UMASS/AMHERST » ::vvii:.-wii»^^mB-5»fr,: LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE s o u R c E-p _v _CJn a TV 9_e « ',r i '^A/r. M,"',. at ^/>e New England Tobacco Grower c. VOL. V. No. I. HARTFORD. CONNECTICUT, MARCH, 1904. $t.00 A YEAR TKe Agricultural Building at St. Louis THE focal point of the Louisiana Exposition at St. Louis, is a com- position made up of tliree big cascades, the largest in the world; the colonnade of states, an ornamental screen of Ionic columns forming a background for fourteen statues each symbolical of one of the states or territories in the pur- chase; three highly ornate buildings, designed by Oass Gilbert of New York. Restaurant pavilions, peristyle and cascades and the general scheme of the grand basin was done by E. L. Mas- (jueray, chief of design of the exposition. The statues which will ornament the approaches to the cascades will repre- sent famous characters in American history. Marquette, Joliet, Lewis and trated in the main entrances, of whicli there will be five; one in the center of each of the shorter fronts, one in the center of the front on Spinker road and two placed at equal distances on tlie front toward Arrowhead Lake — the western front. The openings in these entrances will be i>2 feet wide and 74 feet high. A massive arch flanked by / _L-d including festival hall in the center and two ornate restaurant pavilions at either end. Added _to this and filling in the picture are Persian gardens, flower beds, tiees, vases, walks and approaches. No decorative feature of the exposi- tion has attracted so much attention throughout the world as the cascade gardens, nor does any other portion of the fair approach it in grandeur. The dome of the festival hall, in the center of the peristyle, is much larger than that of St. Peter's, at Rome. It was AGRICULTURAL BUILDING. Clarke, De Soto and Laclede will ajipear in the approach to the eastern cascade. Keokuk, Robert Livingston, James Monroe, Franklin, Hamilton, Narvaez, Boone and Sitting Bull appear in the approach to the western cascade. These side cascades symbolize the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Agricultural Building at the St. Louis Exposition will be 500 by 1,600 feet. The long facade will be broken np into bays accentuated by piers, the latter 100 feet from center to center The ornamentation is to be concen- heavy pylons that rise only a short dis- tance above the cornice make up this entrance composition. The lighting of the building has re- ceived special attention from the archi- tect and it will probably be the best lighted structure of the fair. The roof will be carried on nine bays of trusses, those in the center having a sp'in of 106 feet. The building will have little ornamentation anil altbough the largest structure on the grounds it will cost less than some of the buildings in thg main architectural picture of the fair THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Wisconsin in New York Among the ciomestic leaf sales in New York recently were 200 cases ot 1901 Wisconsin, wrapiier grades; 300 cases of 1902 Wisconsin binders, and 350 cases of 1902 Zimnier Spanish, running lots. The pi ices were not given out for publication, but the rul- ing figures for Zimmer are 16 to 17 cents, while the prices for Wisconsin vary considerably, ranging between 15 and 20 cents. Taussig Jh Company As previously announced in these columns, Taussig & Co., of Chicago, have established an office at 129 Maiden lane, New York, with salesroom in charge of Fred Newmann and Albert Kraus. This has been necessitated by the greatly increased demand for their celebrated shade-grown Florida Ha- vana and Sumatra tobaccos. Taussig & Co. are among the pioneers in the cultivation and exploitation of Florida leaf, which is now a very successful business. Germination Tests It is a wise act to test the germina- tive qualities of seed every spring and to do it early, so there will be no delay in s€ curing a new supply when neces- sarj'. Seed testing is a simple matter and it affords great satisfaction to the planter. Seeds placed between pieces of woolen cloth kept moist and warm will sprout in due time and the per- centage of good seed can thus be easily obtained. In case of clover seed, timothy, garden seed and the like, it is a good idea to buy early and make a test. By so doing much loss and vexa- tion may be avoided. Hot-Bed iSash. Get our quotations on Hot-Bed Sash. We make them in standard sizes or in special sizes to suit the requirements of Tobacco Growers, and guarantee honest materials, the best of workmanship, and a good, serviceable sash. DOORS, GLA.ZKD AVINDO^VS, BLINDS. >VINDO"W AND DOOR. FIVAMCS. CALIFORNIA REDWOOD DOORS A SPECIALTY. Cord for Sash and Ventilators. E* A. Carlisle and Pope Co*, 2 Sudburx St., Cor. HaymarKet Sq. Successors to Le'hi Boles & Son, Boston, Mass. York, Pennsylvania Twenty-one new cigar factories have been licensed in the county since the first of January, making the 1904 outlook for that industry most en- couraging. The books at the office of the revenue department show that five of these factories are located in York, and most of the others in the lower end of the county. These fac- tories are naturally open to new con- nections with cigar leaf packers, and the New England growers will natural- ly be interested, even if gome of the new factories are very small. Following is a list of these new fac- tories: George K. Sweitzed, Red Lion; Schneider Cigar Manufacturing Co., York; Edwin J. Knaub, Saginaw; Mazie C. Meads, Red Lion ; Ida R. Smith, Red Lion; Edwin S. Felty, York; Mary Fishel, Red Lion; Max Kalisch, Red Lion ; Mary J. Ness, York; Michael Emenheiser, New Bridgeville; John J. Henry, Bougue- ville; G. W. Gable, Windsor; Milton H. Maul, Admire; Samuel M. Kohler, Red Lion; Henry M. Gotwalt & Bros., Hanover; and Harry S. Shely, Oraley. FOR SALE. BOILERS AND ENGINES. Second Hand 35 horse power horizontal tubular Steam Boiler all complete except steam fittings |;70. 1 6-inch Ericsson hot air engine $45; 1 8-inch $65; 1 6-inch Rider hot air engine $95; one No. 5 ScoUay Boiler good condition $50 ; and one No. 5 Weathered $50. GREENHOUSE SUPPLIES. New guaranteed black pipe full lengths at 9;'4'cents foot. Second hand pipe as follows : 2 inch, T/z; X'/z inch, S% cents ; \]i inch, AYz cents; 1 inch, 3,'4^ cents ; }i inch, 3 cents; Second hand pipe cutters, $1.50 ; No. 1 stock and dies, $4 ; No. 2 at $5 ; New guaranteed Hose, % inch, will stand 150 water pressure, 7,'< cents foot. Not guaranteed, at A% cents. Job lot of old fire hose in good condition. New Hot-Bed and Greenhouse glass 6x8 7x9-8x10, .$2.40 Box. 6x8-8x10 double glass at $2.75; 16x24 double glass at $3.50 Box. HOT=BED SASH complete from $1.50 UP. Send for catalogue. GULF CYPRESS GREENHOUSE MATERIAL. WE FURNISH EVERYTHING FOR BUILDING. Metropolitan Material Company, S. JJtCOBS Jh SONS, Proprietors, I36S to 1373 flushing Jtvenae, BROOKLYN, N. K. Jieceipts From English Tobacco The Chancellor of the Exchequer of the British Government has estimated the yield of the tobacco duty for the year 1908 to be .£13,500,000. Andrews & Peck^ MANUFACTURERS, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Doors, Windows and Blinds. Manufacturers' Agents for Akron Sewer Pipe and Land Tile. We make a specialty of hotbed sash. Office, 88 MarKet ,Street, Mill: Charter Oak and Vredendalc Avenues, HARTFORD, CONN. For The Seed-Bed Use the Dietz O. K. Tubular Lantern, — the most satisfac- tory lantern made for this purpose. Unre- liable lanterns make havoc amon(^ the plants by smoke, or else g-o out at the critical time, and leave the --fcd-bed un- l>nitected from rhi 11 and frost. iz Lanterns in rii steadily, .1 lul can be de- I ruled upon i\ (TV time. II you have tried oil-stoves or unreliable lanterns, and become dis- gusted with smoke-killing" and low tem- II to t,'ive the Dietz O. K. sk peraturos. wi* a Lantern a trial Let your dealer show you one, or send to us for a catalogue. R. E. DIETZ COMPANY Greenwich, corner Laight Street, tiKW YOR.K CITY. ESTABLISHED 1840 ^he New England Tobacco Grower HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, MARCH , 19 04 From Tobacco Towns R.ecent Sales of 1903 Crops — Business Rushing at AVarehouses Manchester, Connecticut Work corumenced to boom February 23 at the A. & S. Hartman tobacco warehouse. The work of the sorters commenced on five carloads of field- grown tobacco purchased in the vicinity of SufBeld and other towns. There are about forty in the working force, but that number is to be increased to . seventy-five. East Haddam The past two weeks have been qiiite lively as regards the East Haddam to- bacco crop. Four buyers have been in town and most of the crop has been disposed of. A. & S. Hartman of Hartford bought the crops of Bugbee & Martin, Harold Strong, Charles H. Strong, Frank Cone, Geer & Bartman, J. R. Bartman and Walter Gillette. The prices paid were eight, eight and one-half, nine and ten cents. John A. Warner of Tylervllle es- cured the tobacco grown by John Church and William Bartman at pri- vate terms. Hale & Litchenstein of Portland has bought Lyman R. Sexton's and George B. Hall's crops at nine cents. George H. Dennerlein of New York has bought the tobacco grown by R. S. Cone and Benjamin F. Edwards of Moodus, S. B. Warner and Joseph Rubricius of Town Street, John M. Gelston at the Landing and Anton Balvin of Hadlyme. The price aver- aged eight cents. Sunderland Polanders are buying farms in this section and are growing tobacco quite extensively. They pay good prices for the places and their saving habits en- able them to produce the cash in most instances. The Deacon TilLson farm has recently been sold to one of these foreigners, the consideratirn being in the neighborhood of |6,000. Conway, Massachusetts Fire destroyed the tobacco barn of Charles Parsons & Son on the hill just above the village on the road to South Deerfield, February 15. It was a very large barn, built but a few years ago, and contained about six tons of to- bacco, also all the farming implements. The building is a total loss, and the efforts of the men were directed to- ward saving the house and stock barn. The loss is estimated at $6,500, with insurance of $3,500. There had been no one in the barn for about 10 days, so far as is known, and the origin of the fire is a mystery. Montague A. M. Lyman has finished taking down and scripping and has his 1903 crop ready for the buyers. He also has 10 cases of 1902 wrappers. Growers here have usually had their seed-beds partly under cloth and glass, about half of each. I find that a bed well made up in the fall, covered with good manure and a thick layer of to- bacco stalks through the winter, — the soil well worked and prepared in the spring, — makes as .sure a place for seed to grow as can be produced. L. M. A. Feeding Hills Growers have, in most cases, finished taking the crop from the poles. Among recent sales are : A. W. Easton, three acres, at 20 cents; Dani«l Leonard, three acres at 20 cents; both seed leaf, ' to Edmund Halladay of Suffield. Mr. Say and Mrs. Rooche have also sold their crops. Edmund Smith opened his warehouse on his Feeding Hills farm January 38 and employs about twenty men. Steam has been used but very little to dampen the crop on the poles. Warehouse Point Recent tobacco sales at this place are: M. Anderson to Myers of Broad Brook, two acres at 11 cents; T. Sex- ton to Phelps of Suffield, one acre at 16 cents, and F. Schoenleber to McQue of this place, two acres at 11 cents. Phelps Brothers delivered their crop to Smith of- Springfield at 14 cents. Broad Brook. The tobacco industry is now in a most prosperous condition, and all warehouses report a rushing business. School Inspector Willard of Colches- ter paid this village a visit last week and cauesd a slight flurry of excite- ment during his brief stay. He came here for the purpose of ascertaining if the young people in the employ of the packing-houses could show the certifi- cates granted by the schools permit- ting them to be at work rather than at school. All of the young people at work were above school age but did not have certificates to show the officer. They will no doubt secure the papers very soon. Windsor Several new sheds are to be built this coming season, according to present talk. There is still an unsatis- fied demand for an architect able to design a tobacco shed that can be used for some other useful purpose during the greater part of the year — although if all fall and winter seasons aie to be dry as the last, the time the buildings remain unoccupied will not be so very long. Some Windsor farmers use their slieds the year 'round for the advertis- ing of sundry pills and infant dope, but there is a growing prejudice against this, as it is felt that the ad- vertising signs detract from the dignity of the sheds. Ko buyer has yet been found who has used the presence of painted signs on barns as an excuse for docking in settling for a crop, but such a buyer may yet come along, and a new excuse will be added to the old series. A tobacco shed owned by Frank Donahue and situated on what is known as "the island," was burned February 24. The .shed was about sixty feet long and contained the to- bacco crop for two or three acres. The loss is estimated at |1,000. Windsor Locks A stock barii and tobacco shed, owned by Michael Sheridan were burned to the ground with all the con- tents, January 30. Mr. Sheridan lived alone at his place. At about 9 o'clock he saw the interior of the barn all ablaze from the house, and being distant from the fire hydrants nothing could be done towards saving it. The barn, with additions, was about 30 by 80 feet, and contained the product of an acre of tobacco in process of strip- ping, two tons of hay, a wagon, sleigh and various farming implements, valued altogether at about $500. Theie was no insurance on it. a-'ja^ THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Delivering' tHe Crop Buyers Now TaKin£> Tobacco Previously Bargained for— Less "DocRing" TKan Usual Burnside Bnj-ers are now taking the crops purchased during the past few months, and from all reports seem to be satisfied to pay prices agreed upon at the time the tobacco was bargained for. This is the first season in a number of years that there has been so little trouble be- tween grower and buyer in regard to price at the time of delivering. W. L. Huntting and E. O. Gocdwin are receiving crops at their respective warehouses in East Hartford about as fast as they are able to handle them. Chas. Ott has sold four acres of seed leaf to Miller & Manning of Hillstown. Some of the broadleaf tobacco is weighing esceei^ingly light this season. One grower who usually packs his crop, was only able to get 2,200 pounds from a three-acre crop. Another instance is cited of a Hillstown crop delivered to an East Hartford ware- house that only averaged 900 pounds to the acre. These are exceptional cases, however, and the growers fully expect that the crop will average at least 1,200 pounds to the acre. The outlook for 1904 is for a full acreage of seed leaf with a slight fall- ing oflE in the acreage of Havana. Reports indicate that a large number of growers on the west side of the river are contemplating raising broadleaf in place of Havana the coming season. K. East Hartford Practically all the 1903 broadleaf has been bought. Among the heaviest buyers were E. O. Goodwin, W. L. Huntting & Co., L. B. Haas, Hinsdale Smith & Co. and J. Bigger & Sons. Prices ranged at 20 to 28 cents through assorted. Very little of the tobacco has yet been delivered. Alva Alexander sold his 1902 broad- leaf to Smith of Springfield. The finely equipped tobacco ware- house on Clark street known as the Spencer warehouse, recently occupied by Sutter Brothers, has been leased for a term of years by Messrs. A. E. Kil- bourne and Francis I. Hanmer. It has completely furnished sweat rooms and a system of humidifiers for the perfect handling of tobacco. East Windsor Hill There are but ten crops here unsold, — six of broadleaf and four of Havana seed, aggregating eighty acres. The buyers this season have been : Haas, Huntting, Goodwin, Osterweis, Graves, Koffenburg, Allen, Loomis, Farnham, Grotta, McCue, Hartman, Taylor, Smith and Bijur. Prices range from 20 cents to 30 cents — exclusive of tiller. The average cost for fertilizer per acre is ^Bo, — some run higher, some fall below that figure. In selecting seed it is the custom here to take some from the previous season's crop, providing the season has been favorable, resulting in a good growth of well ripened tobacco. In some instances growers reject their own seed and procure sotse from a neighbor, preferring to change where their own seed has been used continu- ously. The outlook for good farm hands is not favorable. Intelligent immigrants learn readily to cultivate and handle the crop. About same acreage will be planted here as last year. As broadleaf has commanded best prices, naturally more of it will be grown than of Havana seed. West Suffield George Denderlin of Hartford has bought the crops of Joseph Hadams, John Burns, four acres, and Thomas Burns, six acres, all for 1.5 cents in the bundle. Other crops are being held for higher prices. The owners say they will sort if they do not obtain their price, as they believe there is a marked shortage of good tobacco. John Gilligan has assorted his crop of three acres and placed it in the force-sweat room of John Barnett. Mr. Gilligan believes he will obtain what the tobacco is worth in about six weeks. He has done this for several years and has generally doubled the price offered for the tobacco in the bundle. Mr. Weaver has bought the eight- acre crop of H. Hemmingway. It will be sorted at Ude's warehouse and paid for according to grades. He sold last year's crop in the same way and real- ized more thereby. Poquonock The method of the American To- bacco Company and Mr. Kuff of Noble Bros. Company in buying tobacco this season has been to buy by grades. The grades are figured at 40 cents for lights, 20 cents for medium, 16 cents for binders, 12 cents for heavy wrap- pers, .5 cents for tops, 3 cents for fillers, 1J4 cents for waste. Tobacco must be sorted by the buyer at one of their sorting warehouses and the farmer has to pay three cents for sort- ing, including waste tobacco. Enfield Street John T. Pease has sold his tobacco to Litchenstein & Hale of Gildersleeve; Hiram H. Terry has handed over to the same firm what he raised on the P. B. Parsons estate; Patrick Carey and Mr. Nickerson have delivered their tobacco to Meyers of Broad Brook ; Welsh Bros, of London district have transferred theirs to Meyers of Broad Broofe. Suffield The situation in this vicinity is very quiet. The tobacco is being delivered to the various warehouses at the prices agreed upon when bargained for. The writer does not remember of a season when there was so little docking on the part of the buyers. Owing to the scarcity of damps this season and the fact that tobacco was in no condition to be looked at until it was in the bundle, the growers have, in most cases, been compelled to wait until that time before selling, with the result that we hear of less docking than before. Taking these things into consideration, it would seem to be suflBcient proof that this is one of the best ways to sell. The season of 1904 will see an average acreage of tobacco grown in this vicinity and it will be but a short time now before the seed-beds are started. The experiment of using steam to take tobacco down, which was used by Henry Fuller of Mapleton, has proved a decided success and we hope to see a more general use of this method J. L. During the past ten days a large quantity of tobacco has been delivered to the warehouses of E. A. & W. F. Fuller and Meyer & Mendelsohn, (^uite a quantity has also been shipped from this station to other buyers. Among the recent sales are: O. E. Haskins to P. Dennerlien & Sons, six acres at 11 cents; W. H. Hastings to Hale, five acres; George Phelps, twelve acres, at 40 cents for light wrappers and other grades in proportion; Fayette Phelps, to Hinsdale Smith & Company, ten acres at 15 cents; John Sliney, three acres, assortea, to E. A. & W. F. Fuller; A. N. Graves, 65 acres to American Tobacco Company, price reported 17 cents; J. Warner, to Hins- daie Smith & Company. A. Weber of West Suffield has pur- chased the sixteen-acre crop of W. S Bush of Westfield at p. t. This crop is said to be the best grown in that section. I do not think there will be any in- crease in acreage. Several growers will raise part broadleaf this season. The 1903 crop while not running so largely to wrappers as in other seasons, is producing some desirable grades of medium and light wrappers and seconds. Fuller, Haskins & Halladay have just finished baling their 1903 crop of shade-grown, and are pleased with the manner in which the crop has finished. J. Windsor Locks A shipment of five car-loads of to- bacco, the crops raised by Albert and C. O. Graves, is being loaded at the freight depot for a southern destina- tion. The crops were raised on the big plantation of A. N. Graves on the Plains and on C. O. Graves' land Bt the north end of the town. North Hatfield Charles W. Marsh has sold 16 acres of Havana tobacco, cased, to Meyer & Mendelsohn at private terms. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Bowker's Tobacco Fertilizers have for over twenty years been producing the best and finest crops of tobacco in the Connecticut Valley, because they supply the plant food that is best for tobacco, and plenty of it to carry the crop through to maturity. Mr. B, N. Alderman, East Granby, Conn., says : " I am partial to the Bowker Tobacco Asli Fertilizer because it acts very quickly and also carries the crop through." Another grower writes : "The Bowker goods also show the second year which is important in repeated use of the same ground." fl /^ -ITir X^ p^ "D FERTILIZER COMPANY. ■P^^ ▼▼ ^^ ^^ -TK. BOSTON and NE^V YORK. 220 State Street, Hartford, Conn. Cuban Tobacco Exported "El Tobacco" publishes the tobacco statistics for Cuba during 1903. The number of bales exported was 303,116, valued at 112,124,640, or at the rate of about |40 a bale. The exports were 42,424 bales less than in 1902. There were 208,608,450 cigars shipped, which at the rate of $60 a thousand would yield |12,516,507. There were ex- ported 14,341,445 packages of cigar- ettes, which at $25 a thousand, would yield |358,536. Of cut tobacco there was exported 106,873 kilos, valued at about $128,248. The United States took 45,800,000 cigars and 181,428 bales of tobacco. Germany took 31,000,000 cigars and 46,177 bales of tobacco. England bought 92,000,000 cigars. Colombia purchased 7,249,610 packages of cigar- ettes, an increase of more than 2,000,- 000 over 1902. New York Quotations Tobacco prices in New York are quoted as follows: Connecticut fillers, 6—8 Average running lots. Fine wrappers, New York State fillers. 20—30 40—75 5—7 Average running lots. Fine wrapper, Ohio fillers. 15—30 25—35 16—18 Average running lots, Pennsylvania fillers. Average lots B's, 16—20 7-10 13—15 The following figures show the total exports of leaf tobacco from ( Cuba for the past four years :- - 1900 1901 1903 1903 United States, $8,395,550 $10,690,035 $9,261,034 $10 ,743,994 Germany, 959,149 4,414,458 1,071,655 761,313 Spain, 196 565 528,897 624,833 Austria, 9.5,558 349,860 333,276 111,588 Canada, 34,138 75,620 99,160 108,603 France, 126,296 304,868 114,894 103,300 Argentina, 58,411 132,433 48,728 84,183 England, 26,763 33,123 27,336 33,772 Dutch W. I., 16,049 Holland, 8,377 66,236 44,517 15,386 Chile, 1,650 19,005 20,950 15,030 Belgium, 3,115 4,950 16,953 7,484 Uruguay, 6,410 23,383 16,435 5,638 Other countries. 