The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-12-29
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


The year which is about to close will
90 into history as one of the most
profitable seasons the Wisconsin tobac-
co growers have ever experienced. But
for the early frost which caught close
to one-third Of the crop in the fields it
would have been a record breaker so
far as money returns go. Even the
frosted leaf has brought the highest
price ever paid for low grade leaf. The
advance price in all grades is likely to
bring Wisconsin growers close to a
million dollars more than any previous
crop in recent years, figured on basis
of "A thousand acres as the area de-
voted to tobacco. This is certainly a
nice juicy plum to drop into the lap of
the farmers and helps balance up someJ
of the lean years when the crop was
partial failure. There has never been
time in late years when SO little to-
bacco was left unsold at this date, so
the growers can soon balance their
books and lay their plans for another
crop with clean score. He must re-
alize, however, that the dealers who
help pay him the advance must get
their money back from the consumer
and be willing to meet the increased
price for any smoke he INDUCES in.
The agricultural department estimates
that the growers of the country at
large will receive "a million dollars
more for the 1916 tobacco crop than for
the 1915.
f ***
The final estimate of the government
on the 1916 Wisconsin tobacco crop
places it at Al thousand acres with
yield of 55 million pounds or 1850 lbs.
to the acre, and the average price at
which it was sold 123 cents. This is
the last guess the government is going
to make in advance of the returns made
after the crop is delivered.
-
We smoke more than three times as
many cigarettes in this country as ci-
gars, but we burn twice a much to-
bacco in the cigars as in the cigarettes.
A pound of tobacco will make nearly
Six times as many cigarettes as cigars,
So it seems that the man who smokes
only three cigars day is using the
equivalent of eighteen cigarettes. Of
%o., AokA &ko14 ho1
of chewing tobacco is passing out, but
it isn't More tobacco is ''chewed''
every day than is smoked in the shape
of cigars. Indeed, chewing tobacco
weighs almost as much as the cigars
and cigarettes together.
A scheme has been proposed to or
'ganize the Pennsylvania tobacco grow
ers into a gigantic trust in marketing
their product. In the plan which he
presented to the growers, Mr.. Kim
brough stated the reserve system ad-
vocated by him would require all grow
ers to sign an agreement that they
would not sell to any buyer before
November Is each year-in short it
makes by general agreement Novem-
Der Is of each year the first day for all
buyers to go into the field with con-
tracts. In the second place, it would
require that no grower agree to sell to
any manufacturer or packer for less
than fifteen cents for wrappers, eight
cents for hail cut, five cents for filters
and three cents for scrap, or whatever
prices the reserve field agent finds that
the size and quality of each crop and
the general business and cigar leaf
trade will justify each year. In the
third place is proposed the creation of
a reserve surplus and proft-sharing
fund of $780, to So, 900, coo for the
purpose of packing all the surplus to-
bacco each year not sold at the speci-
fled minimum prices. In the fourth
place, it is proposed under the "sys-
tenn" to sell the cased surplus goods
only to small cigar manufacturers as
they need it all through the year, sell
ing the remainder to the big manufac-
turer and packer at the highest prices
that can be obtained, only small !
profit being exacted from the small |
manufacturer. It's also proposed to
establish a combination public sales
floor and packing house in Lancaster
to protect prices, take care of the sur
plus each year, and provide for a medi-
um of sale for the grower living in the |
more inaccessible places. Some of the |
growers characterized the scheme as |
dream, holding that under no conditions
would 10000 tobacco growers act as a |
unit.
-
United States Consul Leonard Blake |
Modica, reporting to the Department |
of Foreign Commerce from Cartegena,
Colombia, states that rapid strides are
being made in that country in the cul- |
tivation of leaf tobacco. There are
productive tobacco lands near the coast |
and in the Department of Santander, |
but the district Of Ambamela produces |
the best grade and the greatest GUAM
tity of tobacco. The larger part of the
domestic tobacco is used locally for |
m an11f Y,,1rr,ococ 10rrroIu IN Tho