The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-12-30
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

1 ~ q diO%0NSlOl Vi tuC 6AtlooOAAieJ 0A -
ducing the acreage of Wisconsin, tobac-
co, at least for time, has on the whole
| been we'll received by the growers in
southern Wisconsin. Two-thirds of all
tobacco raised IN the state is cultivated
in the southern section. The northern
leaf has for the present reputation
for thinness and quality that is much
sought by the cigar leaf men, and the
temptation to strain the land to pro-
duce quantity at the sacrifice of quality
up there is just as potent as it sin the
southern section. The majority of the
northern growers raise small patches,
especially those living is the many mar
row valleys in Vernon and Crawford
counties, and by sticking to this prac-
tice they will be able to keep up their
land in fertility, and to rotate SO as to
produce an excellent leaf. Any undue
increase of acreage will bring it's own
punishment; for the chances are pretty
fair of running the soil down in pro-
Effectiveness, if rotation and adequate
fertilizing are not conscentionsly prac-
ticed. Moreover, pretty large per-
centage of leaf that is not sound enough
to go into the binder type, bringing the
thigh prices, is the rule of most crops,
and oyerproduction of low grade types
is sure outcome of large acreage
tpoorly equipped for growing the right
L..
kind of leaf, and subject to Indifferent
Handling. Intensifcation of the culture
of smaller acreage of excellent cigar
leaf will bring larger returns in the
long run than extensive culture and
care of a larger acreage. The growers
in the large southern section have dur
ing the last two years, and even earlier.
Irealized that the amount of tobacco
planted has been somewhat of a strain
upon the general fertility of their
/ farms, in spite of the fact that the soil
is naturally rich and highly productive
| of ordinary farm crops. Under the
pressure of high prices for most any
kind of leaf during the war period, the
acreage planted to tobacco jumped for
ward immoderately In 1913 and again,
in 1920 the growers who did not have
the topnotch goods suffered great dis
appointments in their incomes from
their tobacco fields The 1921 acreage,
in spite of warnings, held up to the
maximum The slack in the economic
Istructure of the country increased dur
| ing the year, and now there is mar
ket overstocked with leaf, much OF it
of a not desirable type for cigar pur-
poses, making the sale of the crop as a
whole questionable proposition as far
as profits are concerned. These consider
ations, among others, have now made
the farmers willing to talk about cut
in the acreage, at least for year or
two. Ii the move is to be success,
effecting the tobacco situation in the
state favorably all around, all who are
interested in the stabilizing must join
hands in bringing this cut about in an
intelligent way 1t would not do much
good for Grower Jones to reduce his
acreage three acres if his neighbor,
Doe, Increased his with the same num-
Der of acres. This might easily happen
4 3
into an understanding of mutual coop
Grafton in the matter Human nature
| is queer proposition, and nowhere
more queer than where the pocketboOk
is involved. In that game many play
it only for the winning of the prize,
and they gamble on the chance of a
gain through the other fellows loss.
That this is shOrtsighted principle to
follow in general, and contrary TO
sound economic welfare, both of the
Individual and the community, is not as
we'll understood as it should be- To
obtain an equitable arrangement of the
proposed cut in tobacco acreage is ad-
mittedly not an easy matter. 1t may
utterly fail If it does, it fails through
the folly of selfshness which carries in
it the germ Of a greater failure.
Someone suggested that of the so, 600
acres of tobacco grown in Wisconsin in
1921, a 20 per cent reduction be made.
That would leave 10000 acres with a
normal yield of SO, 000, 900 pounds of to-
Ihacco. The man who raised 10 acres in.
I192T would raise only s. The man who
one who planted 20 would put in 16.
That the farmer who knows that his
soil will produce excellent hay, corn
1 8
of tobacco, should give his farm the
best chance and not cucumber it with
|product that it is not able to produce
proftably, we must be allowed to take
for granted. 1t is not good economy to
spend 500 on an acre of land that nor
mally will not yield more than S75 in
tobacco. If strain of tobacco can be
developed that will bring profit, ev-
cry thing being equal, on land where
the types of seed now available are
failure, the story would, of course, be
entirely different The probability that
an added reduction of acreage would
result In such zones might further help
to cut the total suggested above. That
an attempt, or attempts, at such re-
duction of acreage by somewhat fixed
percentage will be made by the grow
ers is already talked of among some of
them. A GAINESVILLE correspondent TO
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