5,834 53,831 83,537 $12 35,174 Total, $9,730,446 $16,055,395 $11,556,342 :,655,135 Largest Tobacco Warehouse What is described as being the larg- est tobacco warehouse in the world is located at Liverpool. It occupies one block 735 feet long and 165 feet wide. The height from the level of the road, excluding that of the vault, is 124 feet 10 inches. The total accommodation of the twelve floors of the building and the quay floors is 58,200 packages. In addition to this warehouse are two older warehouses, which occupy the north and south quays of the same dock, the tendency being to concen- trate the storage of tobacco in one lo- cation. Tobacco from Paradise A gentleman in India, having grum- bled about the dryness of his tobacco, got the following note from his to- bacconist:— "Sahib, — I beg to state that I have some fault, therefore I solicit kindly excusing the crime, be- cause you are my master as well as my mother and father. I have ready six tin of tobacco, in cold water they lie, for the Sahib is a very great Sahib, Lord of all the Sahibs, and bis tobacco is from Paradise. Kindly grant me order, which I will supply, I am very good man. Sahib. — Yours faithful, Hainan Lall. " THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Tobacco Growing in Brazil Leaves A.re TaKen From tHe iStalKs and Dried Under Hut R.oofs j|N Brazil, tobacco is chiefly cul- tivated in the provinces of fe]] [^ Bahia, Minas, San Paulo and ™ <5ll| Para. The town of Purifica- cao, in Bahia, is the centre of an important district. The cultiva- tion is increasing, and greater care is taken in the preparation. The common up country method is to pick the leaves from the stalks, dry them under the hut roofs, remove the midribs, and spread them in super- posed layers, amounting to two to eight pounds, for rolling together and binding with back strips. These rolls are bound very tightly with a cord, and left for several days, when the cord is replaced by strips of jacitara, the split stem of a climbing palm (Desmoncus sp. div. ), and have a stick-like form one and one-half inch in diameter. They are sold in masas of four to six feet in length, but the tobacco is not considered good till it has fermented for five to six months, when it is hard and black, and shaved off as required for pipes, cigarettes, and cigars, the last made with wrap- pers of tanari bark (Couratari guianen- sis). The Tapayos tobacco is con- sidered the finest in the Amazon val- ley. The cultivation of tobacco in Brazil began about the year 1600, in the province of Bahia, and from thence ex- tended to all the other districts along the coast. Among the localities earl- iest known for their tobacco produc- tions was the lake district of Pernam- buco, now the province of Alagoas, where an excellent quality was pro- duced, which commanded very high prices. During the following century the cultivation increased so rapidly in Alagoas and Bahia, that at the com- mencement of the succeeding century, the average annual exjjort had reached S.S.'iT tons from the latter, and 285 tons from the former i^rovinco. The earliest export statistics available for the whole of Brazil are for the year 1839-40, in which the export amounted to 305,966 arrobas, tlie arruba being e(iuivalent to about 32 pounds, and the value exceeded .€65,000. In 1879-80, the export was 50,000,000 pounds, of the value of £659,000; in 1880-1, 44,- 000,000 pounds, of the value of £650,- 000, and in 1881-3, .'i3, 000,000 pounds, of the value of £680,000. Though the principal tobacco pro- ducing province of Brazil is Bahia, to- bacco of good quality is grown in every part of Brazil, from the Amazon to the Rio Grande frontier. The methods employed in the culti- vation and preparation of the i)lant are very much the same as they were nearly two hundred years ago. The land selected for tobacco grow- ing is cleared, and the surface worked with a hoe, after which it is marked off into parallel rows about three feet apart, according to locality and the size of the mature plants. In trans- planting, the j'oung plants are set from two to three feet apart, and are man- ured heavily in the pits opened for them. In gathering the crops, planters wait until the plants are fully matured, this being determined by doubling and breaking one of the top leaves. In Bahia and other Brazilian provinces the lower leaf is often picked by itself, and in a few days the next, and so on as long as the plant will develop the lower leaves into what is classed first quality. These leaves are hung up two and two, under cover and across poles, 34 hours after picking and sweat- ing. When it is intended to twist the leaves into ropes, they are left hanging about two days, when they are taken down, carefully freed from the heavy parts of the midrib, doul)led in halves, and laid away for the rope twister. This operation requires considerable dexterity, and is generally entrusted to the best man on the plantation. The operation requfres a rude wind- lass, which is slowly turned in winding the rope, which is twisted by hand. A boy is usually employed entirely to hand leaves to the twister. These ropes are unwound and re-wound once or twice a day for a period of 10 to 15 days, according to the weather, and are twisted a little harder each time. In curing, the tobacco grows darker and darker, until it becomes jet black. The juices exuding from the rolls are carefully caught and preserved until the last winding, when, mixed with lard, syrup, and various aromatic herbs, they are used to pass the rope through, previous to the final winding. The last step is to cut the cuied ropes in certain lengths, and to re-wind them upon light wooden ."ticks, about two feet in length, the winding being very compact and regular. The rolls are then covered with leather or strong canvas, when they are ready for mar ket. Formerly, these rolls were made to weigh eight arrobas, or 256 pounds, though rolls of three arrobas wer6 made for the home markets. At the present day the weights vary accord- ing to the locality. Tobacco Men Burned Out The disastrous fire in Baltimore on February 9, destroyed the stock and premises of the following concerns connected with the cigar and tobacco industry : Liebman & Dellevie, M. Kemper & Sons, Stewart, DeBullet & Co., Wm. A. Boyd & Co., Becker Bros., Ed. Wischmej'er & Co., Lee & Hays, Chas. Ditmar, Jos. Merfeld & Co., Henry Lauts & Co., Vion, Kopff & Arens, J. D. Kremelberg & Co., A. Schumacher & Co., W. Boucher & Co., Warner & Brown, B. F. Miller & Co., H. Jus- ting, Jr., C. Birnbaum, G. Nable, Elliot, Ottenheimer & Elliot, Lemuel Perran & Co., Marburg Bros., Floro- dora Tag Co., Geo. B. Skinner, Sneer- inger & Co., Ballard & Colliday, Jacob Haupt & Co., F. Adler, J. Requard & Co., B. F. Garvely's Sons, and the American Cigar Co. laMMMM The flavor of TOBACCO may be in- jured by the use of stable and rank organic manures. Potash in the form of sulphate produces an improved flavor and a good yield. * Tobacco must have Potash. Our little book, '"Tobacco Culture," con- tains much valuable information, and every tobacco grower can obtain a copy free of rharge by writing for it. GERMAN KALI WORKS 93 Nassau Street New York "Millions for Farmers" So says Secretary Wilson, U. S. Uep'tof Ajji'icuUiire. pW ■ A Exhaustive Tests Prove that the Finest Grade of ""^ CUBAN LEAF Filler and Wrapper Can be Grown in East Texas on the Line of the SOUTHERN PACIFIC Soils and Climate similar to famous Vuelta Abajo District of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. T. J. ANDERSON, Gen. Pass. Agt., Houston, Texas OBAGCO RACTS VVriti' fur KuU lulor- matitiii to THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GRO>X^R Every Tobacco Grow^er and Every Farmer Needs One Fairbanks Gasolene Engines UTILITY DURABILITY ECONOMY Are three of their many excellent features. "A frien<1 in need is a friend indeed." You can always rely on the "Fairbanks." A ready and willing worker. Let us tell you more about them in our cataloffue No. 360. Vertical I l'2 to lO H. P. Horizontal 3 H. P. up. Neither can you afford to ship your product without weighing it on a FAIRBANKS 5CALE You will need a truck. We have trucks in stock of every description. Call and see them at our sales and wareroom, where you will find a full line of MILL AND FACTORY SUPPLIES. The Fairbanks Company^ 314 Sii 316 Pearl Street, Hartford) Conn. New York, N. Y. Albany, N.T. Baltimore, Md. Buffalo, N. Y. Pittsburg-, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. New Orleans, La. Montreal, Que. Vancouver, B.C. Boston, Mass. London, E. C. Toronto, Ont. Tobacco by Parcels Post Imports by Mail Into ttie United States From Cuban Plantations CUBAN planters have been taking advantage of the parcels post to send packages of filler and wrapper to- bacco to manufacturers in this country. Several collectors have reported that it is not the practice of manufacturers to take up these samples of tobacco on their books and account for them, claiming that they were samples and were not used as material in the pro- duction of cigars or otherwise. In regard to this matter the Com- missioner holds that he regards it as in violation of the laws and regula- tions to permit manrfacturers to bring into their factory premises tobacco which they do not properly enter on their books and account for. and he rules that this practice will not be al- lowed hereafter. The facts attendant upon cases of this character disclose that packages of tobacco come in through the Parcels Post limited to four pounds in weight, and unless some re.°triction is placed upon manu- facturers who receive imports of high grade tobacco through this source it is readily perceptible that frauds upon the revenue could be very easily per- petrated, as no restriction exists as to the number of packages that may be imported through the mail. It frequently occurs that manufac- turers have been found to receive packages containing ten pounds and upward, from which it is presumably possible to manufactui'e four hundred cigars; that if the practice, indicated by the collectors' reports, should con- tinue to exist, and manufacturers be not required to take upon their books and account for samples received, the door for fraud upon the internal reve- nue would be wide open for any man- ufacturer who chooses to take advan- tage of it; that it is certainly not to be presumed that manufacturers will throw away ten or more pounds of Cuban tobacco filler, and the query arises what do they do with it? The collectors in question were ad- vised that manufacturers should be re- quired to take up these imported samples on their books and if the material thus received is not used in the manufacture of a taxable product that fact may be shown by them, sup- ported by proper affidavits, as to what disposition was made of it, and there- after credit might be allowed in the settlement of such manufacturer's ac- count. Mddison Christian and George Tepp have sold their tobacco. William Mcllvane, Mrs. W. Gris- wold and J. Reichardt have sold 'their crops. !!?l?lBaiilt 600,000 Joseph H.King, zi~ Pbesident. ^^=r^ ^0,000-, William J.Dixon. Cashier. OPPOSITE onom.i.i C^Ti^ir— ■ HARTFORD. CITY HALL, 803 Main Street, conn. CLOSE ATTENTION to the interests of our de- positors is always our first consideration. The absolute safety of their deposits, and our extens- ive facilities, quick col- lections, modern methods and convenience of lo- cation have secured for us an ever increasing bus- . iness among those desir- ing the safest banking THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER '^he New England Tobacco Grower Published monthly by Tobacco Grower Publishing Co. S3 Trumbull street, Hartford Fire Insurance Building Hartford, Connecticut. Subscription, One Dollar a Tear. Ten Cents a Copy. Official Journal of The New England Tobacco Growers' Association. PAUL ACKER.LY, Editor. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Elected by The New England Tobacco Growers' Association : Connecticut. Luther M. Case, Winsted. William J. Hayes, Tariffville. Col. E. N. Phelps, Windsor. W. E. Burbank, Thompsonville. Edward W. Dewey, Granby. William F. Andross, East Hartford. Newell St. John, Sinisbury. James S. Forbes, Burnside. H. O. Warner, New Milford. A. H. Clark, Poquonock. Ariel Mitchelson, Tariffville. H. H. Austin, Suffield. P. H. Woodford, Avon. George Bidwell, East Granby. Allison H. Brown, Poquonock. S. P. Newberry, South Windsor. L. F. Bronson, East Canaan. A. C. Sternberg, West Hartford. J. H. Pierce, Enfield. M. M. Frisbie, Southington. L. A. Lee, Barkhamsted. A. N. Shepard.Gildersleeve. George Mitchelson, St. Paul. MASSACHnSETTS. Thaddeus Graves, Hatfield. K. A. Pearden, Westfield. H. L. Miller. Southwick. Lemuel Graves, Whately. James H. Day, Sunderland. B. M. Wainer, Hatfield. C. M. Hubbard, Sunderland. E. Cyrus Miller, Haydenville. Vermont. H. E. Gassett, Putney. Charles Brown, Westminster. New Hampshire. G. S. Smith, Hinsdale. Volume V. Number I. as even^the samples of force-sweat to- bacco troru growers' packings must be immediately submitted to obtain repre- sentation. St. Louis in some respects offers a most desirable site for the display of wrapper tobacco raised in the Connec- ticut and Housatonic Valleys. It is a town comparatively near to the to- bacco-producing states of a great part of the South, and it is well to show those interested in growing and hand- ling the coarser kinds of tobacco just what New England is doing in the way of producing iine wrapper leaf. Again, the city is the market of a wrapper-consuming West and South- we.st that promises to develop into a still heavier customer for cigar leaf. Jt HOT SUMMER 'ipOBAOOO growers who have been * experiencing the old-fashioned Winter, full of cold and snowy days, are in a receptive mood as soon as the prospect of a hot, old-fashioned Sum- mer is mentioned for 1904. No one can have objection to the coming of a warm and enthusiastic growing season, and the whole tobacco trade will have cordial greeting for such a condition of temperature. Hot weather will likewise be accept- able to all the commercial lines, to the railroads and summer resort managers, and to the great New England public that is willing to take things as they come, and yet with a hankering for hot weather to talk about, just as every one has this past Winter been hoasting of how low the mercury journeyed at his home. TRJtMSPLJtMTING ■^XTHETHER from long habit or from mere inborn mental char- acteristic, the tobacco plant has come to look forward to being transplanted, 80 that removal of the plant from the seed-bed to the field, with its necessary disturbance of the roots, seems to be an important factor in promoting growth. The transplanting gives the plant an introduction to a new life, and the change of location is a superior pro- moter of growth than allowing the plant to remain where it sprang from the seed, and thinning out about it. Entered at the Hartford Post-Office as Second Class mail matter. HARTFORD. MARCH, J904. JIT THE EXPOSITION A^ S the Louisiana Purchase Exposi- ^ *■ tion opens in a few weeks at St. Louis, it is necessary for the com- mittees in charge of the exhibits to close their work shortly and ship the displays. The opportunity for New England tobacco growers to take part in this exhibition is therefore coming to a close, and it is to be hoped that those who have been delayed in their plans will now attend to the matter EJtRLY CURING TJLANTING the seed-beds to a great *• extent determines the time of transplanting, so that the grower who plans for an early start in the field must sow early and watch carefully over the seed-beds. Aside from considerations of weather in the season of growth, there is a trend among the growers toward early jjlanting for the purpose of getting an early season for the shed-curing of the leaf. Curing being a prrfcess of fer- mentation, these growers believe that it is worth the effort necessary to bring much of the curing season with- in the time of warm weather, rather than allow it to run along into the season when cold may be expected. CRITICISES PRESENT METHOD To The New England Tobacco Grower: Is the present method of sorting and sizing tobacco any improvement on the old fashioned way of three or lour sorts? Is not the taking away of the heavier weight or darker leaves from the lighter weight by the present system of using the sizing box. from 14 to 38 inches, and then casing the different grades and sizes in cases by themselves more responsible for the goods going wrong or "gray," both in the forced or natural sweat, than the crop of tobacco itself 'i In other words are not the packers asking something from the tobacco that by the very nature of the plant is contrary to its natural law? It is all right and proper to put goods in first-class marketable shape and for any dealer to use any system that will bring the best results, but the present method used is a step back- ward, and directly a blow at the grower, as the song of the average buyer is ' ' We cannot say how it will go through the sweat," "No heart in it," "Bad weathei for curing," "No sun last summer," and a dozen or more expressions that all mean one thing.— low price. It is a law that has been more than once proven, — that when a mutual feeling, coupled with a mutual action is lacking, between buyer and seller, it is fully as disastrous for one as the other, and certainly it is "dog eat dog" between buyer and seller in the to- bacco business today, rather than any feeling of "brotherly love" for each other's success. But laying sentiment aside, is there any good reason why this year's crop of tobacco should not be sold affair figures to the grower? With no surplus stock of old tobacco in sight, with less new tobacco on hand, no sweat, and a lively demand for wrappers, why, brother grower, should you get scared and drop your crop at prices you do not care to have your neighbor know about '.' K. A. D. East Whately W. P. Crafts has sold eight acres at \'A)i cents to Meyer & Mendelsohn. Many are assorting and find that it assorts out well. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Ervading tHe Duty New YorK Evidence on MetKods of Disguising AVrapper as Filler. KSTIMONY concerning t h e different methods of packing leaf tobacco for shipment was heard recently in New York by General Appraiser I. F. Fischer as the principal issue in deciding the protest of Sutter Bros., Inc., against the action of the collector of customs in classifying certain leaf tobacco imported by them. The point of dispute was whether or not three consignments of tobacco received by that firm had been so packed as to dis- guise the class of merchandise it was, and in doing so to set the benefit of a lower rate. The tobacco was imported in three shipments, averaging one hundred bales each. The bales arrived in New York in October and were entered for duty as filler tobacco. According to the collector of customs an investiga- tion proved that packed in such a manner as to deceive the authorities was a considerable amount of very fine wrapper tobacco. Under the provisions of paragraph 313 of the Tariff Act filler tobacco was then assessable at thirty-five cents per pound, while under the provisions of the same paragraph wrapper tobacco was assessable at 11.85 per pound. The fact that the wrappers were con- sidered a good grade, however, had no bearing on the case as the duty is uni- form for all grades. Under the statutes, when 1.5 per cent, or over of a bale of tobacco con- .sists of wrapper tobacco the whole shall be dutiable as such, and from the testi- mony offered it is believed that over 40 per cent, of the bales contained that amount. It was also admitted by a witness for the protestants that the bales would probably average ninety pounds each, which would mean a difference of over $16,000 between the duty assessed by the collector and the dut)- claimed by the importers. The most important evidence sub- mitted at the hearing was the admis- sion by witnesses for the importers that the tobacco had been packed in an irregular manner. The decision was reserved. To Regulate Tobacco Prices Representative Smith Trimble has introduced the following bill in Con- gress: —Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That farmers and growers of tobacco shall hereafter have the right to sell tobacco in the raw or un- adulterated, of their own growth in any quantity, either in the leaf, twist, or such other form as they may wish, free from any tax or charge, or being in any manner subject to any statutory regulation on the part of the govern- ment of the United States. All statutes in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. Its passage will prevent the arbi- trary fixing of the price of raw leaf, or the manufactured product. It will be an equitable, automatic governor of prices, protecting both producer and consumer. Westfield Peter Prout has sold his 1903 crop in the bundle to Hinsdale Smith & Com- pany for 18 cents. Will Thayer has finished assorting his tobacco, as has also Henry Bosshart. Mr. Mendelsohn of Meyer & Men- delsohn was in town last week and called on several growers, but made no purchases. Have heard nothing about changing to Broadleaf from the Havana. With a good season, it is generally considered that the latter is the best and safe crop in this section. Hillside. The St. Louis Exposition During the next few weeks the committees in charge of the state tobacco displays at St. Louis will have to complete the preparation of the samples of tobacco for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and the growers who have not contributed should fur- nish force-sweat samples by the middle of March. The St. Louis fair, as has been pointed out, will be particularly help- ful for the cigar leaf industry, and a good display from New England is worth the trouble which it takes to make it. Cooperation with the state committees, — prompt and systematic, ■ — is called for at this time. East Deerfield Tobacco is about all down; buyers are looking about. One grower re- cently sold at 11 3^ cents in the bundle. Sandy Hook, Connecticut The American Tobacco Company has recently purchased four car loads of tobacco, paying from three to twelve cents in the bundle. Theodore Bishop has sold his crop of 1903 tobacco for fifteen cents. There are a few crops of old tobacco in town. Growers here follow the plan of selecting seed each year from the best plants. The outlook for labor in this section is not very bright. Immigrants take readily to the work and are employed hereabouts. A method adopted here is, after top- ping to let the two top suckerings grow, as the plants will not throw out suckers below. A week before cutting the crop, cut the suckers clean. Manure is used to a great extent, together with about $15 worth of fertilizer to the acre. Glastonbury H. E. Loomis has sold his tobacco to Wildman of New Milford at 24 and 25 cents assorted. He is now assorting. Southwick Ernest HoUister and Stephen Nash have sold their tobacco to the Ameri- can Tobacco Company. The price is reported to be 10 3^ cents. Farmers in this vicinity expend about $50 per acre for fertilizers and manure. As a rule I carry over the seed from a particularly good crop for the next season's planting. The outlook for labor the coming season is good. I do not think there will be much increase in the acreage, but it is early yet to decide this matter. L. A. Fowler Cigars Not a Bribe In a case brought at Haverhill, Mass., to declare the election of Mayor Wood void because during his canvass for the ofBce he treated to cigars, and was, therefore, guilty of bribery with- in the meaning of the law, the grand jury of that city has found that there is no cause for action. New England Tobacco Growers' Association. President EDMUND HJILLJIDMY, Suffield, Conn. Vice-President THJtDDEUS GRJtVES, Hatfield, Mass. Secretary and Treasurer PMVL MCKERLT, RockviUe, Conn. Office SS Trumbull Street, Hartford, Conn. Directors. Wm. F. Andross, South Windsor, Conn. Joseph H. Pierce, Enfield, Conn. M. W. Frisbie, Southington, Conn. William S. Pinney, Suffield, Conn. H. W. Alford, Poquonock, Conn. Colonel E. N. Phelps, Windsor, Conn. B. M. Warner, Hatfield, Mass. F. K. Porter, Hatfield, Mass. Albert Hurd, North Hadley, Mass. J. C. Carl, Hatfield, Mass. C. M. Hubbard, Sunderland, Mass. W. H. Porter, Agawam, Mass. Lyman A. Crafts, East Whately, Mass. James S Forbes, Buinside, Conn. George O. Eno, Simsbury, Conn. W. E. Burbank, Suffield, Conn. E. O. Hills, Southwick, Mass. James Morgan, Hartford, Conn. H. Austin, Suffield, Conn. Charles H. Ashley, Deerfield, Mass. H. S. Frye, Poquonock, Conn. 10 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Connecticut WareHouses TKe State La^v Governing Storage of Goods and Sale of Same HE public warehouse law of the State of Connecticut is as follows: Chapter 294. —Es- tablishment; Receipts;--Any person may establish and maintain a public warehouse, and may receive on storage into the same any goods, wares, merchandise, pro- visions, or other commodity, and shall isSue to the person from whom he re- ceives the same, warehouse receipts therefor; and he may issue warehouse receipts for any of his own