The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-01-23
: NOTE Book SKETCHES


crop of tobacco were so liberal will in
duce many growers to go to the limit
in acreage during the coming season.
There are voices heard already urging
big boost in the acreage. The Wis
consin farmer should listen to this ad-
vice, but he should also consider care
fully before taking advice either way.
The y. S. department of agriculture
has now compiled the returns of the
1919 crop reports, and there is chance
of comparing the figures with those OF
the two preceding years. Wisconsin
raised 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 in 1918 and
$500 more than in 1917. The average
price per pound in 1917 was II. 5 cents.
TheRvariation in the Wisconsin acreage
is not great: 1t would seem that to-
tai acreage for the whole state should
range between $4,000 and SO, 600 acres.
To increase this acreage may not be a
wise move, even though prices. should
continue to reach the average of last
year, unless the tobacco farmers should
find it profitable to materially increase
their purchases of commercial fertiliz-
ers. 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 acre
age. Greater care in the selection OF
seed. choice and cultivation of the
ground for tobacco raising, and less
crowding of the plants in the fielG
might bring the desired increase In in
come and represent more real profit
than to try to boost the total acreage.
***
The total acreage used for tobacco
culture in the United States was 10000
acres less in 1919 than in the previous
year
Xxx
The United Cigar Stores Co., which
operates chains of stores throughout
the country, sold tobacco goods during
ths past year for $62, OBS, 0QG This is
over $40, 900, 900 more than the amount
of business during 1918. The managers
of this great sales company express
their confidence in like prosperity for
the tobacco trade in 1920.
**%
The retailer of tobacco products is
the one who will be the first to feel the
reaction of price upon the consumer.
The advance in price finally lands
against the consumers inability to
meet it. This condition is beginning to
be sensed, as is evidenced by the fob
lowing sermonette clipped from an edi-
torial in last weeks u. S. Tob. Jour-
nal: "It is distinctly up the manufac-
turer to increase prices as frequently
as possible. He has his problems, of
course, and they are perplexing and
nerve racking, but an increase IN price
is not always the only solution, though
| it generally is the easiest. Economies
| in manufacture should be practiced
wherever possible. The higher the
prices go, the smaller is the segment
Of the body polite to which the manu-
| facturer can appeal for trade. In
creased prices always mean decreased
consumption This is fact that man.
ufacturers ought to bear in mind con-
| stantly. We have consistently urged
| the manufacturers not to do business
! without a legitimate profit, and we still
so urge them. But there is a danger
| that in the present circumstances some
| of them have fallen into the habit of
thinking that an advance in price is
cure for all diseases that cigar fac
tory is heir to. Being at the peak of
long era of price increase, it is very
easy to catch the habit. Our advice
would be: Don't raise prices if you can
avoid it. :"
] One of the results of the recent labor
conflicts in the cigar manufacturing in
| dustry in New York is to drive some
important cigar factories out of busi-
ness and to remove other factories to
/ places where the labor agitation
| is less intense The matter is not
serious one, viewed by itself alone.
Cigars will be manufactured just the
same; New York in this instance being
loser through combination OF unfor-
tunate circumstances and unwise man
| agement of the situation. More seri-
GUS is the labor situation in general. 1t
is no secret that foreign labor is not
coming into this country, and that the
tide of foreign, skilled and unskilled,
| industrial emigration is flowing back to
Europe faster than is good for Amerl-
lean industry. Labor shortage IN our
country just now, at time when
France, Belgium, England, Germany
and Russia are fast rebuilding and re-
L