The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-08-26
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

associations, was in Edgerton, James
vile and other tobacco centers in south
ern Wisconsin the latter part of last
week to confer with men engaged in
the tobacco industry. In the move
ment to establish standard grades of
Wisconsin cigar leaf undertaken by the
federal government in cooperation with
the marketing department of this state,
efforts are made to find the right type
of man to act as the representative
of the state to gather data upon which
may be based standardized grades of
leaf tobacco Mr.. Pully has been ap-
preached by the department of mar
kets, offering him the job to carry on
the investigation in this state. While
Mr.. Pully is giving the matter his best
attention, looking up the field and as
certaining the nature of and the amount
of work involved, he had not formally
accepted the offer when seen in Edger-
ton last week.
The gathering of data is one thing,
the final fixing of standards is another.
When the data are in, complete line
of samples of the different types and
grades brought together and properly
classified, packers, manufacturers, job
bers and growers will be called into
consultation. and on the basis of the
best judgment of men representing the
tobacco interests of the state, the
standards will be established. 1t must
be borne in mind that at this stage no
attempt is made to fix new standards
for the 1921, or any previous crop; this
can not be done arbitrarily. nor by a
vote of the people; it must be done
scientifically upon the nature Of the
material gathered and the information
obtained. The department of markets
is not even ready to say that work.
able plan can be found, but it is going
after it to find out if tobacco grades
can be standardized, and if they can, to
offer the system to the tobacco indus
try to make use of in the establishment
Of credit values of tobacco leaf and the
marketing price of it..
The Reporter will in this column from
time to time furnish as reliable and
speedy information of the progress Of
the Investigation as is available. In
the nature of the case, time must be
allowed for the investigation before
any final results can be announced; but
how the work is planned and how it is
progressing may be told from month to
month as the investigation proceeds.
**:s
Meanwhile all men interested in the
tobacco industry in the state will give
attention to the whole matter, inform
themselves, and be ready to contribute
their best suggestions when the con-
ferences as TO the standards shall be-
gin. 1t might be suggested here that
to make the study of this matter of
lasting benefit to the tobacco industry,
Standardization of tobacco seeds should
play as important part in the investl-
| CATION as the Standardization of the
leaf. In this field Of investigation, as
we'll as in the proper methods Of curing
and handling Of the leaf, the tobacco
division of the agricultural department
of the U. w. may be expected to lend
important assistance. Prof. James
Johnson is doing patient and reliable
| research work, and in the matters of
seed selection and curing methods he
may have valuable suggestions to offer.
Il do not believe there will be any
export business with Germany for the
| American tobacco merchant for several
years to come, and then it will be upon
the basis which prevailed before the
war. Seedleaf is the only American
cigar leaf type known in Germany, and
| the phrases Pennsylvania tobacco, Con-
nectlcut tobacco, Wisconsin or Ohio
| mean nothing to the German manufac-
turer,' says Paul Hirschhorn of We'll
& Son in All interview printed in the
Leaf, Augusta. He holds, after a
brief visit to Germany, ''that there is
practically no field whatever in Ger
| many for the American leaf exporter,
and no market worth serious considera-
ton for American grown tobacco. !"
Opinions vary, and it is to be hoped
that Mr.. Hirschhorn's opinion in this
instance may be too hastily formed.
Packers of Wisconsin leaf are willing
to stake little more time on their
holdings before they relinquish the
hope of seeing European, even Ger
man, demand for the leaf as soon as
better trade relations can be establish
ed between this country and Europe.
An unreasonable and unpatriotic tariff
act like the Fordnev hill Is more to be