property which is deposited in such warehouse; but no person shall issue any receipt for any such property so received by him on storage, or deposited by him in such warehouse, unless he shall have displayed and shall maintain in a con- spicuous manner, on the front of the building where such goods or other commodities are stored, the words "Public Warehouse." Receipt to Issue Only For Goods Re- ceived:— No warehouseman or other person shall issue any receipt, accept- ance of an order, or other voucher, for or upon any such property, to himself or to any other person purporting to be the owner thereof, or entitled or claiming the right to receive the same, unless such property shall have been actually received into his warehouse and shall be under his control at the time of issuing such receipt, accept- ance or voucher. Receipt as Security for Loan: — No warehouseman or other person shall issue any receipt or other voucher up- on any .such property to any person as security or any money loaned or other indebtedness, unless such property shall, at the time of issuing such re- ceipt or other voucher, be in the cus- tody of such warehouseman or other person, and in his warehouse. Duplicates To Be Marked:- No warehouseman or other person shall issue any second or duplicate receipt, acceptance, or other voucher, for or up- on any such property while any former receipt, acceptance, or voucher, for or upon any such property, or any part thereof, shall be outstanding and un- canceled, without writing or printing in red ink across the face of the same the word "Duplicate." Goods Receipted For Not To Be Sold: — No warehouseman or other per- son shall sell, or incumber, conceal, ship, truster, or in any manner remove beyond his immediate control, any such property for which a receipt shall have been given by him as aforesaid, with- out the written order or assent of the perion holding such receipt. Receipts Negotiable: — Warehouse re- ceipts given for any such property stored or deposited with any ware- houseman may be transferred by in- dorsement thereof, and any person to whom the same may be so transferred shall be deemed to be the owner of the property therein specified, so far as to give validity to any pledge, lien, or transfer, made or created by any such person ; but no property shall he de- livered except on surrender and cancel- lation of the original receipt, or the indorsement of such delivery thereon in case of partial delivery. All ware- house receipts, however, which shall have the words "not negotiable" plainly written or stamped on the face thereof shall be exempt from the pro- visions of this section. Property May Be Removed By Process of Law: — So much of .sections 4938 and 4924 as foroids the delivery of propert}' except on surrender and cancellation of the original receipt, or the indorsement of such delivery there- on, in case of partial aelivery, shall not apply to property replevied or removed by operation of law. Civil and Criminal Liability: — Every warehouseman or other person who .shall wilfully violate any provision of this chapter shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or im- prisoned not more than three years, or both; and any person aggrieved by the violation of any such provision may maintain an action against any person violating any of said provisions, to re- cover all damages, immediate or con- sequential, which he may have sus- tained by reason of any such violation, whether such person shall have been convicted of such violation or not. Warehouseman's Lien; Sale: — Every public warehouseman, or other person engaged in the warehouse or storage business or who shall have stored goods of another, who shall have in his pos- session any such property by virtue of an agreement for the storage thereof with the owner of such property or person having a legal right to store the same, shall have a lien for the agreed storage charges on such property, or, where no charges have been agreed on, for the reasonable storage charges thereon, and. when there shall be due and unpaid six months' storage charges thereon, may sell such property at public auction as hereinafter directed; but such sale shall not conflict with the provisions of the warehouse receipt or otlier written agreement under which such goods were stored. Notice of Sale:— A written or prin- ted notice of such auction sale, stating the time and place of sale with a de- scription of the articles to be sold, shall be sent, at least thirty days before such auction sale, by registered letter, ad- dressed to the person who left such property for storage, at his last known place of residence, or, in case the ware- houseman or storer of such property has notice from the person who left such property for storage of a change in the title or right of possession there- of, to the owner or person represented to be entitled to receive the same on payment of the storage charges, at his last known place of residence. Additional Notice: — The post-ofiBce registry receipt for such notice, signed by the person who left such property for storage, or in case of transfer of title, by the owner or person entitled to receive such property on payment of storage charges, shall be sufficient evi- dence of the giving of legal notice of .such sale, and when such receipt so signed is returned to the sender, such sale may proceed according to such notice. If such receipt so signed be The Dandy Windmill tanks and towers are the best in the world. We carry a full line of these mills, pumps and tanks at Springfield, and are in position to put up a complete outfit of any size. If you are tliinking of buy- ing a windmill, be sure to write to us for catalogues, prices and full infor- nnation. We are sole agents for the State of Connecticut for the Challenge line THE AGRICULTURAL STORE, (b. l. bragg co.', Springfield - - Massachusetts APPARATUS Of all kinds, of large or small capacity, Mounted & Portable Outfits. Send for special Catalogue. HAND STEAM OR POWER PUMPS For Fac- tories or Private Use. FAIRBANKS-MORSE Gasoline Engines from 1\ to 7.'. Horse Power lor all services. Special Pumping Enginesm PULLEYS, SHAFTING AND BELTING for ri>\ver Kiiuiiniu'iit gue please specify which one you want. We make a specialty of AVater Supply Out- fits for Country Estates. CHARLES J. JAGER COMPANY 174 HICH ST., BOSTON, MASS. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER U E,ssex ^Special Tobacco Manure and Tobacco Starter LTHOUGH the prices of chemicals have ad- vanced very much during the past season, we guarantee to keep the analyses of all the high- grade Essex Specials fully up to the high stand- ard of preceding years. CThe Growers that use our to- bacco goods are among the most successful raisers in the Valley, getting good weight and a large percentage of light goods in all seasOnS. CBuy our Tobacco Starter for your seed-beds, your plants will be from ten days to two weeks earlier than those grown on any other formula.CSend for our 1904 Catalogue. RUvSvSiA ceme:nt CO., MANUFACTURERS £/ js/ j» £/ ^f ^ GLOUCESTER. ^MASS. E. B. KIBBC, General Agent, Box 752, Hartford, Conn. not returned to the sender, additional notice of such sale shall be given by posting sucn notice on the public sign- post nearest the place where such sale is to take place, and by publishing a notice in some newspaper having a circulation in the town where such sale is to take place, once a week for three weeks successively before the time fixed for such sale. Such notice shall state the time and place of sale, and contain a description of the articles to be sold and the names of the person proposing to sell the same and of the person who left the same for storage, and also, if the person propo.sing to sell the same has notice of a change of title or light of possession, of the owner or person represented to be entitled to re- ceive the same on payment of storage charges. Disposition of Proceeds of Sale: — The proceeds of such sale, after deduct- ing the storage charges and all expenses connected with such sale, which ex- penses shall also be a lien on the pro- ceeds of such sale, shall be paid to the owners of the property if called for or claimed by them at any time within one year from the date of such sale; and if such balance is not claimed or called for by the owner within said period of one year, then such balance shall escheat to the state. Hockanum John Geiselman, Sr. , has sold his 1903 crop to Mr. Beethoven of New York, price not stated. Plant Tobacco Advice of a Minister to the Farmers of tHe South TIMMONSVILLE, South C'arolina, minister admonishes the farmers ot his section to plant tobacco. He says: "Plant tobacco, is the ad- vice I would give to the farmers of this country after thinking, as best I can, of the condition of things in the world at present. "It is bringing a good price now, and the 'trust' is paying that good price. It will bring a good price next summer and fall if you do not glut the market as you did this past season. The 'trust' did just what every man does ; namely, get goods for as little as you can, and if you cannot get them at your price, you will pay his price. "It is not true that the price of to- bacco is high now because the 'trust' wants to 'bate the farmer.' It is high now because it is scarce and they need it. It is going to be high this year for the same reasons. And another reason in addition ; namely, the tobacco crop' will be cut short in every place where cotton can be grown. Cotton will also be planted where it never grew before, both in this and foreign countries. Let us now consider the Texas boll weevil; for this has had much to do with the price of cotton. "First, suppose the government suc- ceeds in destroying this insect. Then this fact with an increase of acreage will reduce the price of cotton materi- ally. But suppose the insect is not killed, what guarantee have you that this insect will not destroy your crop'< If it does what have you left when you neglect tobacco? "In farming, never be an extremist. No wise man will put all of his eggs in one basket. "The safe thing to do is to plant whatever God lias made your land capable of producing. In this country plant provisions in abundance, as much cotton as you can gather and as much tobacco as you can handle, and in the end you will be better oflf. Go to work at once and prepare to plant some tobacco. I believe, taking the laws of trade and war conditions, etc., into consideration, you will do the wise thing. I know, practically, very little of farming, owing to the fact that my business is that of a preacher; but I am familiar with the laws of 'Political Economj-.' Hence, I give this advice without suggestion or re- muneration for my time and writing." (2 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Tobacco in Ireland Possibility of Grovirir»B tKe Leaf in tHe Emerald Isle EFFORTS are being made to intro- duce on a large scale the culture of tobacco in Ireland. That the leaf will grow vigorously in Ireland is self- evident to all knowing the facts. Be- tween 1830 and 1«40 it was grown in County Wexford and other districts, and brought as high as .1P300 an acre, the average return being |105 an acre. Theoretically, tobacco culture in Ire- land is perfectly feasible. But is it practical? The island is notable for its heavy rainfall, high humidity and heavy dews. These are conducive to vege- table growth, tobacco included, but they are ruinous to flavor, aroma and burning quality. The distribution cf moisture is uneven, so that there are probably districts where the supply is adapted to the culture. Here it will be easy to raise a good type of leaf. The Irish climate is not suitable for curing, on account of the moisture. This, however, can be remedied by artificial methods, using dry steam, hot air, or low-temperature kiln and smoke houses. None of these appli- ances gives as good a result as natural curing, while some impart a special and unnatural flavor to the leaf. Nevertheless, the tobacco thus pre- pared would, if cheap enough, find a market at home and possibly abroad. To put it on the market is to compete with those already in use. The Irish leaders, who have studied the question carefully, admit that it is impossible for Ireland to compete on even terms, and desire the government to reduce the duty on home-grown leaf to a point where it will mean a jn'ofit to the home grower. At the present value of farm lands, labor and interest, and with a liberal allowance for drying, curing and packing, it is believed that the Irish leaf can be grown at twelve cents a pound. A reduction of duty of fifteen cents a pound would, there- fore, allow a grower a profit of three cents per poimd. This presupposes that Irish leaf will sell on equal terms with American. If it sells for less, the government must give a large re- duction in duty. If the Irish leaf sells at five cents a pound less, the reduc- tion will have to be twenty per cent. Tobacco Stemming Machine The National Tobacco Stemming Machine is of recent invention and has been tried in Kentucky. The principle of the machine in stemming is about the same as by hand. There are two endless conveyors, made of sheet iron, independent of each other, having con- caves into which the feeders drop each leaf of tobacco, with the butt flush up to a guide, which insures the giipper taking hold of the butt without fail, ready for stripping. The device for stripping is. two circular knives, 12 inches in diameter, running in opposite directions, the leaf dropping from the conveyor between the knives with enough of the butt of the leaf outside of the knives for the grippers to take hold and pull it from between them to ao the stripping. There are two grip- pers, which work automatically, each making eighty-five strokes a minute, and they never fail to grip the stem if the leaf has been properly put into the conveyor. It is claimed that tobacco can be stemmed much drier than by Land, and is ready for immediate manufac- ture, or can be packed up and stored for any length of time. The machine takes out the stem any desired length — half, three-quarters, or all. The stems themselves are cleaner than hand work. The machine will stem every known kind of tobacco grown in any part o£ the world. The tobacco to be stemmed can be cased by water, steam, or a preparation in liquid form for flavoring the to- bacco. All that is necessary to insure the best results from the machine is to case the tobacco uniformaly as is pos- sible. WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. Advertisements under this head cost one cent a word each time; no advertisement taken for less than twenty cents; cash or stamps must accompany orders, which should be re- ceived by the 25th of the month. WANTED -Ten different tobacco growers to use my hard wood ashes and write the re- sults in this journal. Ashes at wholesale prices to the first ten. George Stevens, Peter- boro, Ont., Canada. WANTED— About 12 second-hand window sash; also window frames; will also buy second- hand matched stuff and flooring boards. Wil- liams, care The New England Tobacco Grower Hartford. JENKINS & BARKER, Saccessors to Col. Cbarles L. Bnrdett. Patent and Trade Mark Causes. Solicitors of United States and Foreign Pat ents. Designs and Trade Marks. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, 50 State Street, - Hartford, Connecticut. PATENTS OBTAINED For information write to Ralph Sturtevant Warfield, SCO H St., N.'.IV.. Waihington, D. C. Shade-Grown Sumatra and Shade-Grown Cuban Wrappers FOR. .SALE IN QDANTITlEi Ai DE,ilR.tD Write for Samples and Prices FOSTER Drawer 42. Hartford, Conn. THE USE OF AN Underwood Typewriter will increase your business. Rent one for a month and watch the result. Underwood Typewriter Company, 755-75 r Main Street, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. STUDIO 1309 MAIN ST.. HAR-TFOR-D l^eaain^ Artist ii» PKoto^rapKy and General Portraiture. Our photographs are not "shade" grown but are made with the clearness and exact likeness that win for us permanent customers. We are after your photographic trade. Studio, I030 Main St., Opposite Morgan St. HEADQUJtRTERS FOR TOeUGGO l|iSDtll|l6E F. F. SMALL & CO., gs Pearl St., HJiRTFORD, COMM. ,4 Fort St., SPRIfiGFtELD, MJtSS. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 13 George Storm's Death George L. Storm, a wealthy tobacco dealer and president of the Owl Com- mercial Oompany, the large and suc- cessful shade-growing concern at Quincy, Florida, killed himself in New York recently because, it was believed, he feared the result of an operation for appendicitis. He shot himself as he sat at his desk. Peter Miller, an asso- ciate in business, said that Storm was informed by his physician that it would be necessary to perform an oper- ation for appendicitis, but an autopsy showed no indication of appendicitis. Mr. Miller attributes Storm's act to worriment over his illness. Mr. Storm was a member of the Lotus Club, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and of the American Museum of Natural History. He was a director of the German Exchange Bank. He was 63 years old. His only son, Harry F. Storm, died in Manheim. Germany, about two years ago. He has two nephews, George L. Storm, of the firm of Straiton & Storm, and Charles H. Storm, formerly president of the Bert & Russell Co., and later of the Khedi- vial Cigarette Company. Fifteen Years Old Rabbi Stucky, of Boone county, Kentucky, recently sold 60,000 pounds of tobacco, which is the accumulation of his crops for the past fifteen years. Heretofore he has refused to sell his tobacco, and has been holding it for higher prices. Tobacco Receipts for Pension Fund The Federal Labor Party of Aus- tralia, one of the strong parties of that country, and which holds the balance of power between the two great parties, has announced a forecast of its future policy. One of the purposes of the party is to induce the govern- ment to take over the tobacco industry, and from the profits realized to obtain the nucleus of an old-age pension fund, which would expand automatically as the consumption increased. STHBLE PIWBE IN CAR. OR. CARGO LOTvS Prompt Delivery Lowest Prices ^. M, Goodrich HARTFORD AND NEW YORK TRANSPORTATION COMPANY HARTFORD CONNECTICUT Baker's Traceless Harness Tliis haruca.s is particularly valuable to tobacco (jrow- ers, both in the cultivation of open and cloth covered fields. Owing to the absence of whiffletrees and tractts. closer work can be done with learns everywhere. It is the farmer's"Haady Harness," saves labor,'and makes farm work easier. Invaluable to every fruit g-rower, orchard- ist and lumberman. Endorsed" by users everywhere. Write to-day for free catalofrue. B. F. BAKER CO., 234 Main St., Burnt Hills, N. V. ACME SIZES 3 to 13>4 feet Agents Wanted. / Pulveriiing Harrow Clod Crusher and Leveler. best pulverizer — cheapest Riding Harrow rth. We also make walking ACMES. Acme crushes, cuts, pulverizes, turns levels all soils for all purposes. Made ,S^» entirely of cast steel and wrought iron — itvdeslructible. Sent on Trial To be returned at my ex- pense if not satisfartory. Catalogue and Booklet, "An lde»l Hsrrow" by Henry Stewart, mailed free. I fleliver f o b at New York, Cnicato, Colombiu, LodIstIII«, Kansas Cily, Minneapolis. Sin Francisco, Portland.etc. DUANE H. NASH, Sole nanufacturep. Millington, New Jerseya Branch Houses: 1 I 0 Waslilnglon St., ChlcaQO. 240 7th Ave. So., Minneapotls. i:,ia W. 8th St., Kansaa City. PI^IS.\SE MKNTION i'UlS PAPER. Canadian Growers Canadian grown tobacco may yet tind a market in England. To this end, samples are being forwarded to the Canadian commercial agent at Manchester through the Canadian De- partment of Agriculture. I. GoldsmitK (Q. Co., TOBACCO BROKERS 208 Sheldon Street, Hartford, Conn. 4 lbs. Made hy CHlCfilGO Use Swiffs Washing Powder -raU' CLOTHINS P..'.:fr>'! Swift's Washing Powder is the Tidy Housewife's best friend. Try a package and see for yourself. SWIFT PROVISION COMPANY, 19 JOHN STREET, BOSTON, MASS, J4 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Tobacco vSeed vSelection By A. D. SKamel, \J. S. Department of Agri- culture, >Vashing'ton, D. C. {Concluded from February Xliwber) One of the principal reasons for the use of home grown seed, instead of depending upon seed grown in other- regions, is that the quality of the im- ported seed is always a matter of un- certainty. In many cases it is claimed that growers kill the seed before send- ing it out of the country. The kind of plants which tlie seed will produce cannot be foretold by an examination of the seed, but must be learned by experience from the crop. In some cases whole crops have been lost be- cause of poor imported seed. There- fore it is necessaiy to have seed for the general crop the pedigree of which is known by the growers. The experi- ence of the breeders of other crops show that the best plan is to select the seed in the region where the crop is grown and if possible it would be desirable for every grower to select and improve his seed on his own farm. It seems probable that one of the chief difficulties in the growing of Su- matra and Cuban varieties in the Con- necticut Valley, has been that it has been necessary to use imported seed for planting the entire crop. While a considerable proportion of highly de- sirable plants have been produced in most fields, the effect of the change of conditions from the tropics to Connec- ticut, was to break the type and cause the production of a large proportion of undesirable and unprofitable plants. This is M hat we would naturally ex- pect to happen fi'om the previous ex- perience of growers in other states with similar and other varieties of to- bacco. A most careful and painstak- ing examination of representative fields last season, showed that the breaking up into types, the appear- ances of reversions and strikingly variable plants, and the development of great individual variation, did occur. Id other words the industry developed before acclimated strains of tobacco had been secured. There is every rea- son to believe that by the proper methods of breeding and selection in the types now growing in Connecticut, during the adaptation of the plants to climatic and soil conditions uniform varieties can be secured and retained of the Connecticut type. The selection of seed plants should be based upon the study of the points which go to make a desirable plant. It should include the number of leaves on the plant, shape of leaves, color of leaves, thickness and quality of leaves, the time of maturity, type of plant, and freedom from disease. The seed should be protected from cross fertili- zation by inclosing the head with a bag to prevent insects or other agencies from fertilizing the flower with pollen from other plants. Our experience shows that tobacco is perfectly self- fertile. It is also easily cross-fertil- ized, and it is probfble that many of the flowers are crossed bj' insects of other agencies. From all the evidence available, crossing between plants of the same variety is undesirable. The crossed seed produces inferior plants of the self-fertilized. , On the other hand, crosses between plants of different varieties is bene- ficial, producing more viecrous and valuable plants than the parent plants. As a rule cross-fertilization between individual plants in most crops results in increased size and vigor of growth. This is especially true of corn and like crops which are naturally cross-fertil- ized to a greater or less extent. In ex- periments where such crops have been artificially self-fertilized for a con- tinuous period of years, the vitality and productive power of the plants have been greatly decreased. The to- bacco crop is normally self-fertilized and has probably become adajited to this method of fertilization. There- fore when crossing occurs, the plants from these crosses do not hold up in vigor of growth with the plants from self-fertilized seed. The following table from Charles Darwin's extensive series of experiments on the compari- son of self and cross-fertilization in to- bacco illustrates the relative vigor of the two kinds of seed : HEIGHT OF PLANTS IN INCHES. No. of From Self-fertilized From Self-fertilized Pod. Plant Crossed by Plant again Self-fer- Crossed Plant. tilized, forming third Self-fertilized Genera- tion. I 87 2-8 49 48 4-8 0 99 15 2-8 97 6-8 48 6-8 0 II III IV V 72 4-8 14 2-8 73 110 4-8 106 4-8 73 6-8 48 6-8 81 2-8 61 2-8 Total 495.50 641.75 These