The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-11-29

We surrender space for. couple of
growers to air their views in this col
umn. One makes timely suggestions
regarding the handling of the crop,
while the other throws few bricks at
the editor and accuses HIM Of bearing
down the price of tobacco, charge We
are confident those who have followed
these columns carefully will not coin
eide with.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE, BOYS?
The storm tossed mariner embraces
the first opportunity to take shot at
the sun to determine his location. So,
also, should we growers of tobacco
weigh well each determining factor in
fixing our price for our goods. The
goods? Well, yes, we have got them.
The finest ever Oodles of them, but
So also has seemingly every state in the
Union And foreign countries? Ham
pered as they have been by lack of
transportation facilities to put their
goods upon the market, he, indeed,
must be in possession of exclusive in
formation to fortell how much they
have accumulated to dump upon the
trade at the first opportunity. 1t is
possible that the fitful and at times
even frenzied rush for bargains of last
June and again in August were based
on definite and exact knowledge of the
wants of the manufacturers. and then
again, perhaps, it was only string of
suckers chasing a speculative cuss who
likely even now is laid up in hospital
for repairs to his Ego, who did not
know and does not yet know where he
is going to head in at. The close of the
war may make prices advance or vice
versa Who knows? The tightness of
the money market and the indisposi-
tion of the banks to finance tobacco
deals of any kind will surely retard
business for while. We have got the
goods = you bet the best ever-but it
takes money to play marbles. And to
us growers who did not get on the
loaded wagon last summer it stands as
in. hand to put our crops up in man
ner free from all damage, so that 1t
will be in good condition when the roses
bloom again And should we even have
to hold it through the sweat, have we
not our Equity warehouse to sort, pack
and store it until such time as the man.
ufactarers will need them? We would
suggest that while stripping, the sort
able tobacco be carefully separated
from the so-called stemming tobacco.
In fact, the two-bundle box game
seems to be the most feasible one TO
play = all tobacco of good quality, both
binders and fillers,, In one box, and
mongrel (of-colored and generally nom
Itaescript stuff put in the other box, TO
beAsold at the present ruling high price
for stemming, thereby leaving the bet
ter stuff by itself to be sold to manu-
facturers. At the present time labor
conditions in the packing centers are
such that the dealers will likely be
more particular in buying to give the
preference to those crops which have
been we'll cleaned in stripping. The.
casing season has been good one, not
too wet, and the cOlors are showing up
fine and it looks like good, safe, keep
ing tobacco and it will surely bring the
price when conditions are right again.
Yours,
GROWER.
Madison, Wis.
Editor Reporter Having been sub
scriber to your paper for good many
years and tobacco grower, | feel as
if | must let you know my feelings in
regard to your stand as to the price of
1918 tobacco. How can anyone grow
tobacco under the conditions that have
prevailed this season and remain a to-
bacco grower unless we have great In
ducement to remain in the business?
In fact lots wont raise tobacco in the
future right around here. One man
had two sheds to hold Is acres and has
pulled both down and used the lumber
for cow barn. He says ''no more to-
bacco." ] can count from my house
four sheds empty; the owners say, tno
tobacco" It is dogs life to raise it
and then it interferes with all the other
work, to say nothing of the fertilizer it
takes and hand work. Also it is not
like any other thing farmer has to
sell-stock, grain, hay, milk, etc. for
these there is a market and grade,
but tobacco, the buyers talk the matter
over, then send out men % with a
limit as to what they shall pay and they
buy all crops, good, bad, ETC., they can
for as much less as fool farmer Will
take Then even you are not sure you
will ever get what the contract calls
for. You must remember this year we
had to pay 100 per cent more for steam
ing, also for coal, pulling plants. hoe
| ing, etc., and for harvesting the wages
were Sl.OO day Tor 1U nOurS WORK,
plus board. Lath was $1,000 thou
sand, jack pine poles DO cents apiece.
These prices are 140 per cent higher
than formerly. Now they are talking
35 cents an hour for stripping, with
board, so unless we receive good big
figure for our crops the buyers will
! have killed the goose that laid the gol-
den egg. Last spring you in your
paper advised all to raise tobacco as
they were sure of good price. Now
you say the farmers are hogs because
they want good price for their hard
labor, etc., etc. Furthermore, there is
no reason for US not getting melon"
instead of the buyers taking it all.
After the crops get into the hands of
the trust or buyers prices will go out
of sight with every country the sun
shines on yelling for tobacco. By the
| way, why don't you state in your paper