The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-02-28
aoTg Book SKETCHES


early farmer meetings fixed as the
minimum to hold for however, but the
better crops, such as will yield good
proportion of binders, bring fairly re-
munerative figures from 20 to 25 cents.
The cheaper grades which are being
taken over for stemming purposes
bring as low as IL to Is cents and there
is vastly more of this class of tobacco
in the crop than was generally sup
posed. Whether the movement will
continueI and lift the balance of the
crop is !uncertain. The situation is
greatly improved by the buying that is
under way. Most growers have urgent
needs for the money the crop will
bring. They have obligations to meet
and the opportunity to sell, even
though they cannot get war time prices
they hoped for earlier in the season,
they accept present conditions as grace
fully as possible. Outside of the New
England states Wisconsin tobacco is
bringing even now better prices than
any of the cigar leaf states.
~
This has been a bad year for the
scalpers on tobacco contracts which or
dinarily have been able to clean up on
contracts resold some time during the
season. There hasn't been time when
they could get out from under because
of continuous declining market or
hardly chance to get into the game.
**"
A close observer of the tobacco mar
ket in the state says he has noticed
that during series of years, except IN
seasons of short crop or some other
unusual circumstance, the average
price paid Wisconsin growers does not
vary much from that paid farmers for
their live hogs. When pork is high to-
bacco prices advance accordingly. His.
idea is a novel one, just keep tab on it.
1t has been difficult for the average
l-eigar nle4f~ tobacco grower to UNDER
stand why the price of their product
should decline while the growers Of
Burley tobacco, which is used for ci-
garette and smoking tobacco purposes,
have been experiencing a runaway
m arket. The general belief is that
much OF. this tobacco is being bought
for foreign markets, and the growers
Of cigar leaf tobacco have been very
much encouraged by this fact, augur-
ing that their time will come also. But
it does not follow, necessarily. A large
portion of the Burley crop has always
gone to foreign countries and but q
small portion of the cigar leaf crop.
Burley, in comparison with the cigar
leaf type is cheap tobacco, which is
another feature that makes it more
eligible for the export market. This
is not to say, however, that if tonnage
were available and tobacco had the
right of way, that there would not be
a foreign demand for our cigar leaf.
There undoubtedly would be, and there
undoubtedly will be as soon as condi-
tions make it feasible. But there are so
many things in the way, SO many cross
currents of influence and interest, that
packers are not going to gamble on it.
This is the explanation advanced by an
Eastern exchange. Holland will not
license importations except upon the
authority of the N. O. T., which means
that the tobacco in question can not be
re-exported from Holland. In other
words, Holland is allowing the tobacco
shortage for her domestic consumption
to be supplied from this country, but is
reserving the right to do any trading
with other European nations that is
done through Dutch agencies. With
large stocks of low grade Java and
Sumatra lying in those islands, it is
not to be wondered at that Holland
prefers not to lend herself to the work
of supplying foreign markets with for
eign material.
This organization movement of grow
ers seems to differ from similar expert
ments, In previous years, only In size
and intensity. There can be no deny
ing that it is quite general nor that It's
partisans are very much in earnest. In
Connecticut, for instance, the associa-
tions already control large percent
age of the total unsold crops, and each
day adds new recruits. In Pennsyl-
vania the organization movement is
spreading rapidly with an important
auxiliary attraction furnished by the
growers own packing enterprise In
Connecticut, too, growers and associa-
tions are establishing many small pack
ing plants, to an extent which is prov
ing somewhat disturbing to the labor
market. In Wisconsin the rapidly null
tiplying associations are uniting solidly
under the standard of Nothing Lower
Than Thirty Cents y In Ohio, also,
the organization fever is very contag-
ious. In the face of this rather impos-
ing typhoon of rural activity the pack
ers merely remark calmly that there is
but one use to which cigar leaf can be
put. If the cigar manufacturers are
able and willing to pay war pr.ces for
1913 leaf, we'll and good, the growers
will get what they are sfter. But
whether the growers realize it or not,
the war is over. and Sky-high prices,