facts make the improvement of tobacco by selection and crossing a practical field for work. From the fact that the work of the improvement of tobacco has been just begun, there is a Jack of experimental data to substantiate any, of what we believe to be practical methods of breeding. However, we are not wholly without evidence in the Con- necticut Valley as to the correct methods of selection. In a field of to- bacco in the Connecticut Valley, a grower selected two years ago a typical plant in a field of as uniform type as he could find. He saved the seed from this plant separate from the rest of his seed crop. This seed was planted in a separate seed bed, and the plants set out in a separate portion of the field. An ex- amination of the field made by the writer and the grower, showed that the plants were much more uniform than the plants grown from the gen- eral seed. In fact the uniformity was so striking that it was a matter of gen- eral remark among all visitors to this field. The fermented tobacco shows that it is more uniform than that from the rest of the field. In other instances where seed plants have been selected for a special purpose, the crops show that the selection of seed has had a gieat influence on the crop. The relation between the cured and fermented leaf, and the plant in the field must be known in order to make an intelligent selection of seed plants. In a careful canvass of growers on this point last season, there was not a single man who had followed the leaf from the plant to the finished product. In such a condition the selection would be like trying to select seed corn without examining the mature ear, or selecting seed cotton without a study of the fiber. From the fact that the plants must be picked out and seed saved be- fore the finished leaf can be examined, it is necessary to select enough best plants in the light of previous expeii- ence, .so that after the leaves from the different plants have been examined, the undesirable types can be discarded. From the fact that the seed plants have to be allowed to stand in the field long after the leaves must be harvested, it is necessary to pic^ the leaves from these plants, tag them so that they can be separated from the rest of the to- bacco after curing and fermentation, and make the examination in tie ware- house. The central cluster of pods should be used for seed purposes. It is probable that the seed in the pods in this cen- tral cluster is most desirable. From the great number of seed in each pod it is not necessary to save the sucker pods. In an examination of the pods from different varieties it was found that each pod contained from two to five thousand seeds. Therefore it is not necessary for a grower to select all of the pods on the seed plants in order to secure a sufficient supply of seed. The heaviest, best developed seed should be used for planting. Experi- ments by Dr. Trabut in Algeria show that the heaviest seed produce the best plants. The light undevelopeil chaffy seed produce weak spindling plants. In a test of vitality made this season by the Department of Agriculture, of heavy, medium and light seed from the same plant, it waS found that from 95 to 100 per cent, of the heavy sprouted, 60 to 80 of the medium and 0 to 12 per cent, of the light seed. These re- sults are extremely interesting in that they show the comparative vigor of germination and indicate the compara- tive vitality of the bea^•y and light seed. It is a good plan to separate out of the heavy seed from the entire seed supply, and discard the light and uq- THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER J5 ^^i^wwvvww^'wvuvwywwww^wyuwyvwu^ww LUTHRR M. CASE, WINSTED, CONNECTICUT. Packer and Dealer in Connecticut Leaf Tobacco. ^1^ i aII^^ \ ^ Shade Grown jS^jS^ ^^ '^ Sumatra in Bales. ^J% v _> . - . , ^ u,™^-.^ ^„ -^^yy,^- . .^j»>. , Main Warehouse and Office, Pine Meadow, Conn. |fSSS«^:^^i^^ ^^iS^^f^^^^t"^ BRJiMCH IVJtREHOVSES: Southwick, Mass.,— Foreman, H, L. Miller. East Canaan, Conn.,— Foreman, L- F. Bronson. Ilarkhamsted, Conn., — Foreman, L. A. Tvee. North Hatfield, Mass.,— Foreman, Willis Holden. New Hartford, Conn.,— Foreman, James Stewart. SUMATRA PLANTATIONS: Pine Meadow, Conn., 25 Acres Barkhamsted, Conn., 20 Acres Southwick, Mass., 15 Acres \\ Always in the market for old Tobacco if well assorted and packed, jt Havana Seed Wrap- pers a specialty, assorted and sized into thirty-two grades. ...... f^mmmmmmmmmwmmm^m^fh desirable seeds, using only the heavy seed for planting. In any case it is advisable to test the vitality of the .seed before planting. This can be done by thoroughly mixing the seed, and counting out two sets of two hun- dred seeds each. These samples can be sprouted between layers of moist blotting paper. In six days 7.5 per cent, of the seed ought to have sprouted and in ten days 95 per cent, should have germinated. Old seed is frequently used for plant- ing. The usual reason is that in such cases the old seed has been found to produce good crops. There is no rea- son to believe that the seed improves with age, but every indication that the vigor and vitality is very weak in old seed. Ten year old seed has been reported of good vitality and instances have been cited of twenty year old seed producing a crop. The length of life of the seed probably depends upon the conditions of harvest and keeping. The seed should not be harvested until fully matured, and then dried before being removed from the pod. When thoroughly dry, it can be shelled out of the pods and kept in dry glass vessels. It is a safe general principle in tobacco growing, that whenever possible fresh seed should be used for planting. If a grower produces a crop which is perfect in every respect and exactly suits his ideas of a tobacco crop, it would be advisable to keep enough seed so that if his next crop, or any future crops are undesirable, this seed can be used for planting. Practical experience shows that such seed, kept under proper conditions may be safely used for several years. The plans tor breeding experiments by the Department of Agriculture in- clude two main considerations. First the production of hybrids of the differ- ent native varieties, and hybrids of the native varieties and imported strains. In the experiments by Dr. Trabut in Algeria, it was found that the crosses between the native tobaccos and im- ported varieties, retained the hardiness of the native varieties with the desir- able qualities of the imported types. Other experiments by Italian workers show substantially the same results. Therefore it seems desirable to cross the Havana and Connecticut seed leaf types with the Cuban and Sumatra varieties. Crosses have been made be- tween all of these varieties the past season, and the seed from each cross will be grown in separate rows in the field this season for study and compari- son. The second important line of work begun last season in the selection of typical plants foi a test of their trans- mitting power. The seed of these plants have been harvested separately and careful records kept of the charac- teristics of the plants, such as type, number of leaves, shape of leaves, time of maturity and other important points. The seed from each plant will be planted in separate rows in the field in order to test the transmitting power of each individual seed plant. The ob- jects of this experiment are to show whether the types come true to seed, and to find the most valuable parents for further selection and propagation. When strains are discovered which come true to seed, and are of a desirable type the further improvement will be a matter of selection from the best plants of these strains. Barley Company Incorporated The Burley Loose Tobacco Ware- house Company, of Lexington, Ken- tucky, has filed articles of incorpora- tion with the county clerk of Fayette, Kentucky. The company has a capital stock of 1100,000, and expects to handle from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds tobacco a year. Most of this will be bought loose from the growers. IT'S A GOOD THING TO KNOW: The best place in Hartford to buy Jew- elry, to buy a watch, to have a watch repaired. It's over on Pearl street, just a little way from Main. GEORGE W. BALL, Diamond Broker and Jeweler, 65 PEARL ST., HARTFORD. CONN. i6 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER o ^^ o 0 o ^"^o ^"^ o o o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o O ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^*^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^ Interriational Tobacco ClotH ^' ^ ^ I HE superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth has been fully dem- onstrated in the field €1 High-grade materialj&.nd skilful construction, combined with long experience in manufacturing this class of fabric, accounts for the superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth i« New England TbBACCo Grower VOL. V. No. 2. HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, APRIL, 1904. $J.OO A YEAR Recent ErXperiments in Tobacco Culture THE recent experiments conducted by Dr. Trobiit upon the selection and improvement of tjbacco by means ot seed selection, furnish valuable evidence for the guidance of growers of tobacco in all tobacco sections. He says that planters may rapidly amelior- rate tlie race of tobacco they cultivate, by using carefully selected seed. This choice, however, involves some precau- tions. The plants should be selected with the greatest care for seed pur- poses, and at the time of flowering covered around the inforescence with light closely woven cloth. By this operation one avoids the poUenation of selected plants by pollen of inferior plants. It is also of advantage to carry on artificial pollenation of the flowers on the selected stalks by carry- ing pollen from one to another. This operation is, to be sure, limited and somewhat uncertain, but it permits one, nevertheless, to obtain very vigor- ous plants of decided merit in many instances. The experiments carried on by Dr. Trobut at the botanical station in Al- geria during four years, on the value of tobacco crosses is an illustration of the usefulness of the practice. The object of those experiments was to unite all of the races of tobacco already acclimated in Algeria, and a collection of exotic tobaccos. From the crosses of the introduced tobaccos with the best races already acclimated, there have resulted a certain number of varieties which seem advantageous tor these regions. In the crosses carried on for the purpose of improving the native tobaccos, he observed that the seeds of tobacco are often badly formed and show low specific gravity. By placing the tobacco seed in water, it was ob- served that onlj' one-half of the seed sunk to the bottom of the vessel. The seeds which floated on the surface of the water, were nevertheless able to germinate, but gave less vigorous plants during theif whole development. By sowing the seed which floated, and those which sank, he established the fact that all of the plants grown from the heavy seed were greener, taller and more vigorous than the plants raised from the light seed. The seedlings transplanted in the same field, alternating a plant from heavy seed with a plant from light seed, preserved their characters, the plants from the heavy seed having the more desirable leaves and producing the best plants. The plants from the light seed developed more slowly and had a tendency to bloom before having reached srrfRcient development. The weight of leaves from the plants growrr from the light seed was hardly one-half that of the leaves harvested from the plants grown from the heavy seed. There is no doubt that considerable advantage is to be derived from this easy selection of the heavy seed. Growers of tobacco always have an excessive amount of seed. Before sprouting or sowing this seed, they should throw rt into a vessel of water, shake gently, and takeout the seed that float, destroying it so that it cannot be used for planting through anj' possible mistake. The amount of seed that float irsually represents about one-half of the seed gathered. The heavy seed may be dried and preserved, or the best plan is to make the separation just before time for sowing, and then sow immediately after this treatment. The heavy seed thus planted will give more vigorous plants producing better leaves, but with a tendencj' to bloom a little later than plants grown from the I'ght seed In practice it may be found that few if any of the seeds sink immediately after having been thrown into the water. It .seems that it is necessary for the seed to stand for some time in the water during which tney become thoroughly moistened and will then sink. By careful examination, the moment when all of the heavy seed have sunk, can be determined, and the light seed removed. Another plan for the separation of the light from the heavy seed, is by the use of sieves hav- ing such sized openings that the heavy seed will fall through and the light seed be retained and finally discarded. Cheese cloth having the proper size ot mesh can be used successfuUj' for this purpose. If it is possibe to use an air blast, thei-e is probably no better method of separation. As the tobacco seed are very light it will be found necessary to have a very steady current of air, and of such volume that the heavy .seed will fall and the light seed be carried away. There are certain makes of the ordinary fanning mills which it is possible to adapt to tobacco seed and will make the desired separa- tion successful. EXPERIMENTS WITH CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO. The first attempts at cultivation of tobacco in Algeria by the Europeans, were made with seed of Paraquay and Palatinate, but these races have under- gone successive transformations with- out having the qualities which were formerly preserved by the Arabs, but have nevertheless a greater production. This constant variation is such that rrnder the name of colonial tobacco, one meets many diflferent types. Be- cause of the impossibility of making constant individual selections and avoiding natural variations of the plant, it is a question whether the variety of tobacco alone has influence in the quality of the plant. In princi- ple the best tobaccos are those which burn best, but the nature of the soil, methods of cultivation, practice of ir- rigation and methods of curing and handling seem to effect the combusti- bility even more than the variety of the plant. The remarkable combusti- bility of the station tobacco is due to Concluded on page g THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Westfield March 7, the cry of the farmers was not "Make haj- while the sun shines," it was rather, "Make tobacco while the rain falls!" After months of wait- ing for an opportunity to take their tobacco from the poles, where it has been allowed to remain on account of the dry weather, the raisers of the weed welcomed and took advantage of the downpour, and mustered their forces, the humidity in the air giving the limpness to the leaf that is neces- sary for the safe handling of the plants. Ordinarily this work would have been done back in November, or with- in two months of harvesting time, but the past winter has been a remarkable exception in the history of seasons. The tobacco men worked their forces until well towards morning and succeeded in getting most of the plants Otf the poles. An awkward and incon- venient condition of attairs was created by the flooding of the ground in the tobacco barns, as a result of the heavy rain and thawing of the snowbanks sur- rounding the buildings. In some in- stances perfect rivers flowed through the barns, and the workmen had to wade in water at their work. Jtgency in Hartford Edward U. Denslow f f Hartford is acting as agent for the B. L. Bragg Company of Springfield, whose excel- lent line of up-to-date farm machinery is unsurpassed. The Bragg Com- pany's line is well known for reliabil- ity, and tobacco glowers using their goods gladly testify to their merit. Mr. Denslow, who is located at 318 State street, will be glad to shiiw prospective purchasers the Bragg line of machinery. Hot-Bed vSash. Get our quotations on Hot-Bed Sash. We make them in standard sizes or in special sizes to suit the requirements of Tobacco Growers, and guarantee honest materials, the best of workmanship, and a good, serviceable sash. DOORS. GLAZED WINDQ-WS, BLINDS. M^INDO-W AND DOOR. FRAMES. CALIFORNIA REDWOOD DOORS A SPECIALTY. Cord for Sash and Ventilators. E, A* Carlisle and Pope Co,, Successors io Le'bi Boles & Son, 2 Sudburx St., Cor. HaymarKet Sq., Boston, Mass. Tobacco Storage Company Documents have been filed with the Connecticut secretary of state as follows: Certificate of incorporation of the East Hartford Tobacco Storage corporation, which is organized with a capital stock of $.1,000 for the purpose of dealing in tobacco, manufacturing and preparing it for market and taking tobacco on stoi'age. The capital stock is divided into 50 shares of |100 each. George A. Billings, A. E. Kilbourne, Charles C. Hanmer and Francis J. Hanmer are the incorporators. Glastonbury Nathaniel Tryon, a lifelong resident of the eastern part of this town, near the South Manchester line, died at his home Februaiy 26, at the age of 83. He was one of the wealthiest men in Glastonbury. He is survived by a widow and by three sons, Nathaniel Russell Tryon, Charles Howard Tryon and Joseph Tryon, and one daughter Miss Jane C. Tryon, all of whom reside at the homestead. Ol in/IDO RIDER AND ERICSSON. AU Sizes. New and Second Hand, nUIVIr^O from 545.00 up. All Repairs. n /^ 11 C D O Second Hand, 3S H. P., Steam, $70.00. No. S, Second Hand tj W I L_ Cl ri O Scollay at fSO.OO. New Boilers at Low Prices. RrDC New 2 in.. Full LenRlhs at 9^c.; Second Hand, 2 in., VJsc: IV2 in., SKC' r^Cl IV4 in., 41/20.; 1 in.,3%c.; 34 in..3c. Fittings of all Kinds. PIPE CUTTERS NEW SAUNDERS PATTERN No. 1, il.OO; No. 2, *1.30. STOCKS AND DIES NEW ECONOMY No. 1, 93.00, No. 2, S4.00. STILLSON WRENCHES NEW 18 inch, S1.6S, 24 inch, $2.40. PIPE VISES NEW No. 1, HINGED, S2.25. /^ A D r^ C M LJ /^ O Cr NEW }i in.. Guaranteed 1(X) lbs. Water Pressure Vj/A 11 U tlN riLJOC. TJ^c. per foot; not Guaranteed, 4 Jic. per foot. ^M A 00 New, 16.\24, Double. Natural Gas Made Glass, $3.40 per Bo;c; IjJI |_/-\0 0 14.\20, Double, S3.20; 12x16, Sing-le, S2.30; 10x12 and 8x10, Single, $2.25 HOT BED SASH NEW. No. 1 CYPRESS, 70c. COMPLETE, FROM $1.60 UP. Get Our Prices for New Cypress Building Material, Ventilating Apparatus, Oil, Putty, White Lead, Points, &c. Metropolitan Material Company^ 1598=1400 -I402'I404'I406=I408 Metropolitan Jtvenue BROOKLYN, NEMT YORK Sherman O. H. Hawes recently sold most of his tobacco, packed one year ago. He sold one case for 60 pounds, packed weight, amounting to the snug sum of 1180 for 800 pounds. Andrews & Peck, MANUFACTURERS, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Doors, Windows and Blinds. Manufacturers' Agents for Akron Sewer Pipe and Land Tile. We make a specialty of hotbed sash. Office, 88 MarKet Street, MiU: Charter Oak and Vrcdi;ndalc Avenues, HARTFORD, CONN. For The Seed-Bed Use the Dietz O. K. Tubular Laniern, — the most satisfac- tory lantern made for this purpose. Unre- liable lanterus make havoc among- the plants by smoke, or else g-o out at the critical time, and leave the seed-bed un- protected from chill and frost. Dietz Lanterns burn steadily, and can be de- pended upon every time. If you have tried oil-stoves or unreliable lanlerns. and become dis- ^-■usied with smoke-kiHiuf,^ and low tem- peratures, we ask you to give the Dietz O. K. Lantern a trial. Let your dealer show you one, or send to us for a catalogue. R. E. DIETZ COMPANY Greenwich, corner Laight Street, NEW YOR-K CITY. ESTABLISHED 1840 '^he Ne>v England Tobacco Groover HARTFORD CONNECTICUT APRIL 1904 Warehouses in Full »S%ving' Many Hands Employed and Large Quantities 0/ Tobacco Being PacKed East Hartford The tobacco warehouses are going at full force. P. Deniierlien & Sons have their usual number of hands, W. L. Hunttius & Company are swinging all they can do, and E. O. Goodwin is receiving a large quantity of the leaf and will continue packing until warm weather. Alfred Ensign has opened the E. R. Ensign & Sons' packing house and is busy packing seedleaf for I. K. Kaffen- burg of Boston. Eight hands are at work, packing only. The crops that have been received are those of E. R. Ensign & Sons, eleven acres; Charles Yauch & Son, eight acres; Frank Yauch, four acres; A. W. Moseley, three acres; C. Bartlett, ten acres; Joel Brewer, eight acres. F. Howard Ensign is packing for Mr. Aufhausser of New York. The length of time the warehouse is to be kept open depends on how much more tobacco Mr. Aufhausser buys. Those contemplating the erection ot new tobacco sheds are H.G. Beaniuont, who has given the contract to J. F. Whaples, and Frank D. May, who will erect one or two large sheds on his newly purchased farm in the eastern Hockanum district. The crops recently purchased by Howard Ensign for Mr. Biederman of Brooklyn are: Charles Risley, three acres, at 30 and 17 cents; F. Howard Ensign, nine acres, 22 and 10; Hubbard Waldo, four acres, 20 and 17: seedleaf, all assorted. He has also purcha.sed three acres of seedleaf from Louis Tryon of South Glastonbury and four acres of Havana from Mr. Carberry, in the bundle. Samuel Stevens of Glastonbury pur- chased W. G. and A. A. Forbes' tobac- co in the bundle, at seven cents. There are twenty-four acres in the batch. Keiser & Boa.sberg of Buffalo have purchased 100 cases of tobacco in South Windsor and are assorting and packing at Lowell Brewer's warehouse. The F. W. Griswold Corporation have contracted with William Welk of Glastonbury for a shed, 6-ts>!2 feet. Michael Liebler will build a shed, 84x32 feet, the contract going to the F. W. Griswold Corporation. Edward O. Goodwin, agent for Rosenwald & Brother, has purchased tlie crops of the following growers; James Harvey, John Martin, A. Mc- Gehan, George E. Pratt, Henry R. Burnham, Edward B. Ripley, Arthur Talcott, Burton G. Biewer, Cliarles P. Cummings, Chauncey Hollister.Merritt Smart, Martin Roberts, William Hines, Alonzo P. Hills, Clifford F. Brewer, Hoadley C. Brewer, Edwin E. Gilman, Levi Hayes, Ralph Hayes, Charles Richmond, A. C. Abbe, Frank Getto. Charles P. Hills, George H. Hills, A. Frederick Olmsted, Bryan H. Griswold, Frederick M. Hills, William Wells, Everett Hills. Elliott Hills, C. F. Deane, Mrs. G. Toohill, Edwin A. Judson, Walter Simmons, Elmer Twil- cott, J. K. Hall, Frederick W. Gehan, William Weldon, A. Fuller,John Lang, Alfred E. Hollister, Christopher Sweeney and Alfred E. Kilbourne. All of these crops have been delivered at the warehouse. Sunderland Several sales have Ijeen made at low prices, the American Tobacco Com- pany, Carl of Hatfield, and Mendelsohn being the buyers. From i|!.")0 to |80 worth of manure and fertilizers are generally used to the acre here. Seed is usually saved from a partic- ularly good crop by the beat growers, although some follow the practice of saving from year to year, which does not prove as satisfactory in the long run. The outlook for labor the coming season is very good, Polanders being the principal help. They do fairly well. The acreage this year will bo alrout the same as 1903. New Milford G. Falk and brother are putting uii tobacco in Turney Soule's warehouse. Louis Frankel, their representative, is no stranger in these parts. He . has been more or less engaged in the Housatonic Valley tobacco packing for the past fifteen years James (,'onnors, who has been all through the business departments of the packing industry from handler to foreman, has been engaged as foreman of the packing room. Broad Brook A. H. Grant of Melrose, who is pick- ing up a considerable quantity of to- bacco, has purchased Carl Pheitter's crop. He is packing for Lichenstein of New Y^ork, whose warehouse opened early in March. Joseph Mayer, a buyer from New York, was in Broad Brook early in March and puix'hased considerable quantities of Havana leaf. Melrose A large tobacco shed owned by E. M. Granger was destroyed by fire recently. The shed contained fifty bales of to- bacco and many harvesting tools. These were consumed. The barn was valued at |1,000 and was insured for $800. The loss on tobacco is covered by insurance. It is supposed that the fire was caused by a wood stove. Warehouse Point Leonard L. Grotta has been engaged by Charles Leiderman & Company of New York to sort and pack .500 cases of seed and Havana tobacco at Mr. Grotta's warehouse About 40 men have been put to work sorting, sizing and tying. William Dennison has been engaged as foreman. The following sales have been made in this vicinity recently: J. H. Simonds, twenty acres at 15 Vg cents per pound, to Hinsdale Smith & Co. of Springfield; Anthony Sabonis, at 10'^ cents, and John Ma.son and Orson Cone to Wilcox of Philadelphia. Auerbach & Co. of Buffalo have engaged Grotta & Co. to assort and pack 500 cases of tobacco grown in this vicinity. Enfield Street Most of the farmers in this vicinity are thinking of raising seed leaf this year. Several sales were made last week to the American Tobacco company, at prices averaging about 13 cents per pound. Hartford A number of shade-growers dined at the Allyn House the evening of March 7, and discussed various features of the business. -Ariel Mitchelson of Tariffville presided at the dinner, and several speeches were made. Shaker Station Tobacco buyers are around quite numerous, and some sales made. There are still several crops unsold. IVapping Judson Rockwell has delivered bis tobacco to Haas of Hartford. