The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-12-15
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES



/ A season of casing weather, the like
of which the southern portion of the
state hes seldom experienced, prevailed
for several days during the week and
gave the tobacco growers ample oppor-
tunity to remove from the curing sheds
as much of the crop as they might de-
| sire. The conditions of this winter
damp were almost ideal in every re-
spect. Starting with the gradual melt
ing of three inch covering of snow,
with frequent dashes of rain, an impen-
etrable fog followed for couple of days
| with a temperature all the time warm
enough to bring the hanging leaf stead
| lily into just the proper case desired.
| These conditions prevailed long enough
| too SO that the growers had ample time
| to clear their sheds without the en-
ployment of much additional help and
| the work was accomplished in order.
| The farmers are now in shape to strip
| out the crop at their leisure, for the
leaf came down in prime condition.
This means that the crop will be ready
| for delivery at an earlier date than US
ual and that the packers can go ahead
| with their arrangements for packing
operations and start their sorting rooms
even before the holidays if they desire.
| 1t will be gratifying news to the labor
! ing element in the packing centers who
depend so largely upon tobacco work
for winters employment, for it means
early employment and a long season
ahead.
The recent sale of more than mil
lion pounds of the low grades from the
1911 purchases made by the American
Cigar Co. in this state to an indepen-
dent concern, while another branch of
the big trust was still in the field for a
similar class of stock, is significant for
it can be accepted as an indication that
the various subdivisions of the trust
are disposed to observe both the letter
and spirit of the court decision in fu-
ture conduct of business. When inde
pendent concerns can buy of the big
corporations on equal terms and on the
same conditions as other divisions OF
the trust and no favors shown, much
of the opposition to the monopoly will
have vanished. A fair field and an op-
portunity to compete is about all the
independent tobacco trade is clamoring
for
the New York Tobacco Journal has
gathered statistics which show great
Capitalization of the cigar manufactur-
ing business in the past ten years, and
more than two thousand shops squeezed
out of the trade, while the population
and wealth Of the country are increas
ing amazingly. The larger concerns
are all the time getting bigger, while
the smaller are being crowded out
with net loss of 500 for the year past.
It's conclusions are that this ruthless
slaughter of the Individual cigar fac
tories foreshadoWs similar fate for
| the cigar leaf trade. With every elm
mated cigar factory customer is also
! lost tosthe cigar leaf trade. For the
fewer the cigar factories, the more
| concentrated the output becomes in the
| larger factories, and the larger the
great concerns the less business for the
multitude of the individual cigar leaf
| concerns. The great manufacturing
concerns are liable to be rather the
| rivals than the patrons Of the leaf
| trade. Their raw leaf requirements
are so enormous that they are being
compelled to become packers and i'm
porters of their own supplies and in
| cases of shortage or emergency the
supplies will be furnished them by the
| few large packers and importers of the
| leaf trade. So the big ones will take
care of themselves. They always do.
| But as for the gros of the small pack
er, importer or dealer who depends on
his livelihood for his trade with the
smaller and medium class manufacture
er, where will he end if his customers
are yearly driven out by the hundreds?
| Evidently he too will be forced to fold
his tents and move into some other
| trade for existence. But all will not
agree with the Journal that the re-
moval of all import duties will cure the
evil complained of.
In his annual report Secretary of Ag
! riculture Wilson states that the tobacco
crop this year is per cent ur"er the
fve-year average in production and 5.3
| per cent under in value From 1906 to
1909 the farm price of tobacco ranged
from 10 to 1913 cents pound, and in
| 1910 it was 9.3 cents. Previous to
| 1906" says the Secretary, when the
| ten-cent price was first reached since
1887, there was period during which
there was a general complaint among
tobacco growers that the price was too
low, if not improbable. The crop this
year is estimated at about 800, 900, 900
pounds, worth about S76, 900, 900. The
production has been larger in seven
| years and the total value in two years.
The tobacco grown in this country dur
ing the last five years is 81 per cent of
the worlds crop and supplied other
countries with quantity that is 1873
per cent of the worlds exports of to-
| bacco." The report states that expert
| ments and demonstrations in improved
| methods of tobacco production have
been carried on at field stations in the
tobacco sections, and laboratory studies
on the relation of the composition to
the quality of the leaf have been con-
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