The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-08-30
NOTE aook SKETCHES

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It is hard to compute the loss in
value to the 1918 tobacco crop by per-
mitting the suckers to attain a growth
that blossoms appear on each spike.
A ride through the country districts
shows field after field of an almost per-
feet flower garden. Many of the har-
vested fields show the ground literally
covered with suckers from foot to
two feet in length removed just before
cutting. The substance taken from
the soil to produce such an extraordin-
ary growth of suckers ought to go
mainly into the leaf, giving it weight
and oil or gum so much needed to per-
feet finish to the cured leaf. It is
rare that suckers have grow so rapidly
as the present season, while the scar
city of labor made it almost impossible
to prevent this condition. But the fact
remains that the yield will be shorten
ed and the quality of the crop depre-
ciated by the lack of attention paid to
suckering.
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Dane county tobacco growers who
signed an agreement some time ago
not to sell their tobacco under so cents
pound until August 25, met at the
town hall in Christiana Friday to dis
cuss the situation. About $50 farmers
were present and general discussion
was entered into regarding the value
of this product. Some few were in
favor Of holding their tobacco and
packing it, and others declined to be
bound by any agreement as to time or
price for selling. Assembly-HansoE
was present and cautioned the farmers
against entering into any pool or trust
that would make them amenable to the
laws of the estate regarding combina
tions in restraint of trade. A rather
novel method OF arriving at what the
grower regarded as an equable price
for the 1918 tobacco was put through.
Ballots were passed and each farmer
was asked to name what he considered
a fair price. The average was then
struck and found to be 421 cents. How
ever, only 78 of the growers cast votes
on the proposition. How lovely this
would all be if the tobacco buyers
could be brought around to meet the
expectations of these growers! But if
they succeed it will be the first time in
history of the state when the producer
had it all to say. 1t might appear to
most people that here was large mis-
sionary field open to recruits.
***
Tobacco buying did not begin last
Wednesday as scheduled. 1t seems that
certain buyers had been feeling out the
farmers and had come to the conclu
sion that the farmers and the buyers
were still too far apart on price. The
monkey wrench in the tobacco buying
machinery this year seems to be that
both farmers and buyers are attempt
ing to set aside the laws Of supply and
demand by means Of combination. In
this matter we understand the farmers
set the example. They signed pledges
to hold their tobacco at so cents a
pound. Having been given the sugges-
ton, 1T was an easy matter for the
buyers to come to an understanding.
There are probably not more than a
dozen buyers to that many thousand
farmers. For the farmers to encour-
age trusts and combinations is the
rankest folly. They are too numerous
and scattered to hold for any length OF
time. Besides if it did succeed it would
kill itself with it's own virus and COM
pei a war Of self defense. Other inter-
ests would have to do likewise and the
sum total Of it all would be money in
1ation which does no one any good
Deerfield News.
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Though tobacco was one of the chief
farm products in 1843, says the Courier
Journal, the increase in the number of
pounds raised annually is something
less than billion pounds. It is to be