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Tobacco All Down 1903 Crop TaKen From the Poles.— Numerous MarcK Sales Putney Sales made during March include the following: H. Crawford, five acres: S. Houghton, two and one-half acres; O. Brown, one-half acre; M. Benson, one-half acre; Page Brothers, one acre; H. D. Gassett, one-half acre; F. B. Hannuni, six acres; Ellison, two and one-half acres; G. Miles, one acre; F. Harding, two acres; A. Townshend, one-half acre; H. Bennett, two acres; H. E. Gassett, two acres. These lots were sold to R. E. Fairchild, agent for Isaac Meyers & Company, New York. The price paid was from four to 12^ cents. Most of them sold at nine and ten cents. H. Crawford has sold part of his 1900 and 1903 crop to Meyers & Com- pany. George Henry of Amherst has bought the crops of J. Washburn, W. Pierce, Miss White and E. Akin. There are one or two lots still unsold. H. E. C. East Whately Tobacco beds in this section will be late on account of frost and snow. At this writing fro.st is nearly three feet deep. The 1903 crop is all taken from the poles and perhaps one-half sold in bundles at prices ranging from sis to 16 cents. Many of the crops are being packed. Acreage for 1904 will be about the same as 1903, and the prospects are bright for good prices for good crops. L. F. Graves. Hatfield Tobacco is all down and in the bun- dle. All available help is being worked in the assorting .shops. It will take nearly the month of April to finish the assorting. Many tons are being received at the several warehouses to be assorted and cased. Growers are unwilling to take pre- vailing price.s, which range from eight to thirteen cents in tne bundle. All old tobacco is practically bought up, and new-sweat crops are sold and are being shipped as soon as sampled. The new goods ate coming out well sweated and in better condition than was expected. The spring bids tair to be late; good sleighing and plenty of snow to date. No one is discussing the tobacco bed subject as yet, but rather have to handle the vast amount of tobacco be- ing drawn into town to be assorted. B. M. Warner. Alorthampton McGrath Brothers have been busy assorting tobacco since January; they employ about 50 hands. East Windsor Hill No grower in this vicinity has sowed his seed-bed 5'et, nor made preparation therefor. All the tobacco is down in this vicinity, save three-fourths of an acre owned by Vibeit Brothers. The most recent sale is that of Mar- tin McGrath to Grave of New Haven. The acreage this sea.son will be about the same as last year. Fiost has penetrated from 20 inches to two feet. A very early spiing is not probable with such a depth of frost in the ground. Half a dozen lots of tobacco still re- main unsold. RoswELL Grant. Broad Brook Henry Kohn of New York was in town March 15 buying tobacco, and among the crops bought were those of C. Haushultz, F. Werner, Mr. McVey, Mrs. J. O'Neil. John Sheridan, Bernard Sheridan, John Smith, Timothy Clifford, George Bell and Edward Nevers, the prices ranging from eight to 13>^ cents. Broad Brook was literally flooded with tobacco buyers the last week of March, and the few unsold crops in the vicinity were rapidlj' disposed of at about ten cents a pound. South Windsor Albert Edward Smith, aged 29 years, died March 1 1, at the Hartford Hos))ital, where he had been receiving careful treatment since the summer of 1902. He was a farmer and tobacco grower by occupation and on August 27, 1902, while hanging tobacco in his shed, he slipped and fell twenty two feet, landing on his back across a beam. Some of the vertebrae were broken and recovery was impossible. A post- mortem examination was held on the body. Mr. Smith was born in Eng- land. He is survived by his wife, two children and his parents. Wapping J. C. Stoughton delivered his tobacco to Haas this week. Among those who have recently sold their tobacco are M. Dwyer, W. W. Grant, Oscar Stoughton and Louis Juno. Wallop Recent sales of tobacco have been by Hiram Pierce and Samuel H. Neelans to Aurbach & Co., Albert J. Terry to Starr Bros., Frank Simons and O. S. Olmsted to Joseph Gans & Son. There are a few crops yet un."old. John Middleton is assorting his home crop. East Deerfield Tobacco is all down and stripped at this place. One or two growers are having their crops assorted. Warehouse Point A civil suit for $100 of James M. Lasbury vs. E. N. Myers was tried before Justice J. R. Sperry recently. The suit was brought by Lasbury to recover a bill of 195.84 claimed to be due on a sale of tobacco a few years ago. Judgment was given for the plaintiff to recover the amount of the bill with cosLs. The defendant gave notice of intention to appeal to the higher court. As a result of a misunderstanding in the wage schedule for the tobacco sort- ers employed at the warehouse of the Simon Aurbach Company, forty-seven hands went out on strike March 15. The sorters, upon receiving their pay, found that they were receiving only one cent a pound for the tobacco they had sorted instead of one and one- quarter cents which they had expected. The demand was granted by the firm and the men returned to work after a few hours' rest. The men now get 1}>4 cents per pound, tie their own fillers and are limited to 200 pounds a day, all over 200 pounds being sorted for nothing. Before the strike the men received one cent per pound and did not tie their own fillers. East Hartford A quantity of Havana seed tobacco raised in the vicinity of Broad Brook was received at the warehouse of P. Dennerleiu & Sons March 23. Ed- ward O. Goodwin received about twenty acres of tobacco at his ware- house on the same date. He has sent about 1,000 cases to the warehouse of Hanmer & Kilbourne. Meyer & Mendelsshon, who bought the Sutter Brothel a' warehouse, have opened with a force of fifty men. Xorth Hatfield William Cottee has sold his tobacco to James Day, at ten cents. The assorting shops are closed ex- cept those of Frank Jones and Oscar Belden Sons. Suffield A large invoice of tobacco was shipped from this place recently, com- ing fiom surrounding towns and this place. The crop is being picked up by tlie buyers although a number of grow- ers are sorting their crops rather than to sell at the prevailing prices. Quite a number of growers are now preparing their seed-beds. Practically all the tobacco is now off the poles and eighty per cent, of it is sold. A number of buyers were in town recently, securing many crops. The largest buyer was the American Tobacco Company. The acreage for 1904 will be about the same as last year. Conway, Massachusetts Recent sales are: C. F. Elmer, three acres to Faulk, at ten cents in bundle. G. H. Johnson and W. R. Bachelder, to Frank Jones, of Hatfield, Mass., at six cents; also the remainder of B. S. Graves & Sons' and Boyden Bros. ' crop to James Day, at nine and ten cents. Only a few lots are left unsold, and most of them are going to be assorted. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Bowkcr's Tobacco Fertilizers have for over twenty years been producing the best and finest cro[)S of tobacco in the Connecticut Valley, because they supply the plant food that is best for tobacco, and plenty of it to carry the crop through to maturity. Mr. B. N. Alderman, East Granby, Conn., says : " I am partial to the Bowker Tobacco Ash Fertilizer because it acts very quickly and also carries the crop through." Another {jrower writes : "The Bowker gfoods also show the second year which is important in repeated use of the same ground." B^^WfiP^li FERTILIZER COMPANY, W' W Im. JL^ JCX. TKCiSTCifi a«ci fiViMV YORK. 220 State Street, Hartford, Conn. Tobacco Stations ^Vssig'nments of Btxreau of Soils Experts for the Season of 1Q04 THE assignments of tobacco parties for the work of the several sta- tions under the direction of the Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agricul- ture, during the field season of 1904, are as follows: HiNSON Party. --W. M. Hiuson, with J. B. Stewart, W. J. Wood, Otto Olson, H. Weinberg, and J. D. Butler as assistants, will have charge of the tobacco work in Texas, with head- quarters at Nacogdoches, Giddings and Crocheti. J. B. Stewart will be as- signed to the Gidding station, and W. J. Woods to the Crochett station, the rest of the party to make their head- quarters at Nacogdoches. The experi- ments are to further demonstrate whether a desirable tiller tobacco can he grown on Texas soils, containing the necessary Cuban aroma. Massey Party.— G. B. Massey, with H. Clark as his assistant, will have charge of the work in Ohio, with headquarters at, or near, Germantown. This experiment is to further demon- strate the practicability of raising Cuban leaf on the second bottom lands and uplands (Miami loam), containing the necessary Cuban qualities, and to introduce the bulk fermentation of the native tobacco. Ayer Party. — Louis Ayer, with R. S. Epley as his assistant, will have charge of the work in Alabama, estab- lishing his headquarters at Spratts, Perry County. This experiment is a continuation of last year's work in Alabama to further demonstrate the practicability of raising the Cuban leaf under the conditions in that section. Rich Party. — Harry Rich will have charge of the work in South Carolina, with headquarters at St. Matthews, Orangeburg County. This work will be a continuation of that of last season, the demonstration of the practicability of raising the Cuban leaf in South Carolina. COBEY Party. — W. W. Cobey has been as.signed to the Bureau of Plant Industrj- and will remain in the Con- necticut Valley. Mathewson Party.— E. Mathew- son, with W. W. Green as bis assis- tant, will have charge of the work in Virginia, establishing his headquarters at Appomattox. This experiment is to demonstrate tr the Virginia farmers that better financial results will be ob- tained by the judicial use of commer- cial fertilizers, improved methods of culture, more care exercised in hand- ling the crop, and other essential con- ditons to the production of profitable crops. Weinburg Party. — H. Weinburg, with three assistants, will have charge of the cigar leaf packing house at St. Louis. He will demonstrate to the public the method used by the depart- ment in bulk fermentation, assorting and packing cigar leaf fillers and wrap- pers. He will also answer any ques- tions at^ked him by the public pertain- ing to the handling of cigar leaf. McNess. — Geo. T. McN ess will have charge of the tobacco investigations of the Bureau of Soils under the direc- tion of the chief of the bureau. Prof. Milton Whitney, with headquarters at Washington, D. C. Tobacco Quotations Prices in New York are quoted as follows: Wisconsin, Havana Seed, average... 10 — 15 Fillers 3—5 Fine 123^—20 Connecticut fillers 4 — 6 Average running lots. . . . 8 — 35 Fine wrappers 50 — 70 New York State fillers 3—5 Average I'unning lots. . . . 5 — 12 Ohio Zimmer Spanish 15 — 10 Gebhart B's — 13i^ Pennsylvania fillers 3 — 6 Average lots B's 10 — 14 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Curing Tobacco A Wisconisiii Groover's View^s on This Important Subject IN a paper read before the Wisconsin Tobacco Growers' convention, re- cently, on the subject of ' 'Artificial Heat in Casing Tobacco," S. B. Heddles of Janesville, said: In treating with the subject of fermentation I only try to give you a brief outline of the process from my own actual experience, and will not attempt to treat the subject from a scientific standpoint. One of the greatest problems con- fronting the leaf tobacco dealers in Wisconsin today is how to care for their pacKings in the curing process, and how to avoid the danger which occurs to more or less extent every year in going through the natural curing process, or which is generally termed the sweat. In my judgment the climatic condition has as much to do with the curing of tobacco as it has the growing of it, and when both are favorable we have sound tobacco. The question I have been asked to treat \^ith is artificial heat in curing to- bacco. This, I believe, is the only safe way, and the only way known to me, to avoid damage from must, or even black rot. But great care must be exercised in the treatment of new tobacco. In order to cure with artificial heat it is necessary to equip our warehouses for the work, which means to put in a steam boiler, pipe the building, and make such arrangements so that we can maintain a reasonable degree of heat and moisture in our curing rooms at any or all times. In the treatment of cigar liat wrappers or binders, taking them as they are regularly packed in the sort- ing room, they should be placed in curing rooms with the temperatuie about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. At this degree of heat fermentation will start slowly and thereby avoid the danger of giving the tobacco a fire-sweat smell. The only moisture required at this period will come from the new tobacco in passing through what is commonly termed the water sweat. My experience has been, where I have kept a hydrometer in my curing room to ascertain the humidity or moisture, that it would register at about 50 degrees or normal. After goods have been in the sweat from three to four weeks, a greater degree of heat can be used without risk of damaging goods, and as the goods advance in the sweat it will be neces- sary to maintain a higher degree of temperature. I aim to run my curing room at 70 to 75 degrees. And as soon as the summer season comes we only use artificial heat in the event of cold 01 damp rainy weather. One of the greatest advantages of artificial heat is to be able to maintain the proper degree of heat required for fermenta- tion besides keeping our buildings sweet and free from damp, or foul air, as the latter condition is sure to generate must or mold. Good results have been obtained by me in my experiments of curing new tobaccos by putting the goods in the curing room about four to five weeks, or until they are partly cured, and have shrunk about seven per cent., then removing them to other storage above freezing point and allow them to finish in the natural sweat during the summer months. It is conceded by nearly all that proper fermentation improves the aroma and quality of all tobacco. But the fad for light wrappers and binders has compelled the trade to throw upon the market a raw and uncured product which they can only obtain by light packing and not allowing the goods to ferment properly. Tobacco cured by artificial heat, when properly treated, has a tougher fibre, finer aroma and a surer burner than the natural sweat goods. Florida Sumatra Tobacco Co. The Florida Sumatra Tobacco Com- pany has been incorporated under the laws of the state of New York by John Murray and E. L.Winant, of Brooklyn, and Louis Leopold, of New York, with a nominal capital ot |5,000. The officers will be Louis Leopold, president ai^l treasurer, and E. L. Winant, secre- tary. The company will engage in marketing exclusively Sumatra tobacco, with headquarters at 11 Burling Slip, New Y'ork. Can't Send by Mail The following countries prohibit the transit of tobacco through the mails: Great Britain— No packages of manu- factured tobacco of any kind, including cigars, cigarettes and snuff; also pack- ages of unmanufactured tobacco which exceed four ounces, gross weight. France— No tobacco of any kind, manufactured or unmanufactured. Italy— No samples of tobacco. New South Wales— No samples of tobacco Ohio Experimental Farm George B. Mas.'^ey, a Government tobacco expert, will conduct an experi- mental farm at Germantown, O., near Dayton, this season, and will grow Havana leaf. Manufacturer Dead Bondy, senior member of cigar Cigar Charles Bondy, senior Bondy & Lederer, New Y'ork manufacturers, died recently of pneu- monia, after an illness of only two days. The business of the firm will be continued under the management of Emile C. Bondy and Richard C.Bondy, sons of the deceased. Prison Cigar Factory The cigar factory which was run in connection with the Michigan Peni- tentiary until destroyed by fire some weeks ago. is to be rebuilt. Since the fire a determined effort lias been made by the members of the Cigar Makers' International Union and other labor organizations to induce the state of Michigan to permanently discontinue the production of prison-made cigars. Their efforts have proved unsuccessful, however, and Governor Bliss and the board of state auditors have agreed to an appropriation of $11, 000 for rebuild- ing the cigar factory at the Marquette prison. A Golden Rule of Agriculture: Be good to your land and j-our crop ivill be good. Plenty of Potash in the fertilizer spells quality j and quantity in the har- , ir.[ vest. Write us and A,|t, we will send you, ^" ■* /ree, by next mail, our money winning i^ooks «ERMAN KALI WORKS, 93 Nassau Street, Wew Vork. "Millions for Farmers " So says Secretary Wilson, U. S. Dep't of Agriculture. _m> n 1^ Exhaustive Tests Prove that the Finest Grade of gJS^CO CUBAN LEAF HAGTS Write for Full lulu matioii to Filler and Wrapper Can be Grown in East Texas on tlie Line of the SOUTHERN PACIFIC Soils and Climate similar to famous Vuelta Abajo District of Pinar Del Kio, Cuba. T. J. ANDERSON, Gen. Pass. Agt., Houston, Texas THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Every Tobacco Gro-wer and Every Farmer Needs One Fairbanks Gasolene Engines UTILITY DURABILITY ECONOMY Are three of their manv excellent features. "A friend in need is a friend indeed." You can always rely on the "Fairbanks." A ready and willing worker. Let us tell you more about them Vertical I 1-2 to lO H. P. our catalogue No. Horizontal 3 H. P. up. 360. Neither can you afford to ship your product without weighing it on a FAIRBANKS 5CALE You will need a truck. We have trucks in stock of every description. Call and see them at our sales and wareroom, where you will find a full line of MILL AND FACTORY The Fairbanks Company, E S. 314 (Si, 3IO Pearl Street, Hartford, Conn- New York, N. Y. Alban_v, N.Y. Baltimore, Md. Buffalo, N. Y. Pittsburg-, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. New Orleaus, La. Montreal, Que. Vancouver, B.C Boston, Mass. London, E. C. Toronto, Out. Smuggling Encouraged Peculiar State of Affairs in Tu.rRey, 'Where Tobacco is Smuggled TURKEY is perhaps the only coun- try where smugglers are protected by the government. A recent ttecision Ijlaces them in an exceedingly good position. In 1884 the government gave the Tobacco Regie Company the monopoly of the tobacco business, for which the Regie pays 750,000 Turkish pounds (18,375,000) a year and a share in the profits. Every since its establishment the Regie has been trying to stop smuggling and spends about 250,000 Turkish pounds (11,125,000) a year on its preventive .service. The government never gives any assistance, prohibits the excise men from using arms and when they kill a smuggler prosecutes them for muider and imprisons them. The reason for all this is that the people are so poor and discontented tnat the (government encourages them to smuggle, hoping by this means to keep them quiet. The last order is, however, disgraceful. It orders that when the Regie men discover smugglers they are in no ca.se to attack or pur.sue them, but must advise the gendarmes and if necessary the troops, who will do what is required. Of course, this means that the smugglers will have ample time to escape. Although the government has a direct share in the profits of the com- pany nothing can induce it to help the Regie, although by doing so it might easily increase its revenues by |5,000,- 000 a year. French Regie The French Government seems to be contemplating having buying agents in this country, after the fashion of the Italian Regie. Consul Herrmann received word Jecently that two commissioners of the French Government would soon be in this country for the purpose of pur- chasing tobacco for tliat government. These commissioners will have power to contract for and buy any amount of tobacco they think will be useful to their government, and if the venture proves successful it is likely a per- manent agent will be located in this country. Heretofore an annual contract has been let, open to all bidders upon sample, and the tobacco was bought in the open market* through brokers in the various markets. The appoint- ment of the commissioners may mean the abandonment of that plan. Settlement Expected It is reported that Sutter Bros, have practically effected a settlement with their creditor.s. A few small accounts which are still out are expected to be adjusted in a few days. HAND STEAM OR POWER PUMPS For Fac- tories or Pi'ivate Use. FAIRBANKS-MORSE Gasoline Engines fr.iiii 1^. to 7;> llorsc I'l.wer for all services. Special Pumping Enginesm PULLEYS, SHAFTING AND BELTING for power Equipinent of Fuetnries aiui Mills. WINDMILLS, TANKS AND TOWERS, Pipe, Fittings and Hose. In writing for (.'at:ilogue jtlease specify which one yon want. We niclke a speoialty of "^A^ater Supply Out- fits for Country Estates. CHARLES J. JAGER COMPANY, 174 HIGH ST., BOSTON, MASS. