The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1913-02-28
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


People not familiar with the tobacco
business often wonder why it is neces-
sary for larger manufacturing concerns
like the American Cigar Co., the United
Cigar Manufacturers Co. or the Otto
Eisenlohr & Bro. to invest so large
sums in permanent storehouses IN the
localities producing the leaf. And
why more central storage facilities
nearer the manufacturing plants would
not be preferable The question was
partly answered in an interview which
the writer had few days ago with
Mr.. Otto Eisenlohr when in the state
to accept new $75, 600 warehouse just
completed for his firm. eff we were
to lose by fire the cured tobacco stored
in any one of our large warehouses to-
day we would not know where we could
replace the stock-we simply couldn't
do it. So we go on erecting store
houses as nearly freproof as possible
without regard to cost. Here you
have the reason in nutshell. These
concerns are continually expanding
their business and the enormous amount
of raw leaf consumed makes it lmper-
ative that they fortify themselves with
at least one full years supply on hand
at all times. In binder leaf especially
The market has been so thoroughly
cleaned up of surplus stock the past
few years that none of the larger con-
Germs could depend upon their needs to
certainty without buying direct from
growers hands. The fear that they
could not get enough has been the main
incentive for the rush to the green
fields. Their chief concern has been to
be sure of their supply, not only for
one season, but to guard against a fail
ure the next year. Big business de-
mands big investments and that is why
two million dollars would hardly pay
for the warehouses scattered about the
packing points in Wisconsin.
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AS in Wisconsin,, SO has docking"
in New England aroused the tobacco
farmers to furious and cussed denun-
citation of the practice. But it is not
the first time, nor will it be the last,
that docking is resorted to as the lesser
consequence of getting out OF a bad
bargain. Docking is an evil as old as
gambling in ''the future" of tobacco
crops And the specializing investor is
not alone to blame for the existence of
this evil In fact, its ultimate rid
dance depends alone on the tobacco
raiser. The obligation of contract and
the resulting from the failure of living
up to it's terms is never likely to ter
inmate the practice OF docking on the
part of the speculator. For if once
the speculator in a crop of tobacco be-
comes convinced that bargain will go
against him, he will readily reconcile
himself to the first and lesser loss than
take the chance of ircurring a vaster
loss by sticking to the contract. And
what the farmer might recover as dam
ages will hardly compensate him for
ithe black eye his repudiated crop has
received bV docking and the cut-prlce
he will have tie accept later on if he
wants to get rid of his crop. The only
preventive remedy for docking is in the
power of the farmer alone if he will
refuse to sell his crop under any and
all circumstances to anyone WhosOever
before it is fally matured. In every
case of selling "a cat in bag" some
body gets cheated. And to sell tObac-
co crops i'm the fields must invariably
lead to the same result. 1t seems,
therefore, as if the farmers greed to
''do'' the speculator by accepting his
stunning off Fer is more to blame for the
docking evil than anything else. In the
end it is he who will be stung. The
application of the Golden Rule is the
only remedy ITO .extirpate this criss-
cross doing. u. S. Tob. Journal
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The growing eof cigar leaf tobacco in
the northern states is a peculiar indus