Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-06-22
WITH THE COUNTY AGENT
Hi Spots from the County Agricultu-
raj Office
Thousands of Dollars Lost

i've diseases found in orchards in Wis
consin has attacked the fruit trees in
practically all of Vernon county. This
disease often kills the trees entirely
or Injuries them so severely that it re-
quires years for them to recover from
the attack.
Fire blight is caused by bacteria
which get into the young growing It's
= sues through the hectares (part of the
flower containing nectar) in the bios
SONS or through wounds made in
young twigs by insects or into larger
branches through wounds made by
pruning tools.
! Fire blight is recognized by: /.
| Brown blossoms accompanied by with
ering and blackening of the young
fruit and fruit spurs. 2 Black or dark
brown leaves which are withered af-
ter the disease has passed through
| them but which for some time cling
to the trees. Affected trees have the
\ appearance of having been swept by
fire, hence the name "Fireblight."
Fire blight is one of the most diff
! ficult orchard diseases to control. The
pruning knife properly used is the
only direct weapon against it. Blight
cannot be controlled by spraying but
can be very much helped in as much
as the insects that carry the blight in
lection are kept down. Therefore, the
most logical procedure is that of car
rying out a full spraying program.
| The ten commandments of fire blight
control are: l Cut out thoroughly all
holdover cancers. 2 Treat the wounds
of the large limbs and trunks with a
one per cent solution and corrective
sublimate. Prune out new infect
ions promptly. Disinfect the prun-
ing tools after using. 5 Burn blight
ed material promptly. 6 Remove
suckers on trunks and large branches
as soon as they appear. 2 Avoid fore
| ing sappy wood growth. Do not
set trees susceptible to the disease,
such as the Transcendant Crab. 10
Cooperate with your neighbor in
cleaning out their orchards. The tenth
commandment is very important. Fire
blight control is a matter for commun-
ity as well as individual effort.
Business Ethics
The federal government together
with the Wisconsin division of markets
cooperating with the tobacco grow
ers of Wisconsin aims to accomplish
what has long been looked for by all
tobacco growers and by tobacco buy
ers, namely, cooperative grading and
selling tobacco association.
If the enthusiasm shown by tobac
co growers at the recent meeting held
at LaFarge, Viroqua, Coon Valley and
Westby are any indication of the spirit
of cooperation that moves producers
to obtain marketing efficiency there
! is no question but what Vernon coun-
ty will have a 1000 membership in
the tobacco growers association. Mr..
Brown says, For fifteen years local
Ico-operatively owned and managed to-
bacco warehouses have been attempt
ing to solve their problems of market
ling tobacco. After this experience
they have come to realize that little
can be accomplished unless all of the
lpresent organizations unite under one
lcentral sales agency and a larger
share of the crop can be secured, so
THAT the selling organization can be a
Ireal factor in the tobacco market. I'M
der the old system we have experienc-
ed much dissatisfaction because of the
fact that we did not know market con-
ditions, neither did we know grades of
tobacco. We have sold our product
based upon a wild guess and upon
our willingness to sell as compared to
the willingness of the buyers to buy.
II thoroughly believe in the price OBJ
tanned which is the result of supply
land demand. But the prices which
we have received in the past have not
been the past have not been the result
of supply and demand but the price
lobtained through cooperation on the
part of the buyer. AS a result of this
system many of our tobacco growers
have been left with 1920 crop on
their hands to do with as they saw
lea Lau 81
the fact that these individuals who
sought to obtain a price for their pro-
duct comparable to that of their neigh
Dor were unable TO do so because the
tobacco buyers in the meantime got
together and agreed to teach the in
ldividual in question a severe lesson
in marketin, by refusing to handle
this crop for .Iim. This act has been
Icontended by the buyers to induce the
tobacco growers to make fast bar
gains and really be frightened into
selling their goods.
/ Whether or not our association will
be efficient in its first year of opera
ton ! do not know. But / do know
that it can be no less efficient that
the sales organization which we now
/ tolerate. Under the new system we
aim to increase our efficiency by coll
Elective bargaining in both buying and
selling of tobacco. | am told by a
manufacturer of tobacco, in the east,
1.-THE one best thing for the tobacco
growers of the country would be that
Iof an association, which would enable
lus to buy collectively and to purchase
our raw material without having to
spend large sums of money paying
the salaries of buyers together with
i their expense Of travel. Collective
bargaining will net help Us to increase
our efficiency in handling the tobacco
. but will help US to buy that quality Of
goods that we demand in our bust
ness"
The pan Of organization is based
upon the best business principles that