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER \7Bhe NEW England] IToBACCo Grower] Published monthly by Tobacco Grower Publishing Co. S3 Trumbull street, Hartford Fire Insurance Building Hartford, Connecticut. Subscription, One Dollar a Year. Ten Cents a Copy. Official Journal of The New England Tobacco Growers' Association. PAUL ACKER-LY, ^ditor Entered at llie Hartford Post-Office as Second Class mail matter. the best accounts, and as Cuba has not produced a really good crop for about ten yeais, the Island manufacturers are planning to lay in large stocks of leaf this year against future famine. The Connecticut shade-grown Cuban will not, therefore, have much to fear from an excess of wrappei from Cuba. And as a big crop on the Island means lots of tillers, there should be available the material for many more cigars of high grade, requiring New England- grown wrappers. The growing and packing of any crop of so great value as thin, high yielding wrapper, is something that requires an individuality and charac- ter in the handling and packing of the goods. To determine wherein is com- monness, and wherein is character; wherein is economy and wherein is wasteful saving of proper expense,— these are problems that require close consideration and study. THE OPENING SEASON WITH an acreage about stationary. New England's tobacco-grow- ing towns set at work the operations necessary for producing the crop of 1904. With a good crop this year the market will still be ready to absorb every pound, for the consumption of cigar tobacco is ever on the increase, and the price cutting in the retail cigar trade the past two years is afford- ing a harvest of many new converts from the pipe and cigarette, attracted by the low prices of many cigars. That cut-price cigars must neces- sarily be cheaply made, and the leaf contained therein be cheaply bought, goes without saying. Yet if the cheaper grades of leaf are worked up rapidly in this fashion, there is still greater demand for the better quality of goods. As to foreign competition: The im- ported Sumatra has a place which it continues to fill, and the shade-grown Sumatra is working up a new place of its own,— a place the more satisfactory since it will be a permanent demand for this particular leaf on its own merits, and not a mere substitute for a foreign leaf which is subject to foreign influences and fluctuations. Going on cigars of similar make, it will still be regarded as a distinct tobacco, and should there be a fall in the price of the imported, the shade-grown Suma- tra will be unaftected or at the most, very little, in sympathy. The Island Cuban crop now in the sheds and warehouses is a large one; one of the largest overproduced; but it is not without its defects and dam- age in many instances, according to THE ONE CROP T ITTLE else in agriculture pos- '-^ sesse.s just the charm that is at- tached to the cultivation of tobacco. Independent and saucy by nature, the growing crop is a thing to admire, to admonish sometimes, to correct and to coax, and always to care for most zeal- ously. What other crop demands just the attention to details as wrapper tobacco'f Other plants are grown for the fruit, this for the foliage; other crops for sustenance, this for mute sympathy; other crops for the fashioning of things feminine, this for the masculine fancy. Fruits to be eaten, fodder to be fed, grains to be ground and transformed, roots to be dug and boiled; but for to- bacco the fate of burning at the stake. Other crops produce that whicb is made into fabrics, oils that are used in the arts, extracts that are a part of chem- istry; but tobacco: it is frankincense to a world grown more industrious than pious. It is turned to ashes and smoke, and is gone. Only the memory remains, and that the memory of a thing intangible, uneuumerated, un- pictnied, — yet sympathetic and not without personality. ECONOMY OR OTHERWISE A DIFFERENCE of opinion ex- ists among the growers of to- bacco under cloth as to the degree of economy which can be practised in the warehouse To handle a crop which enters the market as a substitute for the imported Cuban and Sumatra wrappers, is an operation which calls for tine judgment and a proper realiza- tion of the point where economy's limit is marked. The tobacco grower must to a great extent take the market as he finds it, and if it happens that the market de- mands the foreign style of packing, it is not easy to satisfy it with a make- shift approach to the foreign styles, or a mere modification of the methods of warehousing outside tobacco. Mid-March Market New York. There was some little stir in Wiscon- sin tobaccos the miidle of the month. Several hundred cases were sold, in- cluding 1902 Broad leaf biudei-s and 1901 and 1903 Havana Seed B's. A few more cases of the new i:orce sweated Connecticut were received in the market and promptly disposed of. Sumatra.— Business was slow dur- ing the past week. All eyes are fas- tened on Amsterdam, and tips on the new crop have been coming in daily, since Monday, the first inspection day. As usual, the advance reports are very unfavorable; in fact, this year they exceptionally uncomplimentarv. ihe fact that (contrary to other years) ex- treme secrecy has been maintained in Amsterdam as to what was expected of the new crop, has given rise to the logical conclusion that the tobacco was not up to the usual standard. Ihat the crop runs largely to short tobacco is generally admitted. The classifications on arrival in Am- sterdam showed that theie is a very large proportion of seconds and thirds as against a very small proportion of firsts If our buyers in Amsterdam act in' line with the reports they have cabled here this week, there will be less tobacco bought for America on Friday than is usual at the first sale. Havana.— Old Santa Claras con- tinue to hold the centre of the stage and several hundred bales were sold during the week. The Havana market generally showed some revival. Sutter Bros.' Settlement Offer The first meeting of the creditors of Sutter Brothers was held in Chicago March 15. Tne information given out was to the effect that tbe total net lia- bilities of the house are about H.-^""." 000, and the net available assets jn the hands of the receivers about $410,000, out of which latter sum must come the fees for conducting the estatt3 dur- ing the receivershii). A proposition ot settlement was .shown, offeiing ten per cent, in cash and unsecured notes foi five per cent, in tliree months, and h\e per cent, in six months, and fave per cent, in nine months, or a total divi- aeml of twenty-five pel cent, in tu • It was stated by those in authority that over ninety per cent, of the amount and number of claims against Suttei Bros, had signified acceptance or th,^ offer, and it was hoped that all wo Id be induced to come in. No tuithei business was transacted, antl the nieet- ing was adjoui'ned until ApiU ■). THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Recent Tobacco Culture Experiments Made by Dr. Trobtit in Algeria Coni littiid Jioin p"g>' I different causes; to selection of late varieties; although this is almost a heresy in the cultivation of tobacco. I do not hesitate to affirm that in the same soil and under the same conditions of cultivation cer- tain races show themselves more com- bustible than others. That is to say that those races preserve this advan- tage even when they are placed in poor soil, such as slightly alkaline soils. Suitable drainage, permitting the rain ■water to most easily wash away the chlorides of the ariable layers of the soil, favors combustibility, under the opposite conditions the upper currents of water stands and evaporates, thus leaving in the surface soils harmful salts. A large amount of humus in the soil is an important condition for good combustibility. A preliminary experiment, has shown in part that the carbonate of potash is superior to the sulphate or nitrate. In this experi- ment comparing the carbonate with the sulphate and nitrate of potash, and sulphate of ammonia, only the parts receiving pure carbonate of potash gave leaves that -were nicely combustible. Irrigation increases the number of leaves, brt if carried to excess injures the quality of the tobacco. A good illustration of this fact is the case of the tobacco grown on the plains of the Mitidja, the greatest cen- ter of tobacco cultivation in Algeria, where they have two kinds of tobacco, that of the eastern and that of the western Mitidja. In the latter region where irrigation is not practiced the better qualities of tobacco are found, while the tobaccos of the western region, where irrigation is employed, are of less value. Particular emphasis is laid upon the fact, that although the soil and culti- vation play an important part in de- termining the quality of the tobacco, the manner of harvest, curing and fermentation are very important. As is a well known fact, the methods of gathering and handling the crop affect, most decidedly, the color of the leaves, there is little doubt but that there is almost an e(iually important influence upon the quality, particularly the com- bustibility and the aroma of the leaves. The effect of green manure was very marked, the quantity and quality of tobacco being greatly augmented by their use. The two plants used tor green manure in these experiments were the horse bean and fennel grass. The fennel grass was sown very early and obtained considerable size before it was plowed under. When the to- bacco stalks are cut down after har- vest, they are immediately plowed under and buried to a good depth. As soon as possible the fennel grass and hoise beau is sown. These plants develop rapidly and after three minutes of growth produced about 45 tons of green manure per hectore. SELECTION OF YOUNG PLANTS IN THE SEED-BED. One of the important resuUs of the work of Dr. Trobut has been his study of the effect of selecticm of young plants in the seed bed upon their yield and quality of the mature plants. He found that by an examination of the young plants in the seed bed it was possib'e to tell from the variation among the young plants, the individ- uals which were most desirable for use, and should be reserved tor planting. He selected those young plants in which the side veins are at regular right angles to the midribs of the leaves. The plants having irregular veins, or other undesirable characteris- tics of leaves were discarded as he found that such plants did not develop good plants in the field. He concludes that it IS perfectly practicable for the grower to study the young plants in the seed-bed, and from this examina- tion weed out the unprofitable types of plants. This point can well be taken into consideration by every grower, and by following these injunctions secure the best plants for growing in the field. The greatest value of these experi- ments is the emphasis laid upon the value of good seed. There is no more important factor in the production of the crop, and up to this time little attention has been paid to its real importance. A good crop cannot be produced from poor seed, no matter how much labor and expense is given to the growing of the crop. On the other hand careful seed selection, and the securing of improved types and races of tobacco by hybridization, mean increased profits with little or no extra expenditure on the part of the grower. In view of the large acreage which a small amount of seed will plant, it seems that there is no crop in which practical results can be obtained so sure and with such widespread bene- ficial results, as in the case of to- bacco. Heretofore growers have al- lowed the matter to work out for itself, making no direct effort to produce desired types, races or uniformity of quality and quantity of tobacco, but the time has come as in the case of other crops, when it is possible to de- cide upon the type desired, and by fol- lowing the laws of selection and cross- ing, produce the desired kind of to- bacco. Enfield Street Mrs. Eager has sold her tobacco to Ludaman. Hillstown Tobacco assorting is about finished. Nearly all have delivered their crops A few will pack their tobacco. All indications point to about the same acreage as last year. No preparations have been made at this writing towards planting seed- beds, owing to the late season. Melrose The eighty-acre tobacco and stock farm belonging to the estate of the late George A. Allen of Springfield, was sold at public auction March 2o to Mr. Allen's oldest son for ^4,000. To Secure Better Prices Farmers of Fulton county. Ken- tucky, are organizing clubs the mem- bers of which pledge themselves to hold on to their tobacco until more than the prices now offered, %'A to $5 per hundred, can be secured. Last year's average price was about $7. 50. London Leaf Trade A London report says that there was rather more demand for North Ameri- can tobaccos during the past month, which resulted in a few small sales be- ing effected. The January imports were 1,'208 hhds. ; deliveries, 1,220 hhds., present stock being 80,311 hhds., against 37,- yOl in 1903; 36.276 in 1902; 39,045 in 1901; 24,931 in 1900, and 26,773 in 1899. Japan, China, Greek, Latakia, Tur- key, Java. — Substitutes weie not much dealt in. Negrohead and Cavendish.— But little fluctuation. New England Tobacco Growers' Association. President EDMVND HJtLLMDJiY, Suffield, Conn. Vice-President THJiDDEUS GRMVES, Hatfield, Mass. Secretary and Treasurer PMVL MCKERLT, RockuUle, Conn. Office S3 Trumbull Street, Hartford, Conn. Directors. Wm. F. Andross, South Windsor, Oonn. Joseph H. Pierce, Enfield, Conn. M. W. Frisbie, Southington, Conn. William S. Pinney, SufBeld, Conn. H. W. Alford, Poquouock, Conn. Colouel E. N. Phelps, Windsor, Conn. B. M. Warner, Hatfield, Mass. F. K. Porter, Hatfield, Mass. Albert Hurd, North Hadley, Mass. J. C. Carl, Hatfield, Mass. C. M. Hubbard, Sunderland, Mass. W. H. Porter, Agawam, Mass. Lyman A. Crafts, East Whately, Mass. James S Forbes, Burnside, Conn. George O. Eno, Simsbury, Conn. W. E. Burbank, Suffleld, Conn. E. O. Hills, Southwick, Mass. James Morgan, Hartford, Conn. H. Austin, Suflield, Conn. Charles H. Ashley, Deerfield, Mass H. S. Frye, Poquonock, Conn. 10 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER vSumatra Smuggling Reported 1 Operations of an Organized Gang in New YorR City OFFICIALS of the United States Treasurj' Department wUose duty- it is to break up smuggling at the port of New York are congratulating them- selves on the encouraging start they have made in extirpating one of the boldest and most persistent bands ever organized to help deplete the revenues and line their own pockets. The specialty of the band has been, and still is in a more limited way, the bringing in of Sumatra leaf wrappers, chiefly fiom Rotterdam and Antwerp. Fifty smugglers have been caught within the last six months, and there have been nearly H)() seizures. Nearly all the men convicted, chiefly because they were caught with the goods on, have received sentences of three mouths in Ludlow Street Jail. They have taken their punishment with an equanimity bordering on cheer- fulness and even hilarity, for tney receive while behind bars, from their shipmates in the land and certain east siae tobacco dealers, the same wages they get aboard ship while at sea. Members of the band, usually fire- men or seamen, buy the tobacco in packages containing one kilogram, or about two and a fifth pounds, for which they pay at Antwerp or Rotterdam, about |1. The duty on a pound of Sumatra wrapper is $1.85. The smuggler sells it to the small east side dealer for $2 a pound. Ten kilos may be concealed about the clothing without attracting atten- tion, if it is stowed properly. Thus a successful smuggler may make, if he sells directly to the dealer, more than $30 in one trip ashore. He and his confederates hide the tobacco usually in the coal bunkers or in secret places of their berths. They make trips to the dealeis or intermedi- aries until their stoie of plunder is exhausted. The intermediary is generally a saloonkeeper. The cautious dealer who buys the smuggled goods insists on having no direct delivery from the smuggler. In this case the saloon man gets a share of the money. The tobacco is taken to the saloon, and the smuggler hands the saloon- keeper one part of a piece of ordinary paper, torn irregularly. He sends or takes the other part to the dealer, who later presents it to the saloonkeeper. After seeing that the two parts fit, the saloonkeeper turns over the goods to the dealer. The band has its headquarters at Antwerp. It is to the interest of the lines on whose steamships the tobacco is smuggled to have the smuggling stopped, because of the inconvenience the lines incur in the search for smuggled goods, and the depletion of crews due to arrests. The larger part of the smuggling is done b}' stokers. The tobacco, in large bags and boxes, is hidden in the bottoms of coal bunkers. Agents of Uncle Sam at Rotterdam and Antwerp have had but little troirble in getting information about this wholesale method of the band. They notify the Treasury Department that the stuff is coming on a certain ship, and Special Agent Curtis and his men then have the dithcult job of catching the smugglers as well as seiz- ing the tobacco. Suspecting surveillance, the smug- glers sometimes do not attempt to laird the goods, which are then dug out of the coal, and taken to the i)ublic stores and turned over to Col. J. Henry Story. The smugglers are ready to take risks, because the}' know they will be looked after when arrested. A boatman willing to take a night job for a large fee from almost any man may be readily found in the waters hereabout. All that the boat- man insists oir is that he doesir't know who the man is who employs him and hasn't the remotest idea what the man may be doing alongside a liner in the night. Once, at least, the particular boat- man selected by the smugglers had a ccmscience, or perhaps a friend among the customs inspectors. He was to be in his boat one night alongside a barge from which a liner had been receiving her coal. The smugglers, who had transferred about 1,000 pounds of tobacco through the ship's coal ports to the barge, were on hand. A boat glided stealthily into the .shadow of the barge. Signals were exchanged, and then, after bag upon bag had been lowered into the boat, it stole away. A few minutes later the smugglers found themselves in charge of agent Curtis' men. The boat was manned by a nautical cop from the police boat Patrol. The captain of a liner docking at Hoboken put into Newport News to replenish his bunkers after a stormy trip from Antwerp, during which he was forced out of his course. His fireman used much coal on the trip up from the Virignia Capes. The chief engineer suspected that he had received short weight at Newport News, and went down into the bunkers to make measurements. He came across a 70-pound bag of tobacco, and at fir.st swore roundly, thinking that it was a cheap substitute for coal. He .soon found out that it wasn't, and told the captain, who informed the customs officer.s. The local agent of the line put twenty-two men at work turning over the coal in the bunkers, and they mined 700 pounds of Sumatra leaf. This is not the only accidental discovery of smuggled stutf secreted in coal. The confiscated tobacco at the periodical sales in the seizure room at 641 Washington street, seldom brings more than the duty of ^l.Srj a pound. Usually only the large dealers bid cm it, aird they form a comoination to keep the price down. Formerly the Sumatra leaf, and in fact all other tobacco, like other seized goods, was kept a long time before being sold. It deteriorated so much that it then brought little more than half the duty. Now it is sold as soon as possible after seizure, and always is in good or fair condition. The combination that buys the to- bacco cannot be, or at least never has been, outwitted. It sets the price, and nobody bids above it. Once in a while a dealer not in the combination will begin bidding. Immediately one of the combination will go to him and ask him how much tobacco he wants. He will name the quantity, and his questioner will say: "Well, you can have it at the price you want to pay. We are going to buy the lot." The ambitious bidder gets what he is after and goes away satisfied. It will be seen that the tobacco bought in strict accordance with law by the combination at the seizure sales some- times brings less than that sold by the smugglers. S.iFE STE.iM EnC.IN'E ANNO UN CEMENT WE liavi- just pl.iced on s.ile in iliE- new store of E. U. Den.s- low, 218 Stale Street, Hartford, Conn., a full line of up-to-date farm machinery. We make a spe- cialty of Steam, Gas and Gaso- lene Entrines, and every courtesy will be extended by Mr. Denslow to those who are looking for any- thinjf in lliis li"'"' THE B. L. BRAGG CO. Springfield, Massachusetts I. GoldsmitK ®. Co., TOBACCO BROKERS 208 SheMon Street, Hartford, Conn. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER II E^ssex vSpecial Tobacco Manure and Tobacco Starter LTHOUGH the prices of chemicals have ad- vanced very much during the past season, we guarantee to keep the analysei of all the high- grade Essex Specials fully up to the high stand- ard of preceding years. CThe Growers that use our to- bacco goods are among the most successful raisers in the Valley, getting good weight and a large percentage of light goods in all seasons. CRuy our Tobacco Starter for your seed-beds, your plants will be from ten days to two weeks earlier than those grown on any other formula. CSend for our 1904 Catalogue. RUvSSIA CEMENT CO., MANUFACTURERS £/ j£f jSf £f £f JZf GLOUCESTER, ^MASS. E. B. KIBBE, General Agent, Box 752, Hartford, Conn. Canadian Travels Cuban Tobacco Often Goes From the United States and TKen Returns THE only question of consequence which has arisen in Philadelphia, according to the Tobacco World, in connection with the reduction of duty on Havana tobacco has been settled in a manner very satisfactory to the deal- ers who owned the tobacco concerning which it was raised. The tobacco involved had been sent to Canada in bond while the tariff was 3.5 cents a pound and had been brought back after the reduction to 28 cent.s. The practice of sending tobacco out of the country and bringing it back is very freauently followed by dealers in New York, where the accumulations of tobacco in government warehouses are the largest in the country, and is liracticed occasionally by Philadelphia leaf dealers. There are two reasons for such trans- portation. Title to tobacco in bond cannot be transferred without payment of duty, except where the tobacco is entered as a new importation. So, if an importer wants to transfer title to a jobber without payment of duty he has to ship the tobacco out of the country, in which case it can be brought back in the name of the jobber; and then the ownership will have passed without payment of duty. Another object in sending tobacco acro.ss the boundary line of the United States and returning it to this country is to secure an additional three years bonded wareliouse privilege. When tobacco has been in bond three j-ears, it has to be withdrawn, but the with- drawal can be followed by a re-entry of the same tobacco, if it is actually brought into this country again, and, in that case, duty need not be paid until six years after the original entry. A Philadelphia firm, which had con- siderable Havana tobacco in Canada when the new rate of duty took effect, feared that on its return it would be entered under the 35 cent rate, but was agreeably surprised by the ruling that the 28-cent rate would be opera- tive, the same as if the goods had just come from Cuba. Largest in the World The American Cigar Company has opened its assorting plant at Sparta, Wisconsin, which is the largest sorting tobacco plant in the world. With a force of 1,000 hands it can handle .50,000 pounds per day. The plant has a floor space of 100,000 square feet. Jtmherst Buyers have visited this section of late and bought most of the 1903 crop. The prices paid have been exceptionally low. PAY BY CHECK Women who have charge of household accounts find paying bills by check both convenient and systematic. This Bank has many women depositors. We will be pleased to offer advice and assistance to any woman desiring to open an account. Joseph MftiNa 7"-=J!Jr.