The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-06-03
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

The first experiment of stemming to-
bacco by machinery in this state is soon
to- be inaugurated by the American To-
bacco Co. at their plant in Madison. A
few machines have been ordered to be
installed shortly, and if they prove sue
cessful, stemming operations are likely
to be carried on extensively in this
state, not only by this firm but by
other large consumers of low grade
Wisconsin leaf. The American Tobac-
co Go. have introduced the machines in
some of their southern plants with such
results that prompt them to make a
trial here. Several hundred car loads
of low grades are sent yearly to the
Ohio and Louisville stemming plants,
but recent strikes and help conditions
there lead the concern to think that
their tobacco can be just as economi-
cally stemmed in Wisconsin. When
the plant is placed in operation we hope
to be able to give our readers a more
detailed account of it's workings.
AS the result of referendum vote
the state headquarters of the Society
of Equity will remain in Madison in
stead of Eau Claire as was decided by
the state convention. The tobacco de-
partment, which has been divorced
from the Society proper, will continue
to maintain its headquarters at Slough
ton, warehouse having been purchas-
ed there for permanent offices.
There was an increase in the output
of tax-paid large cigars during the first
four months of the current year, as our
readers will see from the internal rev.
enue statistics, of $4,000, 600. If the
same rate of increase should be kept
up during the remaining eight months
of the year, the entire increase would
amount to only 135, OO0,O 600 for the year.
But the increase in the cigarette out
put for the first four months of the
year amounted to los, 900, 900, which
would mean an increase at the same
ratio of 315, 600, 900 for the entire year.
Thesa figures speak for themselves as
to the relative present condition of our
cigar and cigarette industries.
Judge Burpee of the superior court
of Connecticut has decided that Mrs.
Mary E. Cummings of Windsor cannot
recover from the Caledonian Insurance
Co. of Scotland any insurance on the
tobacco crop which she raised in 1906
and which was subsequently destroyed
by the burning of building in which
the leaf was stored Her inability to
recover is based on the fact that, con-
trary to provision of the policy, she
mortgaged the insured tobacco without
the consent of the company. Mrs. Cum
mings alleged that the agent with
whom she took out the policy repre-
sented to her that the restriction was
merely red tape and that she might
safely ignore it. In her complaint she
asked to have the policy reformed by
out, and she also sought to recover
$1,000 damages. The Caledonian COM
pany set up demurrer, which is sus-
tanned by Judge Burpee, thus prac-
tically throwing the case out of court.
Experimenting with tobacco by the
u. S. Department of Agriculture in the
broadleaf district this year will be car
ried on at the farm of w. A. Ackley
of East Hartford The work will be in
charge of W. M. Hinson, who is to-
bacco expert from the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture. Two acres will
be devoted to experiments. One bore
will be divided into halves. On one lot
the tobacco will be primed. On the
other cut in the ordinary way. In
choosing one acre and dividing it into
halves, the experimenters try to keep
conditions of soil and moisture and
everything that influences growth OF
the crop as normal as possible and alike
Ill OdCl DlOI. LIE pLAiSl pal OOJOScf III
this experiment will be able to deter
mine more fully the advisability OF
printing tobacco. Another acre will be
divided into quarters on which tests OF
fertilizers will be conducted. Early
this spring two seed beds were steril-
lied with steam, using an ordinary
boiler and forcing the steam into the
ground at pressure of about rs pounds,
this continuing half an hour. The
ground was then covered with canvas
to keep in the heat. This bed the first
week in May contained scarcely weed
However. Mr.. Ackley thinks that pos
sibly it dries out a little easier than
beds treated in the ordinary manner.
Unfortunately seed was placed in the
sterilized bed from the 1906 crop which,
of course, is little slow in germinat-
ing, yet plants at present are fully as
large as those grown in the beds plant
ed in unsterilized SOIL Another seed
bed was treated with formalin to Kill
bacteria and weeds. Of course apply.
ing formalin with large quantity OF
water made the bed soaking wet, and
it took time to dry out before 1t was
available for seed. However, the
plants in this bed look well, are of good
e. xryoorlc