The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-12-22
NOTE sooK SKETCHES

livery, packers dTo USSiHiiiIS W WoH-
der if they would be justified in open
ing the asserting season until further
case weather arrives. And in the
event that winter has set in for good
and casing conditions might be delayed
into early spring, there is some specu-
lation as to where they will come out
in the packing of the crop. The amount
of the 1916 tobacco purchased for ware
house handling will exceed 100, 900 cases
and is by far larger amount than has
been packed by dealers in this state in
some years past. 1t will require more
help and q longer warehouse handling
season than usual. so should shortage
of labor generally develop in the pack
ing points, the dealers might be up
against quite proposition in caring
for their purchases before summer
again comes. All would like to start
their warehouses as soon after the new
year as possible, as they have several
months of work in sight. If the bal
ance of the hanging crop does not
come down until spring there would be
hustaing times about the packing points.
Ordinarily January thaw may be
looked for some time during the month
but ieven these have been known to
fail We can only hope that casing
weather is not too long delayed. Those
growers who were fortunate in getting
their tobacco stripped during the early
casing weather have been able to count
some nice returns from their crops. =
Richard l. We'll, senior member of
the firm of We'll & Sons, 131 Water ST.,
died suddenly Monday night while on
his way back from Hot Springs, Va,
where he, with his family, had taken a
short vacation, the first, it ia said he
had ever taken. Mr. We'll had recent
ly suffered slightly from indigestion,
but it was not realized that his condi-
tion was serious. He and his family
left Hot Springs on Monday and spent
the night on the train His wife heard
him leave the berth and return to it
during the night, and next morning
when she went to awake him, she
found him dead Richard We'll was the
eldest son of the late Leopold We'll,
founder of the firm of We'll G Sons,
wko died about three years ago. He
received his education in the city
schools and the City College. He
learned the leaf tobacco business in his
fathers office and packing houses, and
soon after coming to his majority was
made a member of the firm, and later
his brother, Emanuel We'll, became a
partner. For number. of years the
firm was thus constituted and became
prominent in packing Pennsylvania and
Wisconsin tobacco. After the death of
the elder We'll, Arthur We'll, the young
est son, was admitted to partnership,
and the business was continued by the
three brothers, but under the old firm
name. Richard We'll was regarded as
one of the ablest of the younger set Of
Water Street merchants, and his skill
as buyer and packer of tobacco was
highly considered in the trade. During
the past year he bought heavily of ex-
port tobaccos. He was forty years of
age and is survived by widow and two
children, Richard Jr. and Eleanor. Mrs.
We'll before marriage was Miss Olga
Josephy IN. Y. Leaf.
IS
The 1916 tobacco crop, If rightly
handled, offers Wisconsin growers as
whole the best opportunity to discount
old troubles and build future prosperity
that has presented itself in many years
This it the belief of men who are fa-
miliar with tobacco cropping in the
state The highest returns since the
earliest years of the industry in Wis
consin have probably been realized this
year. Less inferior and damaged to-
bacco will be placed in the hands of
packers and manufacturers. Buyers
were delighted with the quality of
much of the crop, for as far as could
be judged from field conditions, and
except for some local frost injury, the
seasons yield has been uniformly sat-
isfactory. Cooperation of growers
and packers is now vital necessity, in
order that the best of precautions
known to the business may be used to
deliver the crop to the manufacturer in
the best of condition, is the comment
made by James Johnson, College of
Agriculture, University of Wisconsin.
The early appearance of casing wealth
er will mean early packing in the ware
house. Tobacco packed early in the
season is especially subject to mold or
Dlack rot lNI0cCION, owing TO ulgH
moisture conditions and the tenderness
of leaf tissue. Growers should try to
prevent the crop from coming into
''high case,'' while the packers should
take extra precautions in handling to-
bacco in this condition, says Mr.. John
son. Such crops are usually thoroughly
bulk sweated before packing or not put
away until late in the season. The de-
STABILITY of either of these methods
will depend upon the purposes for
which the leaf is to be used. Most
packers have their own Individual
methods of handling tobacco in order
to avoid damage in sweating. How
ever, 2 careful analysis of such meth
ods at the Wisconsin Experiment Sta
tion has shown the whole process to
rest fundamentally upon the presence
of certain conditions OF moisture and
temperature which are favorable to the
development of mold and black rot.
There is no doubt but that the use of |
sound, practical judgment and care,
l. - ~