^^ William J Dixon, , President -- ■ ^""'- Cashier, , APPOSITE ononSAi.. C-rocc-r MAfTFORO, .CITY HALL 803 MAIN oTREET, .cow.. 12 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER The Cuban Crop Large and Promisiiig, b»»t Harvested and Cured Under Difficulties Pinar del Rio. CUBA this season presents the spectacle of a splendid tobacco crop, raised and harvested under con- ditions which are bound to result in disappointment to the majority of the growers. The crop now in the course of harvesting is of large growth and fine leaves, and it promises to cure well and bring good prices. But the very size of the crop itself has led to necessary expenditures on the part of the farmer that he may not, under the Cuban system, be able to get back. The crop is very heavy, the heaviest in many years, with great acreage and large yield— veteran farmers say it is the largest yield they have ever seen in the past fifty years. Certain it is that the crop has found the tobacco- growing sections with scarcely more than half the shed-room sufficient to hang the crop of 1903-4. For Havana's outskirts down to the most remote section of Pinar del Rio, down in the Guanahacabibes country west of the Sabao, may be seen farmers hanging tobacco on the verandas, filling tlieir houses and camping out-doors, build- ing now sheds from the scanty materials obtainable, trying to cure the leaf under palm leaves laid across low hurdles in the field, — all trying to piece out the accommodations demanded by the notable growth of leaf. Scarcity of shed-room is also accom- panied by a scarcity of the sticks (cujes) upon which the tobacco is hung. These sticks, which are cut about twelve or thirteen feet long, are hard to obtain in most of the tobacco- growing sections at any time; but it is especially difficult and expensive to get them this year, when the demand is so general for these sticks, which take the place of the laths used in the States. To help out the situation, the West- ern Railway has made a rate of |12 a carload for hauling sticks to the to- bacco sections, but so bad are the roads and so slow the transportation by ox- cart that the grower whose farm is situated six or eight miles from the station has often to pay as much as |.50 a carload for the carrying of the sticks from the railroad to the shed. The high price of labor during the harvesting season has also been a factor in increasing the cost of the crop to the grower. At times, in some places, as much as |3 a day, American money, has been demanded and obtained by farmhands who saw the necessity of their employers and took advantage of it. This labor shortage has likewise increased the cost of the buildings which have been put up. Now, the greater part of the tobacco raised in Ouba is produced under the tenant system, mostly on shares, and it is the common belief in all countries where this system of farming is practised, that under abnormal con- ditions of expense the tenant has the worst of the bargain. The purchase by the tenant of a large quantity of cujes to house the crop might seem to be a safe proposition, but when it happens at the close of a season that the advances made to the tenant add up greater than his share, he is left in debt to the landlord, and should he transport his family to another region, with his household goods, he would have to leave the cujes as security for the debt, or rather in payment, partial or otherwise, of the debt Should he remain another year, or series of years, on the same property, the chances are that he will not again have so heavy a crop, or at least until after .several years, and it is difBcult for the average (Xiban grower to husband his resources in such times, so that a surplus outfit of cujes is often sold or chopped up for firewood, leaving the grower unprepared to make the best of any heavy crop that may come along. The larger growers, however, and those operating on their own land, expect to get very good prices for the present crop of tobacco, as the cigar factories in Havana and the users of Cuban tobacco throughout the world are not at all overstocked with good leaf, and should be willing to take hold of the new crop without much haggling over the crop. — Springfield Republican. WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. Advertisements under this liead cost one cent a word eacii time; no auTertisement taken for less tlian twenty cents; cash or stamps must accompany orders, which should be re- ceived by the 25th of the month. WANTED -Ten different tobacco growers to use my hard wood ashes and write the re- sults in this iournal. Ashes at wholesale prices to the first ten. George Stevens, Peter- boro, Ont., Canada. WANTED— About 12 second-hand window sash; also window frames; will also buy second- hand matched stuff and floorinjf boards. Wil- liams, care The New England Tobacco Grower Hartford. JENKINS & BARKER, Successors to Col. Charles L. Bnrdett. Patent and Trade Mark Causes. Solicitors of United States and Foreign Pat ents. Designs ami Trade Marks. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, SO state Street, - Hartlord, Connecticut. PATENTS OBTAINED For information write to Ralph Sturtevant Warfield, SOO H St., N. IV., Washington, D. C. Shade-Grown Sumatra and Shade-Grown Cuban Wrappers FOR. JALE IN QUANTlTIEj Ai DE:ilR.tD Write for Samples and Prices FOSTER Drawer 42. Hartford, Conn. THE USE OF AN Underwood Typewriter will increase your business. Rent one for a month and watch the result. Underwood Typewriter Company, 755-757 Main Street. HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. STUDIO 1300 MAIN ST., HAR-TFORD Leading Artist in PHotograpKy and General Portraiture. Onr photographs are not "shade" prrown but are made with the clearness and e.xact likeness that win for us permanent customers. We are after your photographic trade. Studio, ro36 Main St., Opposite Morgan St. HEJtDQUJiRTERS FOR mnu mnmi F. F. SMALL & CO., OS Peart St., HJiRTFORD, COJVM. 14 Fort St., SPRIMGFIELD, MJtSS. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER J3 HOMES IN THE SOUTH The Most Detif;htfiit Section for People Seeking Neiv Homes, Fine Climate, Pleasant Surroundings and Profitable Lands There are uiiiiiy iit'Dple wlio are not entirely satisfieil o witli their present homes, who wonUl do well to remove to another section of the country. In selecting a new home many things are to be considered. There is the health of the family, the comforts with which they may be .sur- rounded, the social life and the matter of success in one's occupation. Many people in the North and West are deciding that the section which today otters more opportunities and advan- tages, and which is at least the equal of all others in evtrything which goes to make life pleasant and successful, is the South, especially that portion east of the Mississippi river. Those who will carefully investigate the claims of that section will soon conclude that a solid basis exists for all of them. The South is a big .section. Many different climates and many different conditions exist there. As a whole, it may be said that its climate is an equable one. Most of it is free from extremes of heat or cold. The many desiring a mild climate may find it, and at the same time locate where he will not suffer from undue heat. It is a fertile section. There are many different soils there, suited for the most diversified agriculture. Nearly all the grains, cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar cane, all root crops, all the vegetables grow abundantly, and return the farmer the greatest profits known in America. For profitable fruit growing, whether apples, peaches, pears, plums or strawberries, no other section is so good. For stock raising it has mani- fest advantages. All the grasses and forage crops grow there, there are the cheapest foods, the longest grazing periods, the best supply of jnire water, unexcelled markets. Poultrj' raising is a great business for Southern farms and village homes. Lands in the South are low priced. Their equal cannot be had for anything like the same price anywhere else in the United States. They are the most profitable lands; for dollar for dollar of investment they paj' from two to ten times the profit farming lands do in other sections. There are millions of acres of good cheap lands now open for settlers along the lines of the Southern Railway in Virginia, the Oarolinas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky, which can be obtained at small cost and on easy terms. These lands lie in the famous Piedmont sections, where a mild, agreeable all the year round climate, fine soils, beautiful locations, pure water and all that abound in the coast sections of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, where are the great truck growing regions, fruit sections and a tine stock ccuntry in the famous black soil belt of the South, in the rich Yazoo Delta country, in the famously fertile and beautiful Tennessee River Valley, and in other regions. The Southern States are prospering Baker's Traceless Harness riiis harness is particularly valuable to tobacco grow- ers, both in the cultivation of open and cloth covered helds. Owini? to the absence of whiiHetreefi and traces, closer work can be done with teams everywhere. It is the farmer's"Handy Harness," saves labor, and makes farm work easier. Invaluable to every fruit (rrower, orchard- isi and lumberman. Endorsed by users everywhere. Writu to-day for free catalog-ue. B. F. BAKER CO., 23^4^ Main St., Burnt HMIS, N. Y. iflMF PulveriLing Harrow it w IWl ■■ m^;^ Clod Crusher and leveler. SIZES 3 to Uyi feet Agents Wanted Clod Crusher and Leveleri The best pulverizer — cheapest Riding H&rro>v on earth. We also make walkmg ACMES. The Acme crushes, cuts, pulverizes, turns and levels all soils for all purposes. Made entirely of cast steel and wrought iron — indestructible. Sent on Trial To be returned at my ex* pense if not satisfactory, ._ Catalogue and Booklet. "An Ideal Harrow" by Henry Stewart, '''; " .-'"'^^^ - -^.^~^ mailed free. 1 deliver f.o.b. at New York, Chicago, Colombas, Louisville, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Sao Francisco, Portland.etc; DUANE H. NASH, Sole Manufacturer, Hlillington, New Jersey* Branch Houses: I 1 0 Washlnelon St., Chicago. 240 7th Ave. So., Minneapolis. 1316 W. 8lh St., Kansaa City, f 1^K.*^SK MKKTION j'HIS PAPER. and growing as no other section is. Their towns and cities are advancing rapidly. There were invested in factories last year along the Southern Railway and Mobile and Ohio Rail- road over $:?8,000,000 and in factories, farms, timber lands, mines building and other improvements, $108,000,000. The South needs immigration and welcomes it. She offers her cheap but good lands, her diversified advantages, her mild healthy climate and abundant supply of pure water, her fine markets, good and steadily improving schools, her rapid extension of improved high- ways, her magnificent railroad trans- portation as some of the reasons why settlers should locate homes wihin her boundaries. The Southern Railway and Mobile and Ohio Railroad pene- trate the best districts of the South, with their 9,000 mile.? of tract. They encourage the settlement and develop- ment of the country and for that purpose maintain a Land and Indus- trial Department whose agents will give you detailed and descriptive infor- mation about lands, crops, locations, etc., without charge, if you will let them know your desires. Address M. V. Richards, Land and Industrial Agent, Washington, D. C, or Charles S. Chase, Chemical Building, St. Louis, Mo., or T. B. Thackston, 335 Dearborn St., Chicago, III. Tobacco Cellars Southern growers are making cellars, in which to handle their tobacco. A large number of tobacco farmers have these cellars, and they are .so convenient and valuable that lliey will be used by all who can afford them. The general use of these cellars will no doubt pre- vent tobacco gluts on the markets, thereby proving a benefit to farmers as well as tobacco buyers. Japanese Tobacco Monopoly United States Minister Griscom at Tokyo is acting under the instructions of the state department at Washington in endeavoring to impress upon the Japanese government the propriety of protecting the considerable American investments in tobacco manufactures in the preparation of new tobacco monopoly scheme. The Japanese gov- ernment is willing to pay for the fac- tories and goods on hand and what Mr. Griscom is now trying to do is to secure a proper allowance for the good- will and business about to be sur- 1 endered. The proposed law relating to the Japanese government tobacco monop- oly, if enacted, will go into effect on the first of next July. The manufac- ture and sale of Japanese tobacco cut will be allowed to continue until April 19. The Japanese propose to have the stocks, machines and plants existing on June 30 next appraised by joint ap- praisers. As compensation for their goodwill the government proposes to pay the manufacturers and dealers a sum equal to their income for three years as shown by their books. I OKNIEL-S' (> Veterinary Medicines a FOR I Home Treatment ot Horses and Cattle g SHOULD BE IH YOUR STABLE ^ Colic and Distemper cannot watt for i^ the Veterinary. "A stitch in time, etc." t^ Full line of specific remedies at any & Drup store. Book on treatment of stock ^ free if you mention this paper. 172 Milk Street, BOSTON, MASS. Dr. A.O. DANIELS 14 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Breeding of Plants By J. "W. Robisorx, Vice-President of the Kan- sas Horticultural Society THE breeding of common plants, including cereals and grasses, has received increased and skilled attention along practi- cal and useful lines during the last ten years, to the great benefit and profit of the people of the world. This benefit is not confined to the plant- grower, but every improvement bene- fits the consumer in the increase in production, the cheapening of the commodity and improvement of quality, and in some cases, in increas- ing the healthfulness of the product. It is true, in the past much skill and means have been expended in the im- provement of flowers and fruits and many useful discoveries made and re- corded to the benefit and advantage of plant-breeders, but it is only in recent years that scientists and practical growers have applied their knowledge and skilled labor to improve the common cereals, vegetables, and grasses with such beneficial results as to give great promise for the future. When the skilled scientist and practical woiker join their forces for imi^rovement, beginning with a foundation of the best heretofore pro- duced not only in our own country but in all others, and continue the work along well-known lines now fairly well understood, we may reasonably expect to see the eame improvement in plants as has been gained in the animal king- dom which has produced from the same foundation the fleet horse of the various graceful and useful gaits; the giant, powerful draft-horse, and the diminutive children's pony, all so well adapted to their especial uses. It is only reasonable to believe we may progress more rapidly in improving plant-growth, as in many species one year represents a generation. Much has already been done in pro- ducing new varieties adapted to widely varying conditions. Some of the im- proved grains already produced and being still further improved for special uses, it is claimed, may be grown with profit much further west on the semi- arid iilains than the older varieties and others will thrive and mature nearer the equator than former varieties. The extent to which this adaptability may be carried is a problem of the future not now necessary for us to con- sider. There scarcely appears to be a limit to the increase in productiveness and improved quality for specific uses to be gained by the skilled and persever- ing plant-breeder. The corn-plant is probably one of the most readily improved of our cereals by growing on favorable soil, in favorable climate and practicing the latest, best-known methods of plant- breeding. The following practice, if adhered to, will do much good in this line: Procure the best possible seed for your latitude, soil, and purpose, for which you wish to grow it. If you chance to be located in a district that is subject to a hot sun and hotter wind, and sometimes accompanied by drouth, by all means try to get seed somewhat acclimated to these conditions. The seed should be of a variety suitable for your purpose and the length of season in your locality. Plant carefully; thin down to a stand to give vigor for each plant, for improvement is not likely to come on a weak or dwarfed stalk. Good culture is indispensable, and before .silk or tassel appears cut or detassel all weakly or barren stalks, and detassel all partially barren or nubbin stalks, leaving only the fruit- ful, productive stalks to bear tassel. In gathering seed to still further im- prove and fix the type of variety, great care must be taken in selecting for future plantings, and each ear should come from a stalk with strong and vigorous root and plenty of foliage. The ears should be well filled on butts and points, symmetrical in form and tapering only moderately towards the point; kernels deep and closely fitted on cob, with little space between the rows; germ well developed, indicating vigor to reproduce itself. This method, i^ursued for a few j-ears, will eliminate nine-tenths of the barren stalks in a field and add greatly to the yield and value of the crop. The practice described seems very simple and easy to carry to a successful issue. Selection of seed and culture must all be done in a proper manner and at the proper time, or little improvement will be gained. The cutting out of barren stalks and detasseling must be attended to before pollen forms on the tassel, for in this is one of the main steps to improvement. Of course the breeding-plat or field ought to be widely separated from other corn, especially fiom fields grow- ing a widely diiferent variety. The pollen is liable to be blown by the wind to near-by fields, and to be carried by beetle, bug, moth, butterfly and the honey-bee. The latter has been the most troublesome with me, and in gathering seed the following year's breeding-plats, all kernels showing any signs of mixture from this source will be picked out and rejected before the ear is shelled. If the plat has been a (juarter to a half mile from other corn, the mixture is likely to be only in a few kernels. The same general principles will apply to breeding other species of plants, but some are much more difficult to cross-fertilize. Wheat, for instance, rarely cross-fertilizes as ordinarily grown, but usually requires careful assistance by hand to cross- fertilize. Our common clovers, especially alfalfa, and the sorghums, both saccharine and non-saccharine, are plants that especially promise rich rewards to the intelligent breeder who may select the best heretofore produced and skilfully apply the best-known methods in plant-breeding. A few succeeding generations will produce such increases of saccharine in sorghum and sugar-beets, and so enhance the feeding value of alfalfa and Kaffir-corn as to make these valu- able and useful plants of still greater use and profit, and that, too, in the near future, which will also tend to greatly extend the area of their profit- able culture. We can reasonably sur- mise that the advance along these lines in the past fully justifies us in the be- lief that at an early day our experi- ment stations, agricultural colleges, enterprising individuals and private corporations will accomplish greater results along this line, which will be realized in a time not far distant. The I903 Turkish Crop On account of the corruption of many of the officials, as well as of the smuggling carried on in all parts of the sultanate, it is difficult to obtain accurate figures as to the output of Turkish tobacco. The official returns range from ten to twenty-five per cent, below the actual amounts. Making due allowance for this condition of affairs, it may be stated that the to- bacco production of Turkey in 1903 was 90,000,000 pounds, as against 75,000,000 in 1903. The increase in quantity was not accompanied by an increase in quality. On the contrary, the output of fine leaf was no larger, if as large as in the previous year. Kent L. Eaton's warehouse was opened for business March 7, giving employ- ment to a number of men. Buyers have been in town and several crops have been sold. Advertising As a Specialty. Skill in advertising comes with training and experience, the same as skill in any other line of business. Advertising is our specialty: good advertising, the advertising that pays. We make it pay; our clients are frank to admit that. Let us refer you to some of them: or, better yet, let us talk with you about your own particular advertising problem. jotinstoiiB Pdveriising flgencg, (INCC)K1>(|R.\TK1> ) Hartford Fire Insurance Building, Hartford, *? Connecticut. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER luthe:r m. cask, WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, Packer and Dealer in 15 Connecticut Leaf Tobacco. Shade Grown j^j^ Sumatra in Bales. Main Warehouse and Office, Pine Meadow, Conn BRJtJiCH IVMREHOUSES: Soulhwick, Mass.,— Foreman, H. L. Miller. East Canaan, Cciiin., — Foreman, Iv. F. Bronson. Barkhamsted, Conn., — Foreman, L- A. ^^*ie. North Hatfield, Mass.,— Foreman, Willis Holden. New Hartford. Conn.,— Foreman, James Stewart. SUMATRA PLANTATIONS: Pine Meadow, Conn., Barkhamsted, Conn., Southwick, Mass., 25 Acres 20 Acres 15 Acres \ Always in the market for old Tobacco if well assorted and packed. ^ Havana Seed Wrap- pers a specialty, assorted and sized into thirty-two grades. ...... Mmmfmfmmmmmmmfmfmm^f^. Demand for Sun=Cured That the days of fireti or smoked to- bacco in the Onited States are nitm- bered seems to be a growing impres- sion, says the Southern News-Leader. Investigation at the southern waie- houses shows that the quantity of it appearing on the market is gradually- becoming less, and its use is now said to be practically restricted to the man- ufacture of snuff. Refined taste on the part of tobacco users, who prefer a milder form of smoking and chewing tobacco, is said to have causeil a natural leaning toward the burley, bright, and sun-cured leaves. "Accoiding to my mind, fired to- bacco has received a 'black eye' and has seen its day in this country," saitl L. B. Vaughan recently. "In the West it has been supplanted by burley, and in the South by bright (flue-cured) and sun-cured. There is no doubt that sun-cured leaf is the best tobacco grown. It was first known and raised around Jamestown, and was used as currency in the days of 'To Have and To Hold,' when men bought their wives with Oronoco leaf. Burley, however, stands on top as to quantity grown, in spite of the fact that twenty- five years ago it was unknown to the trade." Growth of Tobacco Raising Within the memory of men still in their prime, tobacco was a product restricted in its growth to certain countries enjoying, first of all, a climate specially adapted, and next blessed with a soil suited to the peculiar necessities of the plant. And these special requirements in those days were supposed to exist in but a few small portions of the world providen- tially provided with such extraordinary conditions. But how the scene has changetl in late yearsi Instead of a few favored locations scattered sparsely through the world, we now draw the world's stock of smokes from almost unlimited locations. Sumatra has its nicotine growth of vast bulk, though of but a few years' enterprise. Japan and Java are sending a share of the leaf that soothes to the world's marts. India is one of the latest recruits to the tobacco- producing ranks, and appears to be gaining numerous friends in Great Britain as well as on her own- conti- nent. Perhaps the youngest in the in- dustry is Fiji, which is enterjirisingly attempting to raise and market a to- bacco crop; and it is said that the cigars produced on those islands of Australasia are quite smokable, and that New South Wales is the market to be exploited for the Fijian product. STABLE MIE IN CAK OK CARGO LOTS Prompt Delivery Lowest Prices 11. M. Goodrich HARTFORD AND NEW YORK TRANSPORTATION COMPANY HARTFORD CONNECTICUT IT'S A GOOD THING TO KNOW: The best place in Hartford to buy Jew- elry, to buy a watcli, to have a watch repaired. It's over on Pearl street, just a little way from Main. GEORGE W. BALL, Diamond Broker and Jeweler, 65 PEARL ST.. HARTFORD. CONN. 16 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER o o ""^ o o o o o o ^"^ o — o o o ^^ o o — o o o ^"^ o o o o o o o o ^' Intematiorial Tobacco ClotH & ^ ^ ^ ^ ^' ^' ^ HE superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth has been fully dem- onstrated in the field €L High-grade material and skilful construction, combined with long experience in manufacturing this class of fabric, accounts for the superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth €t Made in all required widths; shipments prompt and complete. S^ Forbes ®. Wallace Spring'field, Mass. ^ V o.— *o_^o_^o-^o o -,^ o _^^ o o .^ ^Ae New England Tobacco Growb itai. VOL. V. No. 3. HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, MAY, 1904. $1.00 A YEAR Connecticut's Tobacco Exhibit at St. Louis THE Connecticut tobacco exhibit tor the Ht. Louis Exposition was started westward April 23. The cases in which the samples are paclsed con- tain over a half ton of the cream of Oonnecticut's 190:i crop, the quality of the samples sent to the commission bfiing of an exceptioHally high grade. Many of the leading growers of the state are represented in the list of ex- hibitors and the sample.s include sun- gfowU, Connecticut bi'oadleaf, Havana seed and Cnban, and shade-grown Su- matra and Cuban. There are 137 exhibitors, colitribu- titlg about 300 samples, classified as follows: Connecticut broftdleaf, 68 (exhibitors, 176 samples; Connecticut Havana seed, 63 exhibitors, 100 samples; shade-grown Sumatra, .5 ex- hibitors, 20 samples; sun-grown Cu- ban, 1 exhibitor, 8 samples; shade- grown Cuban. 1 exhibitor, 12 samples. The majority of the exhibitors are from Hartford county. The samples were sweat and put up in SuflSeld un- der the personal supervision of Ed- mund Halladay, chairman of the com- mission appointed to take charge of the exhibit for this state. With the exhibit of leaf tobacco will be shown cigars wrapped with broad- leaf, Havana seed, shade-grown Cuban and Sumatra, and sun-grown Cuban. There will also be shown a collection of photographs showing the progress of the tobacco plants and the different methods employed on the crop from the time the plants are started in the bed.s until they are harvested, and the pictures of the fields of the growing leaf will give the interested layman a fail idea of the vast amount of labor that goes up in smoke every year. The exhibit will occupy spaces 108 and 110 in the agricultural building; space 110 is in the special room with- in two spaces of the central figure of the tobacco exhibit of the exposition towards which the state of Connecti- cut appropriated .f7.5'l and th3Farui Product and Tobacco comiiJlssions con- tributed if no. The commission which has the ex- hibit in charge consists of Edmund EDMUND H.