The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-03-26
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

The interview quoted in the New
York market report of this issue is
more interesting than convincing. We
are assured that the opinion advanced
by the prominent packer is representa-
tive of leading leaf merchants, and
| that the manufacturers are willing to
back the statement as expressing a
condition and not theory. If it is
fact that the cigarmakers of the coun-
| try refuse to handle any but the per-
feet leaf, and that the manufacturers,
therefore, must secure this kind of
stock to get the cigars, so insistently
demanded by the trade, rolled, it con-
tains an appeal to the grower to pro-
duce a high class type of leaf, and to
| the packer high class method of ham
| ding. This in itself is not, and should
not be, Objectionable. To insist on
quality is commendable and should meet
| with general approval. So far there is
no quarrel with the interview. But it
seems peculiar that this demand for
high standard should be, laid at the
door of the cigarmakers. He would
| naturally rather work perfect leaf
than any other, just as carpenter,
| mason, shoemaker and tailor prefer the
| best materials to the inferior, but that
his insistence upon this snould.be so i'm
perative as to cause the manufacturers
to demand radically new grading of
leaf, sorting out of ''what constitutes
an average good case of tobacco" a
much larger percentage of leaf going
into the class of so-called low grades
than has hitherto been the custom, is
startling, to say the least. 1t this is
to be the test in the future, the grow
ers will hesitate about the amount of
tobacco they dare to put in; the chances
of producing crop. the greater por-
tion of which may be thrown out as
low grades, measured by the cigarmak-
ers' standard, and, yielding a low grade
price, may be too good for the grower
to consider at all, especially if butter
brings rs cents per pound. If this con-
ditionlis to prevail in the future, the
chances are exceptionally good that not
only the fancy leaf of the cigarmakers'
| Fchoics with have TO jump several notches'
upward, but that the farmer will want
some assurance as to what the new
class of low grades will bring him, be-
fore he goes any further in the tobacco
game. That new standards of quality
for cigar leaf may take the place Of
the old ones, is no impossibility; per-
haps, it is very probable. But with
their adoption will follow considerable
confusion for some time to come, and
safety increase in the price of the weed
will pass on and ultimately fall upon
the consumer And the back of that
poor camel is already now in condi-
ton to require adjustments by the
chiropractor.
***
Calf skins have dropped so per cent
in the Chicago and New York markets.
But we are assured that the price of
shoes will not come down yet for six
months, and the advice goes out to-
gether with this news that it is not the
price of leather alone that is RESPONSE
BILE for the increased price Of shoes,
other material and the cost of labor
going into the footwear must be taken
into account. This sounds reasonable
enough, but when the manufacturer
wants us to believa that the increased
cost of shoe strings is an important ad-
dition to the cost of the boot, our men,
tai digestion becomes upset.
***
Repeated tests of the 1919 tobacco
seed show improvement in termination.
w. T. Pomeroy & Co. 1919 has under
gone tests at the u. w. experiment
station, and the termination registered
| in the several tests reached 81 per cent.
The time it took for termination was
also satisfactory The growers who
intend to use home grown seed would
do we'll to test it out carefully, and as
early as possible, in order to be sure of
satisfactory results when the tobacco
***
Frank Roback of the Bureau of Plant
Industry, u. S. Department of Agri-
| culture, is carrying on Investigations to
asce- tain the possibility of extracting
the oil from the waste of cedar and
| using it to impregnate other wood
which could be used for cigar boxes.
If this can be done successfully, short
age of material for cigar boxes would
be remedied. Speaking of cigar boxes,
we are reminded of the item of cost
entering into the price of cigars by the
tremendous advance in the cost of pro-
ducing the container. The increase is
between 200 and $50 per cent.
##*
Real meerschaum has been unobtain
| able during the war. The first ship
ment of it to this country arrived a
short time ago. The importer had no