The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-03-12
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


Kings nsed to smoke Havana cigars.
There are not many kings left who can
afford such a luxury. Kings and
princes, not to speak of emperors, are
becoming even more scarce than is the
Vuelta Abajo tobacco from which the
real Habana is made. We hear much
of Havana cigars, but none of US have
ever smoked. except, perhap, second
handed, the real article 1t is the mil
lionaire monarch who can indulge in
the costly luxury of lighting rolled up
tobacco that costs it weight in gold.
There is much Cubap tobacco grown
which is not used in the genuine Ha-
bana. Also this tobacco is expensive
on account of the limited amount grown
and the demand for it, due to it's pleas
ing flavor. Cuban cigars are also ex-
pensive due to the cost of labor in
making them. The Havana cigarmsk-
ers are nnionized, and by series of
strikes have forced the price of labor
up. The Havana tobacco which is i'm
ported to the United States is made in
to cigars in American factories, and
when The ordinary smoker speaks of a
Havana cigar, it is this type he has in
mind. Very few smokers, however.
can tell the difference. If they are
pleased with the taste of the cigar,
they smoke it as Havana, though the
filler came from Ohio, the binder from
Wisconsin and the wrapper from Con-
necticut, which would make domestic
product, reason which should add to
the pleasure of the smoker, if he knew.
*#*
What care in handling of agricultural
products will do to create demand, and
increase the value of the article, is
seen in the accomplishments of the
Danish agriculturists. Their butter,
eggs, meat and truck are not only the
most popular in the markets which they
reach, but bring top prices 1t is not
that their cows, hogs, chickens and
their soil are so much better than those
of other lands, but their method of
handling is a guaranty that the goods
is what it is claimed to be. The DAN
ish farmers have associated themselves
together, not only for the purpose of
getting a better price for what they
have to sell, but for the purpose of
raising and keeping up the standard of
excellence that high priced goods should
have. They have in their associations
strict system of discipline whereby
an individual who gets careless is
promptly brought to time. They hold
that an individual who markets pro-
ducts which show inferior handling
harms the industry as whole, and
that only by keeping uniformly high
standard by all, is justice done to the
farmers as producing class. To at
tain the high standard of the product
and the price, they are maintaining
high ethical standard In bringing this
about the Danish peoples high schools
have wrought wonders. In these
schools, which are scattered over the
country, the farmer girls and boys of
adult years come together to study
matters of interest to their craft. The
schools are vocational schools; but they
are more than that = they aspire to
broad study of all phases of life, to
right thinking and right living. The
Danish high school idea is that training
for efficiency is training of all the pow
ers of man, his mind, his conscience,
and his hand. To till the soil well, and
to handle its products in the best pos
sible manner, is an obligation he owes
his craft and his nation, as much as he
owes it to the customers of his wares.
That the farmers. are not much elat-
ed over the drop in prices of hogs, cat
tie and milk in view of their experience
when they go out to hire the help they
need for the coming summer, is not to
be wondered at. Farm hands at 500
per month and board and keep is
burden that many of them hesitate to
shoulder. In the city this would rep
resent monthly wage of not less than
$40, which is nearly $500 per day for
every day of the month, Sundays i'm
cluded. Where the farmers can get
the work done without hiring, they are
going to do it; but this means that the
top notch of production, which we are
told ought to be reached during the
coming season, is an impossibiliry.
Even though the labor situation should
change in the industrial field, setting
free large number of men, condi-
tion which would not be total sur
prise, it would not much improve the
farm labor supply, at least not until
harvest time.
The Kentucky tobacco growers are
not sharing in the general favorable |
conditions of the tobacco market.
Throughout the Black Patch there has
been a bad slump in prices, especially |
in the low grades. The buyers are
from the field and less