The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-05-06
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

marily result of any lack of need, es-
pecially of binders, on the part of the
manufacturers. They have bought
sparingiy, SO sparingly, indeed, that it
amounted almost to standstill, but
there is reason for it. There has
been corresponding activity in the
Sumatra market, and this activity has
had good deal to do with the stagna-
tion in the domestic leaf business. In
order to take over as much as possible
of the Sumatra wrapper before the
new emergency duty goes into effect,
the manufacturers have taken their
money to provide themselves with the
imported leaf They felt that they had
to fill their supply of this leaf rather
than to wait and have saddled on it the
new cost provided in the emergency
tariff bill, even if their need of domes-
tic goods is pressing enough. 1t was
simply matter of good business judg
ment and buying right. That the call
for the domestic binders again will re-
vive seems to be the general opinion
among men who know.
***
Of the outlook for an improvement in
the export market most tobacco con-
Germs are very skeptical. Everybody
hopes for a revival, but those who are
in closest touch with the foreign mar
ket are the least hopeful The situa-
tion may be illustrated by the action of
the Santo Dominican government which
has advised the growers in that country
not to raise crop this year. AS to
the Wisconsin export goods, the situa-
tion is not much better; but it is not
venturing much to say that if our gov
ernment can re-establish trade with
Germany on basis of reciprocity tar
tariffs on exports and imports, the
chances of a movement in American
export leaf would at once take on a
brighter hue, and this is consumma-
tion devoutly to be wished.
***
= Growing of flax for fiber is going to
be tried in small way in southern
Wisconsin this year. Some of the to-
bacco growers in sections where the
last years crop was not satisfactory
will try out the fax. In the real to-
bacco soil sections the acreage of 1921
is pretty certain to be up to the aver
age, though it may be that the acreage
for the entire state will fall short of
the acreage planted during the last
three years. A drop OF 5000 acres of
tobacco in the state would return the
acreage to it's best average, and for the
good of everybody concerned such re-
duction would be the better part of
wisdom.
In the handling of the 1920 crop it
has again been demonstrated that about
the only safe way to avoid and over
come the pest of black rot lies in the
process of bulk sweating. Firms who
bulk sweat have had practically no
trouble from the black rot The leaf
may not in this process have the live
and pleasing appearance that many
manufacturers seem to prize, but it is
sound leaf which at the, time of sampl-
ing will bring its owners no pangs of
regret.
H. G. Hallam, Washington cores
pondent to the Leaf, in discussing the
federal plan of Standardization of to-
bacco says: 'tAs step toward laying
the groundwork for drawing up federal
grades for tobacco, the Bureau of Mar
kets of the United States Department
of Agriculture is arranging for investi-
cations to be conducted in each of the
important tobacco growing regions of
the country The work will finally
cover every type of tobacco grown in
the United States and is expected to
lead to the establishment of grades af-
fecting each of them. Arrangements
in each of the important localities are
being completed. Tentative agreement
has been made with the state of North
Carolina for the employment of an i'm
vestigator who will gather information
to aid in the establishment of grades
for bright leaf or fiue-cured tobacco,
type chiefly grown in the state as
well as parts of Virginia, Georgia and
South Carolina His expenses will be
paid by the state. Similar agreements
in the states of Kentucky, Pennsyl-
vania, Massachusetts and Connecticut
are being negotiated. The state of
Wisconsin has already employed man
for the purpose of studying the type of
tobacco grown there. The information
gathered by each of the investigators
will be correlated by the Bureau of
Markets of the federal department to
be used as the basis for the proposed
federal grades. Under present grade
conditions practically each of the big
tobacco buyers has separate schedule
in bright leaf running as high as so
grades. 1t is possible that under the