The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-05-02
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

May 1st is often considered late for
the sowing of tobacco seed beds in this
state but large per cent of growers
have only completed this work during
the week. April has been so cold and
backward there has been but little sad
vantage to be had in consigning sprout-
ed seed especially to cold soils, in fact
the seed might better be out of the
ground than sown under such condi-
tions, for termination will be slow until
the sun produces the proper warmth.
Where the beds have been sterilized
and protected by canvas covers under
ordinarily favorable conditions plants
of proper size for transplanting by
June Is can usually be obtained from
beds sown as late as May 1st. Warm
days and plenty of moisture are only
needed to bring about remarkably
quick growth of the young plants. 1t
must be admitted that the season is
late but delays apply equally to all
farm work as we'll as the preparation
for the tobacco crop. A partial failure
of the plant beds this season might
prove blessing in cutting down the
intended acreage after all.
A close observer of the tobacco mar
kets of this country living outside of
our state writes letter of commenda-
tion to The Reporter which our readers
ought to share with us. Here is the
substance of what he says: II have
read The Reporter with good deal of
interest during the movement of the
1918 crop and ! must say it has handled
a delicate situation with good deal of
skill. It's efforts in helping to keep the
buying going even under declining
market have gone long ways toward
aiding the growers to unload the great
bulk of tremendously large crop, the
most of which has afforded the farmers
fairly remunerative returns. In this
respect the Wisconsin growers stand
out strongly in comparison with those
of Pennsylvania or Ohio, where only a
portion of the crop has been moved and
at much reduced prices. The situation
in your state is 80 much better than in
the alleF states above mentioned / am
confident that when the returns are all
in the government statistics will show
higher average price paid the Wis
consin growers than any previous crop
produced by them. The credit for a
portion of this result your paper can
safely assume
"On the other hand when the largely
attended farmer meetings were being
held in the early part of the season,
where minimum prices were being fixed
for the crop and resolutions passed
pledging growers to hold to these fig
ures, The Reporter might have made
many friends had it told the growers
they could control the situation if they
would stand together despite the col
lapse of the war, but it would not have
been telling the truth and the truth
should be told even if it hurts. 1t is
so rare that any combination of pro-
ducers can set aside the law of supply
and demand that failure of the move
ment seemed almost certain. Suppose
you had urged them to stand by the
declarations of these meetings, impos-
sible as they were, while the market
steadily declined until early spring and
the crop thrown on the market at the
lowest slump, it would not be difficult
thing to figure what the final losses the
growers of your state would pocket
over what they have already obtained
through the unloading of the bulk of
the seasons crop as the market was
able to absorb it. Were it not for the
help situation at the packing centers it
seems probable the entire crop might
have been lifted by this time though it
was the largest ever produced in your
state"
~
That American exports of tobacco
have picked up considerably since the
signing Of the armistice has been a
familiar fact to almost everyone who
knows anything about tobacco condi-
tions. The export figures for Febru-
ary, which have just been made public,
indicate that our shipments of tobacco
to foreign countries far surpass old
time proportions. In view of the fact
that shipments to countries that for