The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-08-16
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

A decision of much Importance to the
tobacco trade was handed down by
Judge Grimm in the Rock county cir
cult court Monday, which holds the
Paul law, a statute pertaining to the
purchase and sale of growing crops, in
valid. The action of Strander VS.. Nc
Intosh Bros. has been hanging in the
courts since the 1914 crop in which the
plaintiff sought to recover the full
price contracted for regardless of the
condition of the crop at time of deliv-
cry. The case was not brought to trial
but submitted to the judge by stipula-
tion on the sole issue of the validity of
this statute. The decision in the case
follows:
Section 1670-n of the revised stat
utes manifestly applies only to the pur-
chase of farm and garden crops, where
the contract fixes standard price per
unit of weight and is silent as to quail
ity. There is nothing in the law pro-
hibiting the seller and purchaser from
agreeing upon the quality, grades or
prices based upon conditions as they
may be found to be at the time of de-
livery; nor does it prohibit seller and
purchaser from agreeing upon causes
and methods for cancellation of the
contract.
''In the instant case the contract
deals with the purchase of the wrap
pers, binders and filters of a four-acre
crop of tobacco at stated price for
cash. Each grade was to be bundled
separately, and the whole was to be
delivered in sound packing condition.
Provision was also made for adjust
ment or cancellation of the contract in
case any of the tobacco was found to
be damaged at the time of delivery.
Such a contract does not come within
the terms of the statute and is not sub
ject to its penalties; it is subject only
to the usual remedies applicable to all
contracts.
Further. am fully convinced that
Section 1670-n violates constitutional
guarantees, and cannot be sustained as
the state.
The crop report issued by the De-
partment Of Agriculture, dated August
1st. says: ''The prospects for large
tobacco crop were never better and if
the present favorable conditions con-
tinue the largest crop produced in the
state will be harvested. The estimated
production, based on the August l con-
dition of 96 per cent, is now placed at
70, 437, 900 pounds compared with total |
production last year of As, 1856, 900
pounds" AS the statistics on which |
the Wisconsin report was based were |
gathered in July there will be plenty |
of opportunity later to revise the fig
ures if the condition is overdrawn, as
we are inclined to think it is.
~
The need of general rains throughout
the tobacco growing sections of the |
state has been partially relieved by |
local showers that in localities furnish |
ed the needed moisture but it falls far
short Of needed requirements gener-
ally. The tobacco crop at best is a
weather proposition almost entirely.
August is the month that invariably
has the making Of both corn and to-
bacco. II rains come often enough to
supply the evaporation of hot mid
summer days and helps along the
steady advancement of the crop, the
result of the season is fairly we'll as
sured. But drouth just at the criti-
cal time when the plant is shooting to
bud can shorten the yield amazingly.
Even temporary showers often keep
the fields holding their own until the |
needed moisture arrives that will bring
on the harvest Much of the 1917 crop
graded below normal size because of a |
drouth that extended too long. Sim |
liar conditions prevail in many locali- |
ties at the present writing, though
doubtless these areas suffering from |
lack of moisture are not SO extensive
as year ago. Extreme heat coupled
with dry weather is the greatest dan
ger the present crop faces the balance |
of the month.
***
That leaf tobacco loses much more !
weight when cured on the stalk than !
when the leaves are picked in the field /
and cured separately has been demon /
strated by an Investigation of the /
United States Department of Agricul
ture. The experiments were carried /
on for period of four years at Con-
necticut tobacco farm. They showed |
that for leaves of the cigar wrapper
type the average loss in dry weight in
curing nicked leaves was from II to Is |