The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-10-20

shipments is expected to cause heavy
loss to members of the trade in this
country unless a modification of the
British ruling can be secured. The
state department already has made in
formal representations, and officials
said they hoped to clear up the misun-
derstanding to the satisfaction OF
American interests.
]. *&*
The Pennsylvania farmers who had
unharvested tobacco were treated to a
dose of the same medicine the Wiscon-
sin and Ohio tobacco farmers had pre-
viously tasted. The situation in Penn
sylvania, however, is not so serious as
in the other two states mentioned, be-
cause of the fact that not over 1000
acres remained unharvested when the
frost came. The total Pennsylvania
tobacco acreage is estimated at 10000
acres. 1t is reported that the FROST
bitten tobacco has been bought at 10 to
12 cents-as much as the Lancaster
farmers usually get for sound tobacco.
This fact is the best commentary upon
the general tobacco situation in the
United States The new Wisconsin
crop, frozen and sound, it is reported,
has been cleaned up already-by the
middle of October-more closely than
it usually is by spring. There will be
be no buying this winter and spring, as
there usually is, because there is no to-
bacco left in the farmers hands. The
same thing, by the way, is true of the
new Onondaga crop. One packer re-
marked that this is the first time in his
recollection when the Onondaga was
bought up by men who didn't wear
overcoats.
Tobacco growers, both in the cigar
leaf sections and in the heavy leaf dis
tricts, are facing one of the most prom
ising years in the history of tobacco
growing. Not only is the crop gener-
ally both large and good, but market
conditions are such that the demand
for the leaf is extraordinary. Prices
for all types and grades are the high
est in years. In spite of the fact that
manufacturers of cigars have been in
creasing prices to the retail trade, fig
ures for the manufactured product for
August exceed all previous records not
only for August but for any other
month. The total revenue collections
during the first eight months of 1916
total S59,000,000, gain of nearly $8,
900, 900 over the corresponding period
Of 1915 Interest in the shade-grown
this year is higher than at any time
since the opening up of this compara-
lively new cigar leaf industry. Some
5000 acres were grown this year in the
Connn0ffof1t xxyo will
approximately some 100000 bales of
wrapper grade. A few large manu-
facturers, however, will use three
quarters of this output, leaving only
some 10000 bales for the other Is man
grown wrapped cigar. The shade-grown
smaller in area this year, promise very
all tobacco districts indicath that the
the crop have been favorable with a
minimum thus far of the damage pos
sible during the curing processes. The
real amount of damage caused by frost
in many important sections will not be
known until the crops have been taken
down and sorted. The high prices al
ICduy UdlQ ILLS year 1OI LuS pOOI Cl
grades of tobacco indicate that even
where frost damage was great, grow
ers will net as much for this damaged
tobacco as they have in some other
years for undamaged crops. New Eng
land Homestead.
~
There may be as good reasons and
just causes for price advances on gen.
eral commodities, but there certainly
cannot be more justifiable or strin-
gent cause than the necessity of rails
ing the price of cigars. And the ratio
of increase so far authorized in the
prices of cigars is almost ridiculous in
proportion to that upon any other COM
modify. To ask Is cents for filler
crop in the field does not exactly rep
resent merely intrinsic value, even at
the discount of prosperity. In such
prices imitation overshadows legitimate
profits. But such abuse, though it may
compel tolerance for a time, is nowhere
possible in the prices of cigars. How
ever, facing the inflated value of his
raw material. cannot the manufacturer
rise to the opportunity to make the ad-
vance on his product at least adequate
to it's legitimate value? Cutting down
discounts and shortening terms of credit
and graduated advances of from 5(l