The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1914-08-14
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES !

cry day shortening all the crops in the
southern portion of the state. The
precipitation for July was nearly three
inches below the normal for that per-
iod and the hot. drying winds had made
mother earth fairly gasp for moisture.
1t had come a time when growing
crops, pastures, gardens and lawns
were held in check, if not going back
ward, and moisture was absolutely
necessary to save the shriveling and
dropping vegetation. These local rains
have given temporary relief to the
growing tobacco crop for the upturned
leaves have saved and conserved nearly
every drop of it about the roots OF the
plant. The cooler weather which has
followed has also helped revive the
fields for the time being, but II any
thing like normal crop is secured,
good soaking rains must surely come
soon. Of course there are localities IN
the tobacco belt where the fields look
to yield an average crop and few OF
the early planted that are now nearing
the harvest of an average sized leaf.
But the great bulk of the 1914 crop OF
this state is yet to be made and It's
destiny lies in the weather conditions
of the coming two weeks.
-
Buying of the new Connecticut val
ley tobacco crop has been under way
for the past two or three weeks and
prices are said to be from 10 to 15 per
cent higher than prevailed year ago.
An eastern exchange commenting on
the movement says: "These before
harvest contracts for the growing leaf
are not true criterion, however. Us
ually they are so worded that the buyer
can get out of the deal if he wants to
by claiming that the crop was not har-
vested and cured properly and is not
delivered of the guaranteed quality.
On the other hand, if the market con-
tinues to go up, the buyer will insist
upon delivery at contract price. Man
ufacturers have complained for some
years that prices of binder leaf were
too high, but when the packers raise
the scale of New England leaf still
higher there is small hope that the
cured goods will be any cheaper. OF
course, when the present figures are
paid in the field packers are looking
forward with~the expectation of secur-
ing fair proportion of wrapper grades,
but the great bulk of New England
leaf goes for binder purposes and is a
direct competitor of Wisconsin leaf.
If Connecticut binders are to be high,
a broader field will be opened in the
market for Wisconsin leaf, if we have
anything worth while to offer.
The titanic war that has infamed
now almost all Europe cannot but re-
fleet some of its disastrous consequences
even on our own peaceful shores. The
international trade and commerce Of
the world has for the present come to
standstill And although we stand
absolutely aloof from any touch of the
war torch our preposterous shipping
policy has left us stranded to jump in
at the opportune moment to take up
the torn thread of international COM
merce. This means that although we
are fully prepared to feed the world,
we have not the means of transporta-
tion to carry our food stuffs to the suf-
fering nations. This means, also, that
we are cut off from receiving the thou
sand and one articles of European mer-
chandise which have been in the habit
OF feeding our consumption. And with
no exchange of merchandise the finan.
cial intercourse with Europe has also
stopped. Although not at war we have
suddenly become as isolated as if we
were directly concerned in the Euro
pean upheaval and we will have to bear
the Oppressive consequences thereof as
long as we do not provide ourselves the
Oc~SAOAA
transatlantic traffic, or till one of the
belligerant countries becomes so pow
erful at sea as to relieve its mercantile
marine for peaceful pursuits. But a
far serious disturbance threatens our
tobacco industries as consequence C
the murderous onslaught of the Euro
pean nations on each other. The big
gest revenue on which our government
subsists comes from our import duties.
And if they fail US on account of the
stoppage of imports, the government
will have to seek other ways by which
to fill its depleted exchequer in order to
live. And as in every such crisis it is
the tobacco products which first draw
the governments attention as a fit
subject for mulctation. The tobacco
trade has anyhow never been in very
high favor with either congress or adj
ministration and whenever any money
was needed in any extraordinary crisis
for helping out expenditures of the
government the tobacco products were
at once hit upon to aid in additional
taxes And so On1inOuS reDOrtS are