The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-09-13
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES



Despite the we'll known shortage of
labor in the agricultural districts the
tobacco growers have been able to
carry forward their harvest without as
much delay as was anticipated. By
putting in long hours in the fields and
the employment of an unusual amount
of female labor they have passed the
criticalsstag and shielded their crop as
itripened in good order. The sucker
ing of the fields of course has not been
as closely attended to as usual but
otherwise they have kept abreast of
the work until the end Of the harvest
is almost in sight. AS the small grow
ers finished their work it released lot
of experienced help to assist those of
larger acreage, SO the danger of not
properly securing this crop is passed.
The labor involved in the housing of
the largest tobacco crop ever produced
in the state should not be underesti-
mated as well as the shed room neces-
sarv for curing it, for it required the
erection Of much additional space. So
if much delay is experienced in finish
ing the harvest it will be due largely to
building more shed room or intervening
storms. So far the season has been
especially exempt from storms or heavy
winds that break up and tear the rip
ened leaves. With week or ten days
exemption from frosts and the 1918
crop will be safely housed and beyond
the dangers of field damage. Up to
the present writing the weather has
been decidedly favorable to the rapid
curing in the sheds, all of which tends
to improve the prospects that the grow
er will have desirable product for
sale as the result OF his seasons labor.
***
AS the harvest of the 1918 crop is
drawing to q close good many grow
ers find the work handicapped by a lack
of shed room as we'll as an acute short
age of tobacco lath, so that in many in
stances tbs shedding has been held up
until some relief was secured. The
shortage of lath developed early in the
season and lumber dealers in the tobac-
sections secured the markets but
were unable to get only a partial sup
ply. Then the ordinary house lath
stocks were dra WI upon until these be-
came exhausted. There have been
times since the harvest started when it
was impossible to obtain lath at any
yard in the growing districts. An in
creased acreage and heavier yield
than was anticipated have called for
the building of more curing sheds than
for several years back. Generally the
growers have been able to secure build
ing material as needed, but they rarely
start building operations until other
curing sheds are filled and the harvest
ing is therefore delayed. The crop,
however, will all be under cover short
ly and in good season. 1t is going into
the curing sheds under far better con-
ditions than for some recent years and
the farmers are pretty sure in discount
ing his profit any time now for the cur
ing is proceeding quite satisfactorily.
-
The new war revenue bill proposes to
raise enormous sums from taxes on to-
bacco. The committee to simplify its
task doubles the current rates on cigars
and tobacco though it hardly expects to
raise double the revenue because of de-
creased consumption and the loss of
tax on goods produced for the soldiers.
On cigars sold at retail at SC each the
new rate is an increase of from $4 to
SIS per 1000. On higher priced cigars
the rate is doubled. Manufactured to-
bacco is also increased from 13 to 26
cents per pound, snuff and cigarettes
are also given double tax. In addi-
tion manufacturers are required to pay
special tax based on annual sales rang
ing from So to $24 per year. The ways
and means committee has laid out a
program that will raise about $50 mil
lion dollars yearly from the tobacco in
dustry as against about 2l2 million dol
lars under the present schedule of in
ternal revenue taxation.
*.*
Farmers who have raised tobacco,
this year, are now busy getting it into
the sheds, probably the most valuable |
crop of any kind, from purely finan-
cial standpoint to the grower, ever
slowed away in this county. The yield
is universally good, probably the best
average ever grown in the county. The
price is about four times that paid in
the average year. There are numerous
sale contracts reported, however, where
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