The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-02-05
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

If there is anything the matter with
Wisconsin tobacco that it is deteoriat-
ing, or if there is any reason why it
should not maintain its usual standard
in the markets of the country, the
writer Of this column is certain that
the growers who produce the crop will
be glad to know about it. 1t is for this
reason that The Reporter has request
ed communications from both dealers
and growers, asking their views on
these subjects, thinking suggestions
would be offered that might be helpful.
| The responses which are presented be-
| low cover widely divergent views, but
| opens up discussion that may be fol-
| lowed by others whose experience and
careful study would shed further light
on the matter. Next!
| ~
Editor Reporter:-I have read with
! considerable interest the several arti-
| cles that have appeared in your paper
| under Notebook Sketches" regarding
! the Wisconsin tobacco AS it ap-
proaches the season for the planting of
| the seed for another crop, think the
growers cannot be urged too strongly
! toward the selection of good seed. The
! facts are that there is not enough at
| tention given to this part by the grow
| ers in starting out to produce crop.
| In MANY instances where the grower
! has good seed part of his plants are
| a failure and he then secures plants
| that are available from a source where
| he does not know anything about the
! seed. The result is that the crop grown
| is from different varieties of seed, ana
/ in many instances part OF the crop
will be very desirable and part very
undesirable. Then again when 1t comes
| to the harvesting of the crop under the
/ system that has prevailed of buying IN
| the field for the last several years, the
| growers having sold at good prices are
| anxious to harvest the crop, fearl~"
/ storms, and in doing SO do not permit
| the crop to ripen and mature properly.
| | do not think it is possible for a crop
| to ripen with the tobacco being suck
| cred only once and many times only
| three DAYS before harvesting. 1t is
| fact that owing to these conditions the
packers have suffered large amount
| in the fermentation in the last several
years. Further, in the use Of water
| by the grower to get the tobacco IN
| case during the stripping season has
4 increased the damage in fermentation.
| In the matter of preparing the crop for.
| the market, / believe it inadvisable to
| shingle the wrappers and binders, and
| also inadvisable to single the filters.
II believe the cooperation of the grow
I ers and dealers in urging more atten-
ton to the above facts will be for the
/ best interests of the Wisconsin tobacco
producers. A SUBSCRIBER.
Editor Reporter: = Complying with
| your request to give my views OF the
black rot situation, hand you the fol-
1 lowing: That black rot is warehouse
| production is a we'll known fact. Prior
to the advent of the tobacco warehouse
it was common saying among buyers
that they never saw case of good to-
bacco 90 wrong in the sweat. Some
1 wears after warehousing came into
| vogue, black rot damage was found in
the tobacco, and the fact was apparent
to the tobacco interests that some OF
the conditions in these warehouses were
| wrong. and instead of preserving the
tobacco as they were expected to do
! thew proved to be veritable black rot
incubators. This incubation and prop
agation has been going on until now
the warehouses have become SO satur-
ated with the destructive germs that
to take tobacco into them is to invite
disaster. With these conditions pre-
vailing. along comes "a well known
packer. for the second time, with the
cry of "hybrid" for the purpose of
placing the responsibility for these rot
ten conditions upon the farmers. This
is a rank injustice which | know the
Wisconsin tobacco growers resent. The
warehouse men will have enough to do
with their own affairs in curing the
evils for which the methods and condl-
tions in these warehouses are absolute
i lv responsible, without calling meet
ing to tell the growers what to do and
how to do it. To hold such a meeting
would be another case of the beam and
mote proposition aggravated thousand
fold. The government officials are en-
gagged in the slaughter of live stock
where infection exists and 1T will be IN
order to slaughter these warehouses as
| centers of Infection, unless remedy is
speedily found. Eliminating some par
tleular type OF TOBACCO VIII never cure
the evil. If there is no other way the
warehouses will have to 60 Desperate
diseases require heroic treatment. The
farmers have the floor Who next?
II. S. PoMERoY.
-
The first instance of night riding in
connection with tobacco occurred re
Gently near Lafayette, Tenn. A band
of 25 men waited on William Rose, a
farmer, who had sold his tobacco to a
Gainesville firm at ST per 100 pounds.
The raiders rode up to Roses yard
gate. When Rose, in response to their
calls, started toward them, they stopped
him half way, telling him that was far
enough. He couldn't tell whether they
were masked. He was ordered not to
deliver his tobacco unless he could get
SO for It. He was also told to notify
other neighbors who had also sold not
| +o rIaI;x,a,. 4taoiv. %oh1ceo The hand then