The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-03-03

NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

PIOHllS0S TO De q L-SdN-up OIL last S0d-
sons crop at much earlier date than
usual. The indications are that April
1st will see very little of the 1910 crop
remaining in growers hands, and prac-
tically nothing to trade on during the
summer months Probably 60 per cent
of the crop has been sold at low fig
ures, passing into the hands of low
grade dealers for stemming purposes,
and no expense in warehouse handling
will be added. For the better grades,
those supposed to yield fair percent
age of binder grades, some very salts
factory prices have been paid, such
with packing expenses added will bring
the price of the grades well up to the
limit as speculative venture. That
growers were quite willing to accept
the going figures appears a pretty sure
indication they thought they were re-
ceiving fair value for the kind of
product they were selling. We are
willing to trust the average grower as
being as competent judge of these mat
tiers as any buyers that frequent the
field. He needs no guardian at least.
James Hanson of Utica is reported in
a published interview to say that ''he
believes the prices of Wisconsin tobac-
co should be higher than now paid, as
there is scarcity Of binder leaf in the
general market. Leaf companies urge
the farmers to raise larger acreage
this season, declaring that there will
be sharper demand for the new crop,
owing to lack of sufficient supply, but
it is urged that the deficiency exists
now and still prices do not rise above
those usually paid in ordinary years. "
Mr.. Hanson we'll knows that the value
of Wisconsin leaf lies in it's adaptable
ity for the market demands for bind
er tobacco. He is also not unacquaint-
ed with the fact that every grower who
raised good, sound crop this year has
been able to get good, round price
sgs it.@ better even than the average
years. 1t is not the fault of the mar
ket so much as it is the failure of the
crop to produce a desired quality of
of leaf. If this crop is selling too
cheaply, why did some of the big con-
Germs like the United Cigar Manufac-
~ nhy,
& Co., stay out of the market this
year? 1t wasn't because they did not
want tobacco Not at all. Some of
the packers who are handling medium
grade crop, trying to secure fair per-
centage of binder leaf, find that such
grades are costing them as much or
more than their 1906 packings aver
aged. Everyone will at once recognize
what this means. Almost anyone ia
miliar with the tobacco business will
admit that the present crop has sold
higher in proportion to its intrinsic
value than any produced in this state
for some years past, Mr.. Hanson to the
contrary Notwithstanding.
The Treasury department statistics
show that while our consumption OF
foreign leaf during the year 1910 was
less than the year previous, our cigar
production increased nearly $50 mill
lions. The loss in imported leaf was
largely in Sumatra, some 700 bales,
which is an indication that domestic
wrapper stock is superceding foreign
wrapper quite perceptibly. There seems
to be a growing tendency everywhere
to work towards a domestic wrapper
as fast as the smoking public can be
educated up to it. This plan leads to
larger use of shade-grown or Florida
wrappers and if satisfactory supply
can be assured there is big field
opened up for new and profitable
market.
The crop statistics issued by the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, concerning the amount and value
of the tobacco crops for 1909 and 1910,
disclose, palmer than anything else, the
magnitude and Importance of this great
branch of industry. In 1909, with an
acreage of l, ,18O, 900, the United States
produced 949, 357, 900 pounds of tobacco.
The farm value of this product was lO.1
cents per pound, or sos, 49, 900 for the
entire crop. The total value of all
crops for that year was 1871, ,426, 900,
as estimated December l, 1909. The
proportion of tobacco values to the
whole crop of the country was prac-
tically one-fortieth. The crop values
of the country for 1910 Figures of De-
cember /, 1910, were 984, 359, 900
pounds, or in dollars $95, 719, 600, tobac
co again approximating one-fortieth OF
of the whole value of the country s
products. A slight lowering in the
,,,.,oo ic nhCorvod IN 1910 9S c0mDarp6