The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1913-01-17
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES +:


progress q few days this week has fur
nished another casing spell of sufficient
duration to permit growers to remove
the last of the hanging tobacco for
stripping. Quite good many farmers,
we learn, had some portions of their
crops yet in the sheds when the soft
weather came, especially in the north
ern growing sections, and it is possible
the late case did not reach there AS
general thing, however, the season
has proven an exceptional one for get
ting the tobacco from the curing sheds
into the bundle for delivery. There
has been less high case or wet tobacco
for packers to contend with than the
average season. A warm, late fall, of
course, helped greatly in curing out the
stems, while almost perfect casing
weather permitted farmers to get their
tobacco down in prime condition. If
any trouble is experienced in delivery
it invariably does not arise from the
condition which the crop comes to the
packing houses from the farm this year.
Contracts have been placed by some
OF. the large packers for the sale of the
filters, rags and throw-outs eliminated
in the warehouse handling at quite an
advance over the usual price for low
grades, purchased for stemming pur-
poses. Perhaps it is but natural that
when strong prices are paid growers
for running crops that the price for the
low grades should correspondingly ad-
vance, but the situation only indicates
that stemming stock has reached
pretty high figure, as well as the fact
that there is an ever increasing demand
for the low grades produced in this
state. The scrap manufacturers are
apparently all the time increasing their
trade and the expansion of their bust
ness makes a broader field for the
cheaper grades of Wisconsin which is
preferred for this business.
So
a battle among the giants in the ci-
gar manufacturing trade has been
fiercely waged since the new year in
which millions of dollars of business
was at stake. Deals involving thou
sands in factories and distributing
agencies have been made with swift
ness that fairly takes ones breath
away, and the fight carried into almost
every large city in the country until it
became the sensation of the trade
The causes which led up to the trouble
came near the close of the year when
Messrs. Spietz & Worch, managers for
the Detroit plant of the United Cigar
Manufacturers Co., became dissatisfied
with the agreement under which they
were working and asked for certain
changes which the United Cigar Manu-
facturers could not agree to. The next
move was that the Detroit manufac-
turers started up new factory on
their own account with a new combin-
alton of st. Louis and Kansas City job
bers that had purchased the distribut-
ing agency of the United Cigar Manu-
facturers Co. in that territory and took
over the lines of the American Cigar
Co.'s goods. This deal left the United
people without means of distributing
their goods in the south and southwest
where several million dollars of cigars
are marketed annually. A new ar
rangement to cover this territory has
been completed with the cooperation
of the Best & Russell Co. of Chicago.
The Best & Russell Cigar Co. of Mis-
souri, was incorporated with capital
of $150,OOO. Arthur B. Adair, who es-
tablished Best e Russell's branch at
Memphis some four years ago, was
called to Kansas City and elected pres
ident of the corporation. Offices were
established at Kansas City and sell
to cover the states of Missouri, Kan
sas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arkan-
sas. Last Monday morning the taking
Of orders and the delivery of goods
from the new house was begun, and
the products of the United Cigar Man
ufacturers flowed on through the chan
nels of trade without slipping turn"
to use railroad expression.
A great deal of qualification was ex-
pressed in the leaf tobacco market |
when the announcement was made last |
week that the Official Classification /
committee of the railroads had decided |
not to change the freight rates on to-
bacco, in less than carload lots, from |
fourth to second class rates. This |
change would have nearly doubled the /
rates on tobacco. 1t has been estimat- |
ed that no more than 10 per cent of the
eaf tobacco shipments made are in |
carload lots; consequently the increased
rate would have been effective upon
fully 80 per cent of the tobacco shipped
in this country. The New York Leaf
Tobacco Board of Trade took up the |