The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-12-10
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


selling should not improve before the
coming of the new year. Some of them
reason this way: The crop is made up
of uneven sizes; this fact puts the crop
as whole on a low estimate as first
class binder proposition, and would not
sell for what it ought to bring. The
asserting of the crop may bring out a
| larger percentage of long sizes of bind
ers than is estimated from the general
appearance of the fields at the time of
harvest, and the good binder end would
find a market at prices that would be
satisfactory. If the shorts and low
grades can not at the present time find
a market anyway, they might as well
be stored on the farm or IN the co-op-
erative warehouses until the market is
in need of them. Furthermore, they
reason, the packers may not want to
tie up their money in crop of this
type unless they could buy it at such
figures that they could afford to keep it
In storage until the manufacturers and
the foreign market are ready for it.
There would, therefore, be no risk to
let the packing remain in the hands of
the grower; itwould,s perhaps, bring as
good returns asserted, counting cost of
labor and shrinkage, as it would if
dumped on an unwilling market under
the present depression. And the farm
er adds philosophically: We have three
months ahead of us this winter with
not much TO do outside of the daily
chores, we might as well take hold, as
We did In years past, and assert this
tobacco, and earn our own wages. Be-
sides, they say, if we should be In need
of funds, crop of tobacco would not
hurt our credit in the banks. m
***
While this method Of astute reason
ing is rather popular with the class of
farmers who are financially in posi-
tion not to be embarrassed by the fail
ure to sell this years crop OF tobacco,
and who are so situated that the as
sorting can be taken care Of at home
largely with their own help, it is not SO
popular with those who feel the need
cf the returns of the crop to meet their
financial obligations and be in a posi-
ton to go on again with the planting
of new crop next spring. Help was
high last season; the present crop costs
more than any crop ever grown in the
state. If fair price can be had, they
are ready to sell. And they point at
I&he excellent 1918 crop put 40 by the
cooperative warehouses; and The long
Waiting before it was disposed of. If
our profits must be cut down, we would
rather take our cut now than to wait
and take it when it may be harder to
bear than it is now, they say.
***
The following paragraphs are taken
from articles in the Tobacco LeafA
George j Whelan, president of the
United Retail Stores Corporation, is
sued statement this week concerning
the stocks of the various tobacco con-
Germs in which he is interested Mr.
Whelan says, in his statement, that he
believes that the tobacco trade will
prosper, no matter what happens in
other industries. He thinks that the
trade is just entering three-year per-
iod of great prosperity.
***
F. Charlan, Chief Officer, Tobacco
Division, Ontario, Canada, in speaking
of the opportunities of the Canadian
tobacco in foreign countries, says: The
possibilities for an export trade to Eng
land are very limited, as far as the On
tario Buriey is concerned, but it may
prove possible to ship to Europe the
lower grades at price competing with
thot offered for the same grades and
types OF American tobacco. This might
take care of part of our surplus and
help to stabilize the prices, but such an
attempt will be impossible as long as
the Ontario tobacco is sold crop-run.
AS regards the Ontario fiue-cured there
will be market for it in England as
soon as we have surplus available for
| export, as long as the preferential tar
| iff remains in force. However, it would
| be futile to endeavor to ship to Eng
land Canadian fiue-cured tobacco i'm
properly graded or packed.
#**
Advertising Director Frank Harwood,
of the General Cigar Co., has just re-
turned from two weeks data-gather-
| ing trip through the Middle West, made
| with view to determining, as accu-
rately as possible, to what extent the
| tobacco business in general, and the ci-
gar business IN particular, has been af
fected by the unsettled state of general
{. conditions. The report which Mr.. Har-
| wood makes upon his Investigations is
| rather encouraging than otherwise, and
without minimizing present difficulties
seems to indicate an encouraging sta
blllty, which contrasts rather sharply
with some other lines of business
***
In the new export classification to-
bacco is listed as follows: Leaf tobacco
unstemmed, stemmed. stems, trim
mings and scrap tobacco; manufactur-
ers of tobacco cigars and cheroots, CT
garettes, plug tobacco, smoking tobac-
co, snuff, other tobacco manufacturers.
An analysis of the new classification of
the governments export and impor.
statistics, which is the first real re-
vision of our trade statistics in more
than half century, has just been made
by the Foreign Commerce Department
of the Chamber of Commerce of the
, United States The reclassifcation,
printed schedules of which were re-
Gently issued by the Federal Depart
4 ~