The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-05-05
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


season in getting another tobacco crop
started. A wet, cold April has not
only delayed the planting of the seed
beds, but has set back other farm work
so that growers will doubtless be be-
hind in planting other crops so the pre-
pairing of their tobacco fields, which
comes last in the series, seems likely to
be kept on the waiting list until corn
planting is out of the way. However,
if favored with suitable weather from
this on with plenty of continuous work
ing days much of the delay might be
overcome in a short time. In any event
the chances are that the young plants
will be in readiness for transplanting
by the time growers have their fields
in readiness to receive them. With the
right kind of May most of these OBJ
stacles might be overcome.
Ordinarily after season or so of
poor crop returns the acreage devoted
to tobacco in this state suffers mod
crate decline. That has been the his
tory of the state heretofore, hence,
naturally, short acreage this year
might be expected something like
three to five thousand acres at most
for the entire state. But certain mar
ket conditions have not been overlooked
by growers who keep themselves posted
on matters pertaining to their business.
These things are pertinent to con-
slider, among them the fact that the
country has never been SO short of
binder goods the kind Wisconsin pro-
duces- as it will be before another crop
can be grown and ready for the manu-
facturer. 1t is almost a certainty that
there will be strong demand for goods
that meet the requirements OF the 1916
growth, at prices too that will remun-
crate the grower. With these condi- |
tions in view, many farmers who have
the curing shed facilities will hesitate |
to curtail their acreage the present |
season. In fact some growers will IN !
crease their fields in anticipation OF the |
profits in sight. So it is difficult to pre-
dict what the final showing will be.
The plantation of the American Su- |
matra Tobacco company at Amsterdam, !
Georgia, is said to be the largest in the |
world, containing about ten miles north |
and south, in places three miles wide,
in all about fifteen thousand acres, and
is part of the above company's plan
tation. A Georgia corporation-S8, O00,-
600 capital, with home Offices in At
lanta-owns many of the plantations in
Decatur county and Gadsden county, |
Florida. The cost of equipping plan
tation for producing shade tobacco is
quite an item, often costing $500 per
acre for the first year An acre yields
about 1900 pounds.
According to reports from Frankfort,
KY, the rates for hail insurance on
Rurley tobacco are to be increased 33s
per cent. No change will be made on
the dark tobacco rate. At the present
rate of 81. SO for $50 an acre insurance,
So. 90 on $75 an acre, $500 on $500 an
acre, the premiums for the three years
totaled $500, $40, with losses and ex-
penses amounting to $3.50, 900. On ac-
count of the loss to the companies the
higher rate of insurance is to be al
lowed.
The March returns of the stamp tax
on the output of our tobacco industries
throughout the country show most
gratifying increase in all tobacco pro-
ducts, with the exception OF little CT
gars. The increase in large cigars
amounted to about forty millions, the
increase in cigarettes to over five hum
dred and ninety millions and the IN
crease in smoking tobacco to over one
and quarter million pounds. AS with
the month of March the first quarter of
the new wear has passed, the result of
the business activities of our tobacco
industries exhibits very large ad-
vance in the output over the first three
months of last year. Up to April, the
increase in the output Of large cigars
for the first three months of the cur
rent year amounts to about one hum
dred and fifty millions, which, if the
same proportionate increase shall be
maintained during the balance of the
year would permit calculated increase
of nearly six hundred millions for the
year 1916 and establish an almost rec
ord-breaking advance in our large cigar
production. Since 1907 no such cheer
full prospects have confronted our large
cigar industry, for since that fateful
year the record of our cigar industry |
was almost uninterruptedly retro
gressive one. Evidently the present
prosperity of the country is not one |
sided. For when even the cigar indus
try, which is generally most handicap |
ped by hard times, shows not only en-
couraging but steadily advancing pro- /
gress, the consumptive capacity of the
country for the comforts of life must |
indeed be in very healthy ascendency.
But the splendid gains maze by our
cigar industry during the first three
months of the present year by no
means had the result of depressing the
consumption of the output of the other /
branches of our tobacco industries. On
the contrary, they kept more than
equal pace with the gains made by the
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