The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-11-02
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


Cold weather that breaks the record
for October days followed on the heels
of raging snow storm Monday when
temperatures dropped around 20 de-
grees that produced what growers
have feared might occur the freezing
of much green tobacco in the sheds.
It puts the climax upon long series of
disasters that have followed the 1917
crop from almost the time it was
planted in the fields. First it was
drouth, then hail and an early frost
and finally an unusually early freeze to
reach the interior of the curing sheds
as the last thing to impair the pros
poets for receiving the returns prom
ised from early sales at the highest
prices Wisconsin tobacco was ever con-
tracted for Just what amount of dam
age has been occasioned to the crop is
difficult to determine as yet. Enough
is already known, however, to indicate
that fat stems will be plentiful and
packers fear that bad mess is before
them when receiving days arrive. Some
portion of almost every crop contains
uncured stems that when frozen will
be hard to dry out, while good deal of
the leaf in the late harvested portion
was still green and will be effected as
though it was standing in the field. To
what use such frozen leaf can be putis
yet question.
The days of the nickel cigar seem to
be about numbered or at least until the
world war is ended. Hhe trade papers
are filled with revised price lists which
will make it almost imperative for re-
tail dealers to sell their nickel brands
for six cents. The advanced price of
all leaf entering into the cigar, higher
manufacturing costs and the increased
revenue tax to be paid, all combine to
the necessity of the advance. It is the
same rule applied to all other merchan-
disc Of passing the cost on to the con-
sumner Mr.. Leary of the Edgerton
Cigar Co. says he is glad to see the
price of nickel goods raised to six cents
for the retailers have not been enjoy
ing their usual business while they see
their profits all the time shrinking.
The new schedule will enable them to
nay their bills more promptly for he
sthinks the public generally will admit
the justice of the raise. In comment
ing on the action of the leading manu-
facturers of cigars the u. S. Tobacco
Journal says: '"The nickel cigar in
dustry, as represented in a forward
looking coterie Of it's most important
Eastern members, has put it's hand to
the plough. There must be no turning
back. The foresight and courage of a
number of the biggest manufacturers
in the industry keyed to the sticking
point by our earnest exhortation and
coolest counsel-will now make it pos
sible for that branch of the business
which accounts for over eighty per
cent of the entire cigar output to oper-
ate upon a permanently profitable
basis. That every other responsible
manufacturer in the nickel industry
will fall into line at once-if he has not
already done So must be apparent.
The people are accepting hitherto un-
heard-of standards Of price upon prac-
tically every other essential or comfort
largely without material rebuke to the
producers and distributors of those
goods"
The value of business which has
been conservatively managed and de-
veloped for eight years is now demon
strating itself in the affairs of the
American Sumatra Tobacco Company,
said the Wall Street Journal of Octo-
ber 9Th, which started to grow, under
shade, in this country quality Of leaf
tobacco which could compete with the
imported Sumatra tobacco for wrap
pers. Success was slow but it now
appears to have been certain. Many
discouragements confronted the men
who were back of the enterprise and
difficulty was met in getting cigar
manufacturers to use domestic grown
Sumatra tobacco for the better grade
of cigars. Gradually this prejudice
was overcome until in the season pre-
ceding the outbreak of the European
war importations Of Sumatra wrapper
tobacco had fallen from 40, 900 bales to
20, ZOO. bales, the American ssSumatra
Company supplying large part of this
country's demands. Since 1914, the
American Sumatra Company has had
things pretty much its own way and its
steadily increased crop has been dis
posed of with minimum of effort. It
is doubtful if American cigar manufac-
turers will ever go back to imported
wrappers, for the American grown is
said to be equal if not surerior to the
genuine Sumatra. Every year, how
ever, production has been increased
and the improved earnings of the COM
pany are therefore due more to in
creased production than to advanced
prices. The strength of the company
lies in this question of production. 1t
owns $4,000 acres of tobacco land and
bigger production means nothing more
than putting more acres uuder cultiva-
ton. 1t requires no capital outlay be-
yond labor, and production could be
doubled or trebled without further
financing in view of the generous work
ing capital built up by plowing in earn
in f|o o;<~t,%