Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1920-01-28
STEADY GRIND WITH WEED
MODERATE TOBACCO DELIVER
les MARK THE WEEK
Full Crews at All Houses Enough
Weed Down to Keep them Going
For Month


Nothing Of particular Importance
has occurred in tobacco circles the
past week. Delivery to local sorters
has been a moderate steady flow, and
enough of the weed is down from the
poles to keep full crews in operation
for about a month. : The hope and
prayer of the growers, packers, sort
ers and merchants alike is for a per-
iod of case" that the remainder of
the crop may be removed from the
poles.
George Felland was in Saturday
with a tidy little bundle of weed, 49,
900 pounds, grown on SO small an
acreage that George forbids US to
mention the number.
viii E. Nelson of the Bekkedal
river towns to take in bundle goods
that had been contracted for
A sorting and packing house has
been established at Ferryville, and a
goodly portion of the weed grown
led there. Eventually every little
town and hamlet where railroad ia
cilities can be secured will be thus
of the larger towns.
Bergen Is not classed as one of our
tobacco towns, but |. j. Nestengen
drove in Thursday with what he claims
is the largest crop in the town, more
than 5000 pounds for which he receiv-
ed about $4,000.
On the situation elsewhere in the
growing and packing districts and of
the future prospects of increased acre
age the Edgerton Tobacco Reporter
comments:
The asserting of the portion of the
1919 Wisconsin crop which has been
brought in to the packing centers is
moving along in good shape. The
principal worry is tie protracted cold
and dry temperature prevailing. As
long as this weather continues, the
hanging tobacco-and by far the larg-
er portion of it is still in the sheds =
can not be moved. Where the ware
houses have opened, the number of
assorters has satisfied the demand
Edgerton is running nine warehouses,
GAINESVILLE has opened, Stoughton and
other southern points are following
suit, but if a moist spell does not come
pretty soon there may come an en-
forced, temporary shutdown, especi-
ally at southern points This would
be too bad for the assorters as well as
the packers. The market otherwise is
quiet. Whatever buying is done is
done so quietly that no one but the
parties concerned are any the wiser
Any way, the roads are so bad and the
weather so cold that much can not be
done, even if the Willingness is held
to push matters"
The fact that the returns for the
1919 crop of tobacco were so liberal
will induce many growers to go TO the
limit in acreage during the coming
season. There are voices heard al,
ready urging a big boost in the acre
age. The Wisconsin farmer should
listen to this advice, but he should al
so consider carefully before taking adj
vice either way. The u. S. depart
ment of agriculture has now compil-
ed the returns of the 1919 crop re-
ports, and there is chance of COM
pairing the figures with those of the
two preceding years. Wisconsin rails
ed in 1919, $4,000 acres of tobacco, the
yield per acre 1870 pounds and the
average price per pound 22.2 cents.
This is 1000 acres less than i'm 1918
and $500 more than in 1917. The av-
erage price per pound in 1917 was II
cents. The variation in the Wisconsin
acreage is not great 1t would seem
that a total acreage for the whole
state should range between $4,000 and
$4,000 acres. To increase this acre
age may not be wise move, even
though prices should continue to reach
the average of last year, unless the
tobacco farmers should find it profit
able to materially increase their pur-
chases of commercial fertilizers. And
if they do, it may be wisdom on their
part to increase the general fertility
of their farms in order to be able to
increase the size of their herds before
they expand the tobacco acreage.
Greater care in the selection of seed,
choice and cultivation of the ground
for tobacco raising, and less crowding
of the plants in the field might bring
the desired increase in income and re-
present more real profit than to try
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