The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1913-01-03

ability to supply until stocks held by
local packers have been reduced to a
condition seldom witnessed in this state.
Old leaf available for independent man.
ufacturers is doubtless the smallest
ever known since Wisconsin became an
important factor as a tobacco state.
With no surplus of old stock on hand
the prospects for business the coming
year could scarcely well be improved
upon.
In it's annual review Of the year the
N. Y. Leaf says: The year 1912 will
be notable one in the annals of the
industry for number of reasons. Dur
ing the greater part of the year large
number of factories which had pre-
viously been operating under one man
agement and which had secured prac-
tical monopoly Of the trade on cigaretts
and manufactured tobaccos, operated
in q number of independent branches,
ostensibly and actually in active COM
petition one with another. Whether
the trade at large has received any
actual benefit from the dismember-
ment of this large organization still re-
mains a mooted point. 1t is undoubted-
ly true that the segments into which
the big concern was divided have been
actively engaged in competition, not
only with each other but also with
those branches of the trade that for
merly were and still are known as Sin
dependents. It can hardly be said
that the Independents found the
active condition of competition brought
about by the courts decree any more
to their liking than was the competi-
ton of the American Tobacco Co. be-
fore it's dissolution. Never in the his
tory of the trade has there been shown
such an tavidity for binder tobaccos,
and those who held stocks of the old
fashioned Havana Seed disposed of
them with extreme ease. 1t is the first
time in the history of the trade that an
entire type of tobacco went into the
manufacturers hands without first go
ing thruogh the regular Water Street
channels. A large portion of this to-
hacco was bought up in the fields by
manufacturers, and the remainder was
mot sufficient for the needs of the mar
ket. This crop had gone through avery
unsatisfactory growing season and suf-
fered from insect damage and storm.
The farmers, even those whose crops
were badly injured, suffered no loss.
The worst hail-cut portion of the crop
brought enough to pay them for rails
lng 1T, and in many instances profit.
The above in many instances refers to
the 1911 crop. The 1912 crop was
grown under very favorable conditions.
It was bought in the field by manufac-
turers and packers at very high prices,
so high that many people in the trade
regard it as doubtful if it can be dis
posed of proftably. The crop is in
general sound and fine. The principal
drawback in connection with it is that
the inferior crops brought as much in
the fields as the more desirable por-
ton. Deliveries have been going on
for the past few weeks, and it is said
that good deal of docking has been
done.
The binder shortage is due to the
fact that Wisconsin has had number
of crops in succession which were de-
ficient in binder supply, the 1906 being
the last that could be said to have a
full binder proportion. The 1911 crop,
which came on the market month or
SO ago, is not sufficient to meet the de-
mand. The tobacco raised in the south
ern section of the state was badly cut
by grasshoppers, and while better con-
ditions prevailed in the northern sec
tion, large manufacturing concerns
bought heavily there, leaving an made
guate supply for the general market.
The 1912 crop will be, in percentage of
binders, the lea6est in many years,
but nearly twelve months must elapse
before it is ready for the manufacture
ers. This crop came through the cure
well, and will produce quantity OF
sound, fine, desirable tobacco. 1t was
bought up at extremely high prices,
and as in the case of the New England
binder tobaccos, it is doubtful il the
packere will be able to make much
money.