The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-01-13
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

part OF the week but cnange TO IreeZ-
ing came so soon that little or no to-
bacco was removed from the sheds.
Winter damps very rarely bring about
satisfactory casing conditions and there
fore the fact is emphasized that the
later fall months furnish the best op-
portunity for removing and stripping
the tobacco crop. During cold wiather
the hanging leaf is quite likely to reach
q too high or, on the other hand, too
light case, conditions difficult to de-
tect in freezing weather. Neither is it
considered any advantage to the leaf to
remain hanging on the poles during the
cold winter months when snow is likely
to.drift into the loosely constructed and
leaky sheds. The expense of stripping
too is much less when the crop can be
taken down and handled in the curing
barns. But a dry fall prevented the
growers from taking advantage of these
well known facts the present season so
there is nothing left to do but await
such time as the winters thaw brings
about much desired casing conditions.
Business in the packing centers is like
wise held up until such time arrives.
The governments case against the
tobacco trust has been argued in the
U. S. supreme court during the week
and briefs filed by all parties for the
court to consider. It may be some
months before the decision is handed
down and in the meantime the public
will patiently await the result. The
future of 65 corporations and 29 indi-
vidual firms under the direction of a
single management is concerned in the
decision.
An interesting experiment conducted
by Pennsylvania grower gives some
information regarding the shrinkage
tobacco undergoes in the curing. Har-
nv B. Herr of Strasbury township, Pa,
weighing 25 of his9best stalks green,
found they tipped the beam at 125
pounds. When dry and cured they
weighed 25 pounds, and after stripping,
the leaves weighed Is pounds. At this
rate an acre of about 5000 stalks
Weighs 123 tons when hung up in the
shed, 10 tons of which IS water, which
must evaporate in curing, one ton is
stalk and one and one-half tons is mar
ketaDie leaves.
In discussing the available supply of
domestic cigar leaf, the u. S. Tobacco
Journal comes to this conclusion: The
Weld of our domestic cigar leaf crops
in 1910 which will come into the mar
ket during the current year amounted,
according to the figures of the depart
ment of agriculture, to 166, 989, 600
pounds. This total represents an in
crease of 8,217,00O pounds over the
yield of the cigar leaf crops in this
country Of 1909. This increase would
have been much larger were it not for
the considerable decrease in Ohio and
Wisconsin, the decrease in both states
amounting to over 100000 pounds.
This decrease was more than made up
by the enormous increase in 1910 Penn
sylvania, which alone amounted to 49,
768, 900 pounds. If the two million in
crease in the yield of New England
states is added we get twenty million
pound increase in the 1910 crops. De-
Quoting the decrease in Ohio and Wis
consin, the 1910 crops still leave an in
crease of over eight million pounds.
The knowledge of supply, however, is
not sufficient, the knowledge of demand
is of equal Importance. But while it is
much easier to furnish correct esti-
mates of existing supplies, particularly
of those which the earth yields annual
ly in agriculture, it is much more diff
ficult to calculate accurately the de-
mand for a manufactured article within
a set period. But we are enabled to do
it approximately in regard to the de-
mands of our cigar industry. During
the calendar year of 1909 our cigar in
dustry consumed 1876, 670, loo pounds of
leaf tobacco for total output OF q no.
1893, 474 of both large and small cigars.
But in the quoted tocal CONSUMPTION OF
leaf tobacco were included 81, 355, ,083
pounds of foreign leaf, leaving a total
of 80, 315, OF pounds of domestic leaf.
Basing our supply of domestic leaf by
it's consumption foI the calendar year
1909, the 1910 yield of domestic cigar
leaf would show surplus OF about 67,-
900, 900 pounds for the current year,
not taking into consideration such stocks
as are left over from previous years.
But as these leftover stocks do not
seem to cut any large figure, surplus
of 81, 900, 900 pounds should not stimu-
late any too sanguine hopes of trade
demoralizing surplus, especially If the
fact is to be taken into consideration
that the output of our cigar industry
during 1910 is likely to show an increase
of between two and three hundred mil
lions. This would reduce the surplus
to about 50,0OO,G0O pounds in which
there are included millions of pounds
of undesirable and absolutely unfit leaf
for our legitimate cigar industry and
some millions which are being now ab-
sorbed too by our manufactured tobac-
co industry. But after all these deduc-
tions are made a comfortable margin
would appear to be left to afford ample
latitude to the leaf trade for an expan-
sion of business and also assurance to
the cigar industry that they will not
lack any supply of their domestic raw
material with fha nycQnfiOn DPrhaDS OF