The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-06-21
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


The tobacco growers of Wisconsin
have had an opportunity to observe this
season just how much weather condi-
tons figure in getting an early start in
putting the new crop in the fields.
Although the laying of the seed beds
was delayed somewhat by a late spring,
since that time weather conditions
could scarcely be improved upon for
bringing the young plants forward and
in such an abundance for an unusually
early planting. Rains came along so
timely that at no time did the beds
need additional moisture, while the alb
sence of cold winds or low tempera-
lures gave the plants chance to come
steadily forward at much earlier date
too, than is usual in this state. Every
thing so far has conspired to the bene-
fit of the grower. Heavy rainfalls the
month just previous to transplanting
the crop has given the soil surplus of
moisture at a time too, when it was
most needed so there has been little
difficulty experienced in getting & good
stand in the fields and requiring but
little resetting except where the cut
worms were especially active. The
temperature so far during the trans
planting has averaged moderate which
has also proven great help as often
times dry weather and hot days have
burned out the plants so that frequent
resettipg of the fields becomes neces-
sary. With fully three-fourths of the
crop now safely in the field trouble of
this character is now past. The credit
therefore for the excellent start of the
crop is quite largely due to exceptional
weather conditions up to date.
-
1t has been many years since such
glowing crop reports have come into
Water Street from the tobacco grow
ing states. In Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Wisconsin, as well as in the New Eng
land states. the planting of the crop
has started two weeks ahead of the
usual time, and according to reports |
the weather and the condition of the |
ground are everything that could be
desired Of course, the experienced
packer does not bank too heavily on
this fact, for tobacco is plant of ten
der growth, and it requires lot of
good treatment between the time it is |
planted and the time it is harvested.
The information also comes to hand
that the acreage being set in tobacco is |
fully as large as last years, and in
some instances there is an increase.
*.s
With a budget bill of eight billion
dollars before Congress to provide for |
our next years war expenses. nobody
even the most Indifferent citizen
can expect to escape an additional con-
tribution to the collection Of our tt |
tanic war expenditures. To raise taxes
of eight thousand million is such an un-
wonted enterprise as would have been
thought impossible of accomplishment !
but few years ago. But here we
have the impossible task before US.
We have to execute it. Congress
through it's financial committees has
already decided on it and the President
has urgently recommended it. While |
the details of this gigantic task have
not been made public as yet, it may be |
assumed as an inevitable certainty that |
every industry, trade and commodity !
will have to share proportionately in !
the new additional taxes. Can it, there |
fore be supposed by even the extrem- |
est stretch of imagination that our to- |
bacco industries are likely to be spared |
from participating in the unavoidable |
demands occasioned by our superlative |
financial necessities? And if so, is it |
also necessary to forecast in time the |
steps to smooth the distribution of the |
unavoidable tax increase. To do that, |
it is necessary to start at once coun- /
try-wide campaign for instructing and |
enlightening particularly the retail /
trade as to the coming event of ad- |
justing their merchandise prices to /
meet their higher demands. A very |
serious increase in the cost of doing |
business will become effective throughout |
the trade under the broad advances in |
railroad passenger fares and freight /
charges recently authorized by Director
General McAdoo. For cigars alone, in /
the Far Western territory, this in
crease is estimated to amount to 25 /
cents per thousand and an increase of
that amount has been put upon cigars |
by Pacific coast distributors. While /
there could scarcely be more cogent
reason for similar price increases upon
all other tobacco products throughout
the United States, to compensate for
the new element, than the carriers ad-
vance, the new order has other signif-
canoe for the trade.-N. Y. Journal.
~
Well posted men state that the 1918
acreage under shade in the Connecticut