The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-10-15
EDGERToN's WEED INDUSTRY.
AS Viewed By the Madison State
Journal.

bacco capital of Wisconsin and one of
the tobacco capitals of the country.
Situated in the heart of one of the rich
est weed districts in the land with a
half hundred warehouses, it enjoys a
peculiar prestige. At the Carlton hotel
one can hear more reliable tobacco dope
of the big and authoritative kind than
he can elsewhere in many a day, S
travel. At this hostelry not only IS the
weed smoked, but talked, eaten, slept
and dreamed by it's patrons and habit
ues, because here foregather the real
article in the line of dealers and ex-
perts. The Wisconsin Tobacco Re-
porter, one of the two weekly news
papers of the place, is read all over the
United States on account of it's reliable
tobacco news. Through long residence
here and study Of the subject, F. w.
Coon, the editor, has become g. sort OF
oracle on the subject of the weed and
his comments and forecasts generally
are accepted as reliable and safe guides
of action.
At present the weed growers in this
vicinity are in high feather, for not
only have they safely shielded fine
crop, but sold it at high figure. Yet
the rejoicing is tempered by little
alloy of anxiety. With no other crop
are there so many elements of uncer-
tainty. From the moment the weed is
sprouted until he jingles the coin in his
pocket the tobacco farmer is never sure
of what his returns will be. In the
first place the seed may be poor or the
season too cold or too wet; summer
brings the danger of drouth, hail and
worms, and the fall the peril OF frost.
Even after it is safely under roof there
is the possibility of "shed burning" and
other damages. However, the farmer
feels reasonably safe once he has his
crop under roof and that is his sltua-
ton this year in general.
There were grave fears while the
summer drouth was on this year that
the tobacco crop would be failure,
but the wonderful recruperative power
of the plant was beautifully shown.
For weeks the plants apparently lay
dormant and wilted in the parched
fields, yet all the time they were send
ing their roots deeper and deeper into
the ground in search of moisture. When
at last rain came they grew with al
most mushroom rapidity and the re-
suit was a crop of high quality and
yield.
There were about 80, acres plant
ed to tobacco in Wisconsin this year;
the acreage has been nearly 40, 900
some wears. Dane and Rock counties
furnished about one-half of this total,
Dane county, if not the banner weed
county in the union, is at least near
the top. Two other counties proml-
nent on the state tobacco map are Yer
non and Crawford They also produce
heavily and some buyers consider the
northern" leaf as it is called of these
counties superior to the southern or
the Edgerton district; others do not.
Tobacco is peculiar proposition. Inc
quality and flavor will vary greatly in
adjoining localities, often in adjoining
farms The weed is raised in Wiscon-
sin as far north as Colfax. AS the
corn and apple belt is being gradually
pushed northward perhaps the tobacco
belt also will be- About 5000 acres OF
this years Wisconsin crop was more or
less damaged by frost. Otherwise the
showing is good in the state, better
than Pennsylvania, for instance, where
there was but 60 per cent crop.
Wisconsin tobacco is essentially bind
er goods and Edgerton is said to be the
greatest cigar leaf town in the world.
During the sorting season the weekly
payroll of the warehouses sometimes
runs as high as $4,000. A small army
of girls and young men is employed.
Most of these come from the surround
ing country and are expert in their line.
In fact it becomes difficult to house all
this help in Edgerton and to remedy
this situation warehouses are being
built in the neighboring cities.
The principal foreign warehouses in
Edgerton are those of the American
Cigar Co., New York; United Cigar
Manufacturers Co., New York; Eisen-
lohr Bros, Philadelphia; Spitzner &
Son, New York; L. w. Scott & Co.,
Boston: Culton & We'll, New York and
Edgerton. Among the big ones in the
hands of local men are those of McIn-
tosh Bros, A. Jensen & Sons, Conway
Bros, E. M. Hubbell, T. B. Earle, w.
T. Pomeroy & Co., C. F. Mabbett and
H. T. Sweeney. The American COM
pany also has warehouses at Madison,
Stoughton, Sparta, Portage and Brod-
head.
The weed has brought riches to the
surrounding country here as attested
by the splendid, nicely painted houses
and barns that one sees everywhere
along the roads. Yet it is probable that
in the long run the same growers would
have been even more prosperous had
they devoted the same energy and
study to dairying, as the exclusive
dairy regions are surprising even those
of the naughty tobacco lords. Practic-
ally tobacco growing and dairying
should be carried on together; other
wise the weed will soon impoverish the
land and this fact is more and more re-
ceiving recognition.
These observations on the tobacco
industry are merely the more striking
impressions made upon the visitor to
this attractive and bustling little place.
The weed subject is too vast and intri-
cate to permit of authoritative discus
sion save by years of study, yet the
statements presented may contain some
thing Of interest if not of value and
lead to visit to this town which is
well worth the making. Edgerton is a
nlace of 25(0 souls. of pretty and COM