The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-02-20
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

manufactured tobacco has not run up
i'm price anywhere near the advance in
price of every other commodity, except
postage stamps and railroad fares.
Shoes and clothing have almost trebled
| in price since before the war, the food
prices have gone the same way. The
advance in the price OF cigars and to-
baccos has been considerable, but in no
| case has the advance exceeded so per
cent. The prices of luxuries like silk.
perfumes, jewelry and precious stones
has scared beyond the seventh heaven.
These articles have become true lux
uries IN the sense that only the very
rich and the fools can buy them. To
bacco is classed among the luxuries.
but it is still q luxury that is within
the reach of the average man. While
| this is true, voices are heard in many
| quarters warming against increasing
the price of manufactured tobacco.
The tobacco industry is not willing
that the price of cigars and tobacco
should reach "a point where the COM
! mon man would begin TO rebel at the
cost of it, and foster an antagonism
Asamong tobacco users against tobacco
ION account of fprohibitive price. This
l much can be said of the tobacco indus
l try, that profiteering on large scale
lean not be charged up against it. Well
a'informed stssdents of the situation ad-
I>vance the opinion that tobacco products
lhave reached the price zenith.
~ T.
/ The Wisconsin farmers are advised
to begin to raise flax. The price of
Ilinen is out of sight, and there is great
/ need of the aax for this purpose, and
Fit brings good price; the seed is also
high. A good flax crop may yield, if
present prices continue, $50 to $75 per
acre. White there may be many sec
tions in the state where fax growing
would be paying, it will hardly appeal
I to the farsn@s. in the tobacco belt. 1t
| is true that, outside of the cost of the
seed, fax is @ cheap crop to grow, and
lvthe sAarke.ts ss always ready for it. but
on old soil tsaat must be fertiliZed it
ivwould not pay better than grain, and
on new soil tobacco will yield better re-
I turns in money, and take no more
power out of the soil than flax will. >
n #*
4 fsAC ta6 no
! duty on raw tobacco, most of which is
Imported from America. The new duty
| liis+61 cents per pound. The new duty
goes into effect at once.
The second national convention of to-
bacco men is called to meet at the New
willard hotel, Washington, ID. c., May
10, next. The call is issued by the as
sociation president, DIR. Charles J.
Eisenlohr. The first convention was
held four years ago.
*A%
The government report of leaf to-
bacco in the hands of dealers and man.
ufacturers on January /, 1920, shows
marked increase in the quantities of all
store, eyer those of year ago, with
the single exception of Georgia and
Florida tobaccos, which are nearly
200, 600 pounds less than on January
1, 1919. The holdings>of New England
tObaccos, including Broadleaf, Shade
grown and Havana Seed, were approx
imately $500, 900 pounds greater on
January of this year than year ago.
Holdings of Pennsylvania were nearly
5000, 900 pounds greater on January
of this year than in 1919; holdings of
Ohio approximately 10, QUO, ,OOO pounds
greater; Wisconsin somewhat over 1O,-
O0O, 900 pounds greater, and PertO Rico
about 300, 600 pounds greater. Leaf
rs
Several large American tobacco COM
panies approached the French govern
ment some time ago, Offering very
large amount of money for monopoly
of the tobacco business of the country.
The offer was turned down at that
time. It is rumored that the offer is
again made by the same concerns. and
the government, which is in sore need
of funds, may consider it favoraby.
The story does not sound credible, but |
if true. it would open up large exclu- |
sive field for American tobacco pro |
ducts.
The root-rot resistant Burley tobacco |
raised from the Johnson Resistant Bur- |
ley seed is proving success in the |
Canadian Burley sections, according to |
Mr. W. L. Pelton of bennington, Ont I
Last year this tobacco yielded 2, 900 to |
2, 700 pounds to the acre. Mr.. James |
Johnson, originally a Deerfield boy, is
professor at the u. w. school of agri- |
culture, and his patient and skillful ex
periments in developing the resistant
strain of tobacco mean hundreds of |
thousands of dollars profit to the Cana
dian farmers. The prices for Canadian
tobacco were very high this season,
and the farmers had a big financial |
harvest The Biggar-Pelton Co. of
bennington. Canada, are large grow