Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-09-15
GATHERING GOES ON ApAcE
Tobacco Prospects are Looking Much
Brighter

Rapid work has been done among the
tobacco farmers of Vernon county the
past fortnight. Cool weather and frost
retarded action for few days, but the
warm sun-rays of late have materially
added to the size and quality of late to-
bacco. Much energy and all the work
ing help that can be commanded have
been pressed into service. By the close
of the present week good percentage
of the acreage viii have been gathered
into the curing sheds.
We CLEAN literally from the Edgerton
Reporter on two or three phases of
present conditions and past history on
tobacco subjects: Tobacco has been
grown in Wisconsin for nearly sixty
years and during that period but three
early frosts have occurred to do any
serious injury to the growing crop.
The most disastrous one came in the
latter days of August, 1875. when a
killing frost destroyed both corn and
tobacco. But this was when the total
acreage of the state did not reach 10,-
O0O acres, though the corn that year
was an almost complete failure. The
next early frost came September 9,
that scarcely 25 per cent. of the crop
was secured in the sheds. That stand
ing in the fields was more or less mark
ed by the freeze, though shielded after
wards and sold at fairly good prices.
The '83 crop produced some of the fin
est leaf ever grown in the state and
the sound portion sold at extremely
high prices. The third early frost do
ing unusual damage to the tobacco crop
came on the morning of September |,
1909, leaving its soaring effects on
nearly one-half the acreage in the
state, at a time when not ten per cent.
of the crop was harvested. The ex-
treme northern growing sections were
most severely hit, while the southern
counties escaped almost entirely, and
between the two extremes a varying
amount of damage has been sustained.
When you come to turn back the pages
OF history and find that but three times
IN sixty years frosts have come early
enough to catch any perceptible amount
OF tobacco standing in the fields, the
record is not very discouraging after
all.
An unfortunate condition is that sew
eral thousand acres of tobacco touched
by the frost last week was under con-
tract at very renumerative prices,
which is especially true of much of the
Vernon county acreage where the buy
ing campaign had be,n under way for
nearly Two weeks. Just what effect
the freeze will have upon the delivery
of the crops is yet tco early to be told
Ii is nowise probable that buyers will
accept frozen or chilled tobacco at the
Fxsst 10, kS.
it is ascertained to what extent the tc-
bacco has been damaged then adjust
ments can doubtless be made regarding
the price to be received We learn
that one of the large dealers has had
careful estimate made Of the amount
of damage sustained TO crops under
contract, amounting to more than ZOO
acres, which is placed at an average OF
20 per cent. Some fields in this section
escaped entirely, but in the dry coulies
and exposed fields blackened leaves tell
the tale of the freeze. A conservative
estimate might place the damage to
the entire crop of the state at from 10
to 15 per cent. At stripping time it
can be better determined what percent
age Of the crop has been damaged.
What Is even more TO be feared now
than the frosts is that drops in temper
ature about the harvest season fright
ems growers into cutting unripe tobac-
co. After crop has been sold at good
figures farmers cannot bear the thought
of allowing frosts to overtake the crop
when help is at hand TO save it. IL is
believed that hundreds of acres of un-
ripe tobacco has been shielded after the
frost warnings were sent out by the
weather department the past week.
When it is so certain that unripe to-
bacco can never make good cured leaf
somebody somewhere along the iinc Is
certain to suffer from this practice. 1t
may be the grower who finds the crop
does not cure out right in the sheds and
is unable to deliver it on his contract,
or it may be the buyer who after re-
ceiving it finds that his purchase Jam
ages badly in the sweat and he has
musty or moldy tobacco on his hands.
There is a gold brick to be handed
someone. Experienced growers know
full well the only safety lies in allowing
the crop to fully mature, whatever the
consequences may be. Now that the
present damage Of frost has passed the
chances are more than even that two
or three weeks will ensue before kill
lAiB li'SIS oSIuIS.
The buying movement has been work
ing more strenuously the past week
than any time since its inception, for
since the frost the scene of operation
has shifted to the southern growing
section which has been honey-combed
With buyers riding in all directions.
New impetus has been given the move
usnt, too, by the turning loose of the
buyers of the American Cigar Co. AS
the campaign gets warmer prices, too,
have been sprung a bit. While the
great b2lk of the contracts are yet
kept around the 10-cent mark, there
has been more frequent raise above
that figure than heretofore.
Home Corners
You must visit j. w. Lucas jewelry
store. 1t will surprise you to know
how large, nice and complete jewelry
store Viroqua has. j. w. Lucas, jew
eler and Optometrist.
Notice
To the friends of the genuine DR..
Wards's remedies: We guarantee posi-
lively; we do not, nor will not, force
goods into peoples houses on trial; we
deliver all goods manufactured by DIR.
Wards Medical Co., first hand, deliver
ing nothing which, by being left un-
corked, may have been exposed to such
diseases as diptheria, scarlet fever,
smull pox, etc. All goods are absolutely
u - -,