The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-03-10
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

The manufacturers are demanding more
than ever pure Spanish type for bind
er leaf, and the large, coarse, run-out
seed is falling into disfavor more and
more each year. A moderate sized,
light veined leaf is what the market
demands, forcing the dealers to be
more discriminating in buying, and it
is the crops that answer these require
ments that are first selected. 1t is
clearly up to the grower if he expects
to receive full market value for his
crop to see to it that the right kind of
seed is used in growing it. There is
plenty of approved seed to be had, as
several experienced people are making
it business to propagate the better
types of seed, while the cost is insig
nifcent to the benefits derived from
getting the right kind. The grower
who Is careless about his seed is quite
likely to be careless about the methods
of culture, the harvest, as well as the
curing and preparing the crop for mar
'ket, and it is generally this class of
farmers who complain that there is no
money in tobacco growing. Bear in
mind it is the seed that is the first step
to be right about in producing the to-
.bacco crop.
~
An innovation in the method of ty-
ing hands of tobacco has been inaugur-
ated by the American Cigar Co. at
their different warehouses in this state
this year, and the result of the expert
ment will be watched with some inter-
est by packers generally. The usual
method has been to tie the hands with
short or filler leaves, but this is dis
placed with a strip of raffia, light,
tough and strong fiber, which binds
.khe leaves tightly but still allows the
butts to broom slightly so that any ex-'
cess moisture in the stems is not likely
to cause any damage in the cure, as is
often the case when the hands are tied
with leaves. Last season the expert
ment of tying with string was intro
duced but did not seem to give entire
satisfaction, SO that raffia cut to prop
er length was substituted. Tobacco
tied in this manner makes tidy, at
tractive looking package and it looks as
if the practice might appeal strongly to
packers generally. There will be quite
a saving of leaf if cheap substitute
can be used, for the ties are seldom of
much value to the manufacturers ex-
cept for scrap purposes. The Ameri-
can Cigar Co. are also adopting plan
Of bulking their tobacco as it comes
from the sorting tables this season, al
lowing it to warm up before packing in
cases and it is then held in storehouses
where an even temperature is main
tained.
The tobacco districts of Cuba are
suffering from drought and as the
crop is now being made in the field,
there are indications of short crop.
The tobacco in the open fields. remains
stunted and with the hot sun pouring
down upon it is fast drying up. Even
with rains to come now it would be too
late to bring the crop to maturity of
normal size. The government, as well
as interested landholders of Vuelta
Abajo, are urging some united step to
insure the general irrigation of the to-
bacco districts. And at the suggestion
of Sir William Van Horne, President
Gomez has procured the approval by
congress of such a scheme. A board
of engineering experts, to include re-
tired British officer from Egypt, an
American, formerly connected with the
Roosevelt project in Arizona, Mexi-
can from Lower California, Canadian,
a Belgian and sex eral Cubans, is al
ready at work developing the required
plans.
Another legislative dash Tor dlges-
tion by the tobacco trade was present
ed by Senator Grady of the New York
state senate. The Tammany states
mans proposed measure if passed into
law will make the vending of a Seed
and Havana for clear Havana cigar,
or any other act of substitution, lar
ceny. 1t says that any person who
knowingly receives pay for any article
of food, drink or other merchandise of
an inferior quality or composed of diff
ferent material than that represented
to the purchaser, is to be deemed guilty
of larceny and to be punished accord
ingly.
The Burley society has decided to call
off the attempt to cut out the 1911 crop
as well as the forming of pool. Both
resolutions look towards more peaceful
times in Kentucky the coming season,
and are to be commended as good