is the report that comes
from New York. The estensive plants
and business of the Hilson Go. were
taken over by the American Cigar Co.
The desire of Mr.. Edward Hilson,
founder and head of the Hilson Co., to
retire from the trade is the reason as
signed for the sale of this well-known
concern. Mr.. Hilson has been meditat-
| ing stepping down for some time and a
satisfactory offer was made and ac-
cepted. The identity and individuality
of the Hilson Co. will, it is understood,
L x,,o,x%a;Y,o1 hxy tho y,f1rcba cirr con-