The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-09-22
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


: NOTE BOOK SKETCHES )
The splendid prospects for the 1915
tobacco crop were given body blow
by the most severe frosts of recent
years, on the mornings of Sept. Is, le
and II with thermometers ranging low
er each morning. The first frosts were
seldom more severe for it covered the
northwestern states and all crops not
beyond injury suffered accordingly.
The extent of the damage done to the
tobacco crop can scarcely be estimated
until the crop is finally taken from the
curing sheds. The plants hung limp in
the fields after the first frost Friday
night but the leaf may not show so
much markings as was feared. A good
deal of the standing fields was cut and
piled during the following, days and some
salvage will certainly be obtained from
the frosted tobacco. 1t is quite gener-
ally estimated that at least 40 per cent
of the entire crop of the state was out
standing on the, 18th. A much larger
per cent was uncut in Rock county and
possibly less in some favored localities
where the crop was further advanced.
Reports come that about 1000 acres
were yet in the fields in the Vernon
Go. section. But everywhere through
out the state the late portion of the
crop has suffered from the freeze.
Viewed from the standpoint of what
the farmers expected to realize on con-
tracts already placed, the losses to
growers will of course be enormous and
= million dollars will doubtless not cover
the difference in proceeds. In this re-
spect the early frost is disaster of
large proportions.
There are several good reasons why
no fault can be charged against the
growers for permitting Jack Frost to
overtake the crop. In the first place
the season was about two weeks late
from start to finish. Then six weeks
drouth held the crop back so most of
the tobacco in the southern sections es-
pecially has been made since the mid
die of August and needed at least
couple weeks more to fully mature.
Rains also interfered with the harvest
while the fields were ready to cut so
another delay put the work behind, or
a much greater portion of the crop
would have been safely housed. The
scarcity of labor too has doubtless been
another handicap to this work, so
complication Of circumstances has led
up to the misfortune. Ordinarily the
crop would have been out of the way
of frosts by the middle of September
and the grower has been working on
borrowed time since, though occasion
ally frosts hold off until in October
some years.
~
In view of what was said in this col
umn last week congratulating the buy
ers on winning their wager in betting
on the weather, it seems in all fairness
the writer should take down on that
statement for from the present outlook
dealers who have largely contracted
for the crop are not yet out of the
woods by any means. Some portion Of
the present crop was bought with the
full understanding that the buyers
were to take all chances of hail, frost
or shed damage from that date on.
Frozen tobacco, especially where the
stems have become soft, can hardly be
worth from 10 to IL cents a pound.
What the growers will want to know
is if such buyers will come to the front
now and make good their promises.
Some are bold enough to claim that the
Paul law, quoted in this column few
weeks ago, compels them to do so. In
any event there is an opening here for
whole lot of trouble in arriving at set
IIeMenCS WITH growers WHero pOrClOHS
of their crop have been frosted.
~
Another question that is pertinent at
this time is what use can so large a
quantity of frosted tobacco be put to,
and it seems to be up to the stemmers
to decide. If these concerns are able
to use such leaf then growers are likely
to receive considerable salvage and
their loss is not complete one. This
will develop later. One thing at least
is certain, one-third of the prospective
binder supply from the 1916 Wisconsin
crop will have to be marked off the
slate, which will have tendency to