The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-05-11
NOTE ROCk SKETCHES


The cold, backward weather so far
this season is delaying the plant beds
and placing them behind the usual
stage at this date This is especially
true on unprotected beds where the
yseed has had hard struggle to ger
inmate because of the cold, drying
winds Even on canvased beds the
young plants have sickly, pale color
and are making slow progress. Frosts
have occurred every night during the
first week of May and until warmer
weather comes the tobacco beds cannot
make their usual headway. However,
it is hardly to be expected that tobacco
plants should make better showing
when gardens and other farm crops are
handicapped by the same unfavorable
weather conditions. Neither does a
late spring necessarily mean poor
crop year. It doesn't take long for de
layed crops to catch up under continued
favorable weather conditions we have
SO often witnessed and crop failures
are rare instances in this state. Nor
is there any product produced on our
farms that will stand so much misfor-
tune and come through at the end of
the season with better showing than
tobacco. So we have patience to wait.
The tentative tobacco schedule for
the war revenue bill favors gradual
ed tax on cigaas which most people
will admit is the fairest method yet de-
vised. The proposed increase will
doubtless be 25c on little cigars and
cheroots, SOC on cigars selling for less
than 5 cents, $1.00 per NJ on cent
goods and so on up the scale until high
est priced cigars $500 advance over
the present tax of $500. The increase
onFcigarettes is likely to be double the
present tax as we'll as on manufactured
tobacco from to 16 cents per pound.
The consumer therefore must be pre-
pared to stand for marked advance
in all products of tobacco as soon as
the measure becomes law.
The Census report of the leaf stocks
in the hands of dealers and manufac-
turers on April 1st shows consider
able decrease in comparison with the
quantity of stock on hand April 1st last |
year. The total cigar leaf stock re-
ported for April 1, 1917, amounts to
312, 470, 1856 pounds as against 356, 0O8,- |
249 pounds on the same date year
ago. The decrease, therefore, aggre-
gates nearly 44,00O,000 pounds. The
decrease extends to all types of cigar
leaf with the exception of one. There
is noted loss of about 5000, 600 pounds
in Connecticut Broadleaf; slump of
about 2,OO0,0 900 pounds in Connecticut
Havana Seed, and decrease of 1,0O0,-
900 pounds of Connecticut Shadegrown;
a loss of 10000 pounds in New York
State; decrease in Pennsylvania of
19, 900, 900 pounds; in Wisconsin one of
$4,000, 900 pounds; in Georgia and FLAIR
ida of 100000 pounds and of Porto
Rico 100000 pounds. A surplus of
about 10,000,0O0 pounds is shown ex-
clusively in Ohio tobaccos. In import
ed leaf the decrease amounts to over
1000, 900 pounds. This condition of
the stock of leaf tobacco, both in the
hands of dealers and manufacturers,
would appear as full of menace to the
cigar industry as the threatened short
age of food stuffs is for the country at
large. AS the increase in the Ameri-
can cigar output amounted to 300, ,000, |
900 during the first three months of the
year, up to April 1st, the shortage of
"A. 900, 600 pounds in leaf stock cannot |
but forecast still higher prices for raw
material if cigar production for the |
rest of the year should keep pace pro-
portionately with it's advance for the |
first three months just passed. A |
shortage of A, ,000,000 pounds is also |
reported in the types of tobacco for |
chewing, smoking, snuff and export. |
This would likewise indicate a much |
sitter future market in the raw ma |
terial of tobacco manufacturers.
Last week over 500 tobacco growers |
in the Connecticut river valley crowded |
into representative hall in the state |
house at Hartford to discuss increased |
production of farm crops. 1t was re-
markably enthusiastic session and the |
growers subscribed more willingly to |
the increased production propaganda
than any large group of New England
farmers have yet done. There seemed
to be no fear of overproduction of any
crop, whether it be potatoes, beans,
cereals, fruits, etc. A strong resolu-
tion was adopted pledging Connecticut
tobacco growers to do all in their power
to increase the food supply of the state.
This does not mean that tobacco will
be grown. 1t does mean that the
growers in the organization will great
ly increase production of other crops,
Ir |