The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-04-08
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

An unusually early spring has caught
quite a number of tobacco growers in a
peculiar situation this year that of
having portion of their crops hanging
in the sheds. The month of March,
which generally brings casing weather
in the melting of a winters snow,
passed without any rains whatever and
at no time did the har ring tobacco
come into sufficient case for stripping.
In fact there has been no good casing
weather since December when most of
the crop was removed from the sheds.
It is estimated that fully per cent of
the crop of the state is yet hanging,
and growers are wondering when they
will be able to get it into proper case
for stripping. AS a good portion Of
this tobacco was sold under contract
and many of the packers are about
through with the seasons handling, the
question arises whether they will be
able to deliver their tobacco under the
contract or not 1t is coming the time
of year too when other farm work is
rushing which growers dislike to halt
to prepare their tobacco for market.
1t has been some years since similar
condition has arisen in this state or
that a spring has opened without an
abundance of weather that would bring
tobacco down from the curing barns.
If the growers have any consideration
for the tobacco still hanging, they
should see that it is taken down and
stripped the first opportunity that
comes.
Thirty-five hundred women and girls
employed in the stemmery of the Amer
ican Tobacco Co. at Louisville, KY,
struck last week, demanding better
sanitary and working conditions. The
company was paying &c per pound for
the better grades and 23c for the lower
grades, while the strikers asked an ad-
vance of so per cent. Officials say they
were asked for an advance but refused
to grant it; that only 20 per cent of the
help quit voluntarily but about all the
others went out under duress.
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The proposed removal of the head
quarters of the Wisconsin union, Amer
ican Society of Equity, from Madison
to Eau Claire is the subject of refer
endum vote now being conducted, and
closes April S. The change was order
ed made by the board of directors
few weeks ago, but so great was the
protest that followed that the board
decided to submit the question to the
members all over the state and abide
by their decision. One Of the main
reasons for the retention of the head
quarters in Madison is the proximity to
the halls of legislation. Eau Claire, on
the other hand, boasts of it's greater
accessibility for large portion of the
state membership residing in the north
western part of Wisconsin.
In view of the fact that reports of
poor business throughout the country
were not uncommon during the month
of February, it is especially encourag-
ing to learn by the government stamp
returns for that month that the con-
sumption of tobacco was considerably
greater than a year ago. The figures
for February, taken in connection with
the fact that the January returns also
show an increase in every division of
manufacturing, go good way toward
substantiating the predictions of the
optomists that 1910 is going to be a big
year for the tobacco business.
With a view to secure better stats
tical service along tobacco lines, a bill
was introduced in the senate by Seua-
tor Paynter of Kentucky. It provides
that future reports of the internal rev.
enue department shall show in detail
the quantity of manufactured leaf
tobacco in the hands of manufacturers
and dealers. The bill is designed to
become effective at the close of the cal
endar wear, but it is intended that the
first reports shall be based on the crops
of both 1909 and 1910. The bill is really
nothing short of an actual annual leaf
tobacco census, and, if adopted, will
afford an accurate accounting of the
available supply of leaf tobacco on
hand in the United States at all times.
The Connecticut experiment station
will in the near future publish bulle-
tin giving the results of its extensive
experiments in the sun-grown tobaccos
in the Connecticut valley, which was
carried on in cooperation with the
United States department of agricul-
ture. This bulletin will give the most
improved methods of growing, harvest
ing, curing and warehousing of the
crop. Each operation will be taken up
in detail and the merits or the methods
followed will be discussed, also reasons
for conclusion. The merits of the Hal
laday Havana tobacco will be discussed
in detail and its future dwelt upon. In
this report the priming of the tobacco
will receive attention, and the results