The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-04-02
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

It doubtless never occurred to people
not closely in touch with the tobacco
business what revenue producer this
commodity is to the railroads transport
ing the leaf from the states where it is
produced to the points of manufacture.
1t is high class freight and therefore
exceedingly profitable to the roads ham
ding the traffic. The best figures OBJ
tainable regarding the 1907 crop grown
in Wisconsin place it at so million
pounds. OF this it is quite probable
that 20 million pounds was shipped out
of the state in the bundle or between
800 and 900 car loads. The balance of
the crop was packed and stored in the
state for later shipments. Statistics
show that nearly 20 million pounds of
tobacco was shipped out of the Edger-
ton market alone in the year 1908, go
ing largely to manufacturing centers.
This is equivalent to about one thou
sand car loads for the twelve months.
When it is considered that the freight
charges on an average car OF tobacco
to New York, Philadelphia or other
eastern points amounts to about 5000 it
can readily be seen that as revenue
producer the tobacco traffic is we'll
worth looking after. 1t might also be,
said in this connection that the tobacco
shipments into Edgerton for concentra-
tion for the same period reached ID
million pounds.
~
A bill appropriating ten thousand dol
lars annually to the state branch of the
American Society of Equity is before
the legislature. If we could be assured
that the money was to be expended in
making good the losses of tobacco
growers who were induced to pool their
1907 crop. this paper would cheerfully
support the measure.
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Experiments in the improvement of
tobacco that have resulted in several
new varieties of excellence are review
ed in the annual report of the Agricul-
tural Experiment Station of the Uni
versity Of Wisconsin. Problems of to-
bacco caring have been taken up
through the station and by the use of
specially tfdipped sheds uniform color
was obtained and many of the troubles
at curing time avoided. Experiment
with commercial fertilizers on tobacco
have also been conducted. Tobacco
seed has also been distributed from the
station in large amounts, and last year
over 1000 growers received the i'm
proved seed, and at least two-thirds of
the Wisconsin crop was grown from it.
1t is estimated that about 80 per cent
of the tobacco crop of the state, this
coming season, will be grown from seed
grown by the Agricultural Experiment
Station.
A total of $12, 995, O36 was appropri-
ated by congress at the last session for
the support of the Department of Ag-
riculture during the fiscal years begin
ming July 1st next. The Bureau of
Plant Industry is given $23, 180 ''for the
investigation and improvement of
handling tobacco" K total Of $532, 76O
is given the Bureau of Soils for it's
work, including salaries. Of this $751;
800 is for mapping soils. Efforts were
made in the House to increase this ap-
preparation $1,000 but failed. The
Bureau of Entomology was given S527,-
$50, of which S42, 900 was specified in
Investigations of tobacco insects,
worms, etc., and other crop insects.
In addition the usual appropriations
were made for cooperative work with
experiment stations and of compiling
and issuing crop statistics.
***
Following the example of Virginia,
the farmers of Pennsylvania began
growing tobacco as soon as the first
settlements in the Provice were made.
The Bureau of Statistics of the Agri-
cultural Department has recently been
investigating the statistics in the inn
ports and exports as they are found
recorded in the Public Record Office at
London. From them we learn that for
the year ending September 20, 1893,
T0UIlSylNdIIld SGIlC W CIlG ulOIIlGI COuil-
try 21, ,946 pounds of the weed, and be-
tween that date and Christmas of the
same year 66,663 pounds; and for the
year ending Christmas, 1899, "a, 791
pounds. The average price per pound
for the Pennsylvania product was two
pence in gold of the present coinage of
the United States, or 4.096 cents for
both years, although the tobacco of
Maryland and Virginia brought only
3.616 in 1859. New England and New
York were also engaged in tobacco
growing at the same time, but their
product was much less than that of
Pennsylvania, although it sold for the
same price In 1859 the product of all
the colonies except Maryland and Vir-
ginia amounted to only 124, ,989 pounds
in the aggregate, while that of Mary
land and Virginia was 80, $40, 914 pounds.
Lancaster New Era.
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Congress has again the ''free leaf
+oboocO hi11'' tbY11Cf 11y1oY If fO1. cOncid-