Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-08-14
1T HAS CROWN SLOW OF LATE
Unfavorable Weather for Tobacco
and Other Field Crops

Really chilly atmosphere. for two
weeks, with almost daily showers or
down pours of rain, has retarded tob-
acco development, continued uneven
conditions of growth and delayed oper-
atoms in the fields. The showers have
not been so detrimental as has the cool
ness. The effect is to delay harvest a
| fortnight, or later than anticipated.
In many fields there is a remarkable
growth and fine outlook, but as whole,
is uneven and apparently stunted. Ten
days of bright ana hot weather would
perform miracles in the tobacco fields.
Regardless of the unevenness, topping
is proceeding rapidly.
Many handlers of the weed have been
travelling over the growing districts
taking observation of general condit-
ions, but the CENSOR has not learned
of crop having been contracted for.
That field buying will soon follow,
seems but natural, if past custom pre-
walls. The Hillsboro Sentry tells that
an inspector went through that region
offering a shilling straight for weed
We quote comment from the Edger-
ton Tobacco Reporter: Buyers are
freely riding the growing districts, as
Is customary at this time of the year,
keeping tab on the promising fields as
the season advances, and some grow
ers assert that offers even of contracts
have been made, but the general YER
dict of the best posted is that only the
most reckless spectators would join
any movement sprung at this time. A
few weeks ago il looked as If there
might be an early harvest, but couple
of rainy weeks, followed by unusually
cool weather, has put an entirely differ
ent phase on the prospects. The crop
has made so little progress of late that
at least two-thirds of the fields, at this
writing, will rank much below the av-
erage condition the first week in Aug
ust. Only a very small portion has
been topped to date, anG so large per-
centage is small that at lSsst a whole
month of the very best weather condit-
ions is imperative to bring it to salts
factory harvest. The small tobacco
needs plenty of tillage and with the re-
turn of warm weather there is still
hope of the making of the crop.
The inducement to get into the field
buying game doesn't look very enticing
at the present writing, or why it should
appeal to any buyer before the crop ia
matured, is one Of the things The Re-
porter could never quite understand.
This contracting for green tobacco
scarcely amounts to more than taking
options on the crop, to be thrown up If
the crop doesn't come up to the ex-
pectations at time of delivery, engen-
dering a whole lot of disappointments
and trouble in the end. Besides, the
custom promotes carlessuess in the
handling of the crop that detfacts from
the quality Of the goods after 1t has
passed from the growers hands. 1t is
often the case that tobacco sold under
contract Is not permitted to ripen, with
the result that more or less damage is
found at sampling time that can be
| traced directly to this reason. The
grower who has sold, thinks he cannot
afford to take chances on nail or heavy
/ storms, and starts harvest when his
better judgment is that his tobacco is
not as ripe as it ought to be. If the
buying could only wait until the crop
was once secured, these things might
he avoided -