\LI.AD.\Y, Chairman of the Commission in char^je of the Connecticut Exhibit at St. Louis. Halladay of .SufHeld, chairman, H. W. Alford of Poquonock and James S. Forbes of Burnside This committee has worked together with the Farm Product commission, consisting of Charles A. Thompson of Ellington, chairman. Seaman Meade of Green- wich and Walter C. Patton of North Haven. Mr. Halladay has gone to St. Louis to superintend the arrange- ment of the exhibit, after which the exhibit will be in charge of I. O. Fanton of Weston, who will also have charge of the Farm Product exhibit from Connecticut. JIuch credit is due Mr. Halladay for his labor in sweating and getting the samples ready for the exhibitiora and to both him and his associates foe the creditable showing made by Con- necticut of one of the most profitable products. Among the first of the exhibits to be completely installed in the palace of agriculture at the exposition is the elaborate display made by the tobacco growers and manufacturers of the United States. It occupie.s a space 400 feet long and .'52 feet wide just in- side the north entrance to the largest building on the ground.s, it covering 23 acres. America having been the first to grow tobacco, foreign visitors will be particularly interested in this feature, for every phase of the industry is treated. The growing plant, the cur- ing of the leaf and its manufacture are all shown by live and well-planned ex- hibits. It is anticipated that the ex- ploitation received at the exposition will result in largely increasing foreign trade in American tobacco. While each state has its individual exhioit, the attractive feature of the whole displaj' is the ornamental effects which have been created through the united efforts of exhibitors. A facade, artistically trimmed in tobacco leaves, extends the entire length of the four blocks occupied by the display. In the center of the booth thus formed there rises to a height of ,")3 feet an oc- tagonal pagoda surmounted by a sphere wbich supports a ship sailing in a sea of tobacco. The entire structure is covered with tobacco and the leaf is used in working out clever decorations and trimmings. Extensive displays are also made by the luanufacturers of machinery, tools and appliances used iu the cultivation of tobacco. The large space allotted to this industry has in fact given ample opportunity for a thorough ex- ploitation of every branch ct the to- bacco trade. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER THE CJiNJtDlJtS LEJtF TAX Canadian mauufaoturers have now had an experience with Canadian- grown leaf tohacco, as applied to the cigar industry, extending over a period of six years, and dating from the tarift of 1897 — which imposed a tax on impoited leaf tobacco with the avowed object of developing our trade in domestic leaf. Leaving aside, for the moment the pipe and chewing to- bacco market — in which branches of our industry Canadian leaf has un- ^.-•''^(loubtefHy been a complete success— we .^rt^.f ■canrioi' find, in the statistical history of the (raid*.uluch ground for hope that ;our' domestic tobacco will ever be a factor in Jhe cigar trade. The sub- .iofned table gives particulars of the ) Uevelopment of both purely Canadian • -and "combination" cigais under the new tarift; and, when it is considered that this class of goods has had the protection not alone of the customs duty on imported raw leaf, but in ad- dition pays only one-half the amount of excise or stamp tax, it will be observed that despite its tariff advan- tages the progress made is, to saj- the least, not suflBcient to warrant the ex- tent that has been its lot since 1897: UMBER OF CANADIAN LEAF AND COMBINATION CIGARS MANU- FACTURED IN CANADA Canadian Combination Year Cigars Cigars 1898 739,910 1899 1,031,650 654,845 1900 1,686,140 3,863,030 1901 3,104,330 5,840,640 1903 3,713,150 5,984,195 1903 3,881,360 6,283,388 Cigars manufactured solely from Canadian leaf are steadily declining in output. The majority of the factories that have made an attempt to produce them have since thrown up the task in disgust. In "combination" goods, better progress has necessarily been made, owing to the fact that these cigars contain more or less imported tobacco. But even in this branch, the experiment has not been what the pro- tection afforded would reasonably warrant; nor has the manufacturer been able to produce the goods at a reasonable profit. It has only been in the very lowest grade market that even "combination" cigars have been able to compete, and the very low price at which they have been sold has rendered them most undesirable both to the manufacturer and the dealer; and also to the consumer. Several of our prominent manufac- turers have made a very determined effort to develop a market for Canadian or "combination" leaf cigars, and our domestic leaf has certainly not suffered from lack of enterpi'ise on the part of either the growers of the leaf or the cigar manufacturers. The latter, how- ever, have gradually become less in number and more lacking in enthu- siasm, and there is every indication that the whole Canadian leaf cigar in- dustry will gradually die a natural death. Even the tobacco farmer pays little attention to cigar leaf, preferring to confine his agriculture to the plug tobacco market. The cold fact of the Canadian leaf cigar proposition is, that in the slang of the day.it is a "dead one." We all would have preferred it otherwise, but it is as well to frankly face the sit- uation. This being the trade condi- tion, the necessity or abnormal protec- tion of Canadian leaf cigars and a burdensome taxation on domestic cigars made from foreign leaf, is no longer apparent. A reduction in the excise on domestic cigars from six dollars per thousand to four dollars per thousand should, therefore, be made, to offset the tax on raw leaf to- bacco imposed in 1897 as a protection to the farmer. Cigar manufacture has not progressed in proportion with other industries during the past seven )-ears, its» in- crease being approximately 5 per cent. per annum. — Canadian Cigar and To- bacco Journal. Origin of White Barley The white hurley tobacco originated in 1863 or 1864 in Pleasant Township, Brown County, Ohio, in a patch of to- bacco grown by George Webb and William Crabb, on land now owned by Jacob Neu, near the lower White Oak bridge. Mr. Wabb sowed a bed of the seed in 1865, and as his landlord would not allow him to set many of tlie plants, he gave them to Shafe Boles and Joe Poor, who each grew a small crop of the new variety. In 1866, Webb, Boles and Poor gave the seed they grew in 1865 to their friends and neighbors, and by this act of kindness let a princely fortune .slip through their hands. Land Retains Fertilizer Editor New England Tobacco Grower: Referring to yours of recent date, making inquiry at the instance of a subscriber, unquestionably the light land on which tobacco is grown retains a part of the fertilizer or manure which is applied for tobacco, and at the end of several years, or even after a single year, it is in much better shape so far as plant food is concerned than it was before. We have often seen a crop of rye following tobacco yield twice as much as on adjoining land, freshly broken which had been unfertilized for years. The tobacco grower, however, does not trust a great deal to fertilizer resi- dues left in the soil from past years. He prefers to put on a full dose of plant food every year, when he can afford it, knowing that he may be using more than he needs, but regard- ing this surplus as a sort of insurance of his crop. E. H. Jenkins, Agricultural Expeiiment Station. Andrews & Peck^ MANUFACTURERS, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Doors, Windows and Blinds. Manufacturers' Agents for Akron Sewer Pipe and Land Tile. We make a specialty of hotbed sash. Office, 88 Mar Ret Street, Mill; Charter Oak and Vrcdendalc Avenues, HARTFORD, CONN. Dl l^/IDO RIDER AND ERICSSON. All Sizes. New and Second Hand, I UlVIrO from 845.00 up. All Repairs. D/^ll C"DO Second Hand, 35 H. P., Steam, $70.00. No. 5, Second Hand D \J I L_ Q ri O Scollaj- at SSO.OO. New Boilers at Low Prices. RDr~ New 2 in., Full Lenfi-tlis at O'^c; Second Hand, 2 in.. 7K-c.; iy2in., S^c.' r C_ IK in., 4V2C.; 1 in.,3'4c.; K in..oc. Fittinps of all Kinds. PIPE CUTTERS NEW SAUNDERS PATTERN No. 1, jl.OO; No. 2, S1.30. STOCKS AND DIES NEW ECONOMY No. 1, $3.00, No. 2. S4.00. STILLSON WRENC HES PIPE VISES NEW 18 inch, $1.65, 24 inch, $2.40. NEW No. 1, HINGED, $2.25. OADPiCM I— l/^OIZ NEW K in.. Guaranteed 100 lbs. Water Pressure VJI/AiiL'CIN riwOt "J^c. per foot; not Guaranteed, 4;ic. per foot. ^1 AOO New, 16.\24. Double. Natural Gas Made Glass, $3.40 per Box; VJI L-MOO 14.\20, Double, $3.20; 12.\10, Singrle, $2.30; 10.xl2 and 8.\10, Single, $2.25 HOT BED SASH NEW. No. 1 CYPRESS, 70c. COMPLETE, FROM S1.60 UP. Get Our Prices for New Cypress Building Material, Ventilating Apparatus, Oil, Putty, White Lead, Points, &c. Metropolitan Material Company l59S'l400'l402.l404-l406rl408 Metropolitan Jivenue BROOKLYN, NE'NV YORK ^he New E^mg^land Tobacco Grower HARTFORD CONNECTICUT MAY 1 9 O 4 From Tobacco Towns Various Matters of Interest to Groovers of tHe Leaf Suffield The 1008 crop of tobacco is nearly all bought, only a few crops yet re- main iu the hands of the farmers. Meyer & Mendelsohn have taken their sorting boxes and other equip- ment to their packing house in East Hartford, which they bought from Sutter Bros., and hereafter will pack their tobacco there, instead of at Suf- tield. Duiing the winter the firm has employed not less than (iO men and have put up a packing of 893 cases of tobacco. Growers have their plants started, and although they are much later getting their beds sowed than they were last year, the weather has been more seasonable, and if it con- tinues so the time lost will be more than regained. T. Harvey Smith has bought the Merriman place, on the road to West Suffield. Linus Fay and family have removed to Boston Neck, and Mr. Smith and family have taken posses- sion. Luther A. Kent went out to his barn the other morning to do his chores, and smelling smoke discovered a pile of cloth, which had been oiled tor use on the tobacco beds, on fire. He at once called his sons and the tire was put out. The roll of cloth con- tained about .500 yards, and was to have been put on the tobacco beds Tuesday. The fix'e probably started from spontaneous combustion. Many carloads of cotton-seed meal and other fertilizers have been received here during the last few weeks and distributed among the farmers. 'Bloomfield. The Krohn Tobacco Company has been incorporated with a capital stock of ;l!100,000 for the purpose of raising, dealing in, curing aud manufacturing tobacco. The incorporators are M. Krohn of Cincinnati, O., Allen H. Reeder of Dayton, O. , Lewis Sperry of South Windsor and Fred B. Griffin of Gran by. Tobacco will be grown in the open. Mr. Krohn and Mr. Reeder bought the real estate of The Inter- national Tobacco Culture Corporation when it was sold at auction for |20,- 000. Mr. Griffin will have the man- agement of the plantation as formerly. and about 100 acres of tobacco will be grown. South Windsor Fred Newberry i i to add a bent to bis tobacco shed. Daniel Driscoll is building a tobacco shed, 30x30. Wallace F. AndrosB is adding four bents to the tobacco shed of his father, W. F. Andross. On the property there was taken down recently a barn that is thought to have been 1.50 years old. Many have said that it is not profit- able to raise a single product on the same soil year after year. In an inter- view on this question Jerome Signor said: "I have raised tobacco on the same land for fifty-six consecutive years and the land is better this year than ever before." Nobody will question Mr. Signor's veracity or abil- ity. He is a thorough tobacco raiser, conservative in every detail of its cul- ture. Mr. Signor remembers when 11.50 per pound was paid to Mr. Wood and said that he himself had received MS high as 75 cents a pound. New Milford The New Milford Village Improve- ment Association has elected the fol- lowing officers: President, W. G. Green; vice-presidents, Albert Evitts and Miss C. S. Sanford; secretary, Mrs. H. .S. Mygatt; treasurer, Mrs. Charles Taylor; executvie committee, Mrs. W. D. Black, Miss H. N. Board- man, Mrs. G. M. Breinig, Mrs. H. E. Bostwick, Mrs. U. B. Camp, W. G. Brown, Rev. J. F. Plumb; collectors, Mrs. C. M. Beach, Miss Bessie Brown, Mrs. H. L. Randall. Mrs. Charles M. Beach was also made an additional member of the executive committee. There was a general discussion in which the importance of extending the work of improvement as much as pos- sible throughout the village was pointed out. East Hartford The Hartford Transportation Com- pany disposed of six cargoes of stable manure to tobacco growers early in April. Frank D. Maj', formerly of Silver Lane, is making extensive improve- ments on his new place on Forbes street. He will grow tobacco. Lowell Brewer has a force of 2.5 men at worK at his warehouse. Wallop Frank Nangle is moving to his former home in Ellington, where he will have charge of the farm of his widowed mother. The George B. Allen farm has been taken on shares by Mr. McMaster of Suffield. E. M. Granger has leased the tene- ment opposite his home to Robert Griffin. Feeding Hills ••.? The area to be planted here will be about the same as 1903. There will be about 27 acres planted under cloth. Mr. Shea will have 1,200 feet of seed- beds, three feet wide, under glass, thfe use of cloth furnishing less heat and the proper protection against cold. For his earliest plants he will heat a portion of his bed by steam. Broad Brook The third annual public reception and dance of the Broad Brook tobacob sorters was held in the opera house the evening of April 9. Ungewitter's or- chestra furnished the music. Hillstoivn The property owned by Mrs. Fowler has passed into the hands of Olds & Whipple. The Mulcahy brothers will work the tobacco land and Mr. Rod- man will occupy the homestead. East Windsor Hill F. H. Driscoll, formerly a trolley car conductor, has rented the Clay farm of 100 acres and will set out ten acres of tobacco. Mapleton W. D. Sikes, having sold his farm in Mapleton, has removed to East DuiB- merston, Vt. , where his son has a farm of about 500 acres. West Suffield James P. Van Gelder has filed a petition in bankruptcy with the referee in bankruptcy in Hartford. Sutter Bros' Creditors Meet A meeting of the creditors of Sutter Bros, was held in Chicago, April 6. Attorney Poppenhausen says that 85 per cent, of the unsecured creditors have consented to a settlement on a basis of 35 per cent., 10 per cent, in cash and 15 per cent, in notes. Sutter Bros. Leaf Tobacco Co. is to be incorporated with a capital of 1100,000, but the firm's attorneys say that the firm will probably use the old name. They expect to be able to resume business in a short time. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Seed-Beds Planted Late April Frosts Kill Some of the Early Tobacco Plants East Windsor Hill Nearly all the growera have their seed-beds planted at this writing. More cloth than glass is used on the beds. Although plants grown under glass are about a week earlier than those under cloth, they require much more attention and sash costs more tnan cloth. It has been the experience of not a few that very early set tobacco is not as good as medium early, say the tiist two weeks in June. There will be an increase in the acreage of broadleaf, caused principally by those changing from Havana seed, which has not commanded as good prices this season as the former. H. G. Long has purchased of Mrs. J. O. Stoughton three acres of tobacco land lying opposite his residence. P. J. Ahem has bought of Horace Vibert the place situated just south of B. S. Parker's. Edward Bancroft has pur- chased of Mrs. R. M. Burnham the property lying opposite his residence, the tract extending from the highway to the river. Lewis Sperry has bought the Col. Clapp place at the corner of the Ferry road and Main street. Carlos Kibbe, recently superintendent of the tuwn farm, will operate Mr. Sperry' s newly acquired property. Robert Crowley will grow Patrick Ahern's ten acres of tobacco. William Crowley will grow five acres for R. W. Rice. William Driscoll will raise ten acres on the O'Connor farm at Rye street. The odd lots of tobacco remaining unsold are those of Bancroft Brothers, L W. King and Mr. Donovan, the first two being in cases. RoswELL Grant. East Cranby Edward Cone Talmadge, a resident of this town for many years, died recently in Windsor at the home of his nephew. Grant Church. He was 73 years old. Besides his nephew, he leaves a sister, Miss Rachel Talmadge. Mr. Talmadge lived for a good many years in Washington, D. C, where he was a department clerk, but he retired about thirty years ago, moving to East Granby. He lived here in various locations with his sister until last fall, when his house, in which he had lived for the last ten or twelve years, about half a mile north of Tariffville, was burned. The fire'was discovered about one in the morning and Mr. Talmadge and his sister were aroused and rescued. Later he re-entered the house, was overcome and was rescued by searchers after narrowly escaping death. After the fire he and his sister went to live with their nephew. Sunderland The last meeting of Sunderland (jrange was devoted laige'iy to discus- sion of co-operp.tion among farmers. Hoi ace G. Sanderson was leader and he mentioned several instances of at- tempted co-operation, the Milk Pro- ducers' Union, combinations of tobacco growers, etc. As the farmer is the most independent man on earth, it is difiicult, if not impossible to form any combination for his interest. Condi- tions are altogether different from those which confront the manufacturer. In the discussion which followed the co-operative creamery was the only instance w hich any one could recall of successful combination in favor of farmers and Mr. Sanderson's paper was thoroughly indorsed. All the growers have their seed-beds made. Glass is mostly used here. The acreage will be about the same for 1904. , Quite a number of tobacco farms have changed hands. A number of sales were made recently, Meyer & Mendelsohn being the largest buyers in this section. There is very little tobacco unsold. C. E. Brown. Jtddison Peter Miller has removed to the Fred Tenner farm. Mr. Sanies of Poquonock has rented the Wolfer farm. There will be more tobacco raised in this section this year than for sometime past. Hatfield Hatfield growers have their seed-beds planted. Glass is mostly u.sed here, so that the plants are usually very early. This season is a little late, but the plants look strong. There will be about the same acre- age this season as last. Several grcwers are inclined to try a little broadleaf on the best land this year. Crops are now moving daily, at prices ranging form IIK to n]4 cents, assorted and cased. 1903 tobacco is now pretty well bought up. A few growers have decided to sweat their crops and hold for higher prices. Assorting will cease about the first of May. The force-sweat tobacco is sold and shipped as fast as sampled. It comes out of the sweat almost invariably sound. I think that before the 1904 crop is ready for market there will be a cry for tobacco. A representative of one of the biggest buyers here told me yesterday that they had already dis- posed of one-half their packing. A. H. Gravks. East Hartford The tobacco beds have fought the frost with varying luck. William L. Huntting, Charles S. Barnes, Oswald J. Signor, N. S. Brewer, William K. Ackley and other tobacco raisers sowed their beds about April 12 or lo, just in time to meet the last assaults of the winter. Several kept lamps burning under the cloth covers during the nights and some of the beds worried through the freezing weather. Others gave up the fight and sowed the beds again. Oswald J. Signor, an authority on tobacco, considers the season about three or four weeks late, and that chances seem to be in favor of late harvesting with probable danger of frost. Most growers have for years sprouted their tobacco seeds by placing them in warm apple mould. The mould has been placed in pans and boxes kept in sunny windows in the day time and under or near kitchen ranges at night. Mr. Signor experimented, this spring, with "chestnut dirt," or mould taken from a decayed chestnut stump. He says that up to this time the result is satisfactory. He keot the pan on a steam radiator at night, instead of under the kitchen range, preserving a more equable heat, as the ordinary range fire dies out at night. Mr. Signoi uses about seven cords of Har- lem river manure to the acre and about a quarter of a ton of tobacco starter, which gives the color to the leaf whicb is much desired by manufactur- ers at this time. Edward Hale, in the noith pait, has a long tobacco bed covered with glass trames. He is reported to have the earliest and largest plants in the town, having numbers each as large as a man's thumb nail. The acreage will remain about the same as in 1903. A number of tobacco sheds will be built, and one which Henry G. Beaumont has contracted for will be started in a short time. Simsbury Simsbury growers have their seed- beds planted. More cloth than glass is used, some growers using both. There will be no increase in the acreage this season. No tobacco re- mains unsold in tcwn. South Windsor H. S. Powers is building an addition to his sorting room. Some of the farmers are busy pre- paring their tobacco beds, while more are anxiously awaiting warmer ■weather. Bloomfield Growers here had but part of their seed-beds sown at this writing, the middle of April. Both cloth and glass are used on the beds. The acreage will be increased this year. The ground has been very slow to get in condition for seed-beds, or other purposes. Greenhouse plants are looking well. W. L. Carncross. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Bowker's Tobacco Fertilizers have for over twenty years been producing the best and finest crops of tobacco in the Connecticut Valley, because they supply the plant food that is best for tobacco, and plenty of it to carry the crop through to maturity. Mr. B, N. Alderman, East Granby, Conn., says : " I am partial to the Bowker Tobacco Ash Fertilizer because it acts very quickly and also carries the crop through." Another ffrower writes ; "The Bowker goods also show the second year which is important in repeated use of the same ground." Br^WfCiTTJ FERTILIZER COMPANY. W' W im. JL^ XV. ROAfTOM ar»rf Mir-lV YORK. 220 State Street. Hartford, Conn. DEERFIELD FIRES The insurance men siiy pretty hard things about the town of Deerfield a.s a place for insurance companies to lose uionej'. "Deerfielil has been a perfect swamp to lose money in for years,'' says one local af^ent. "It would take 50 years to make up the losses the com- panies have sustained in that town." Insurance agents throw ont dark hints about the origin of many fires, although they attribute the recent losses at South Deerfield to a fire bug. One insurance man saj's that it has not been a good thing for Deerfield that the soil has been so rich. "They make their living too easy down there," he says. "In other towns about here the farmers have to scratch around to get their living, and raise a number of crops, while in Deerfield all tney have to do is to plant a few acres of tobacco and they are all right. It makes them too happy go lucky and ea.sy going, and they get careless about their property, so that there is a constant succession of fires from one part of Deerfield or another.'' This is rather hard language, and it would be interesting to see what Deer- field citizens would say about it. Mean- while, the insurance companies are very reluctant to place any more policies there. In fact it is getting harder and harder to get farm property insured at all. The agent referred to, who handles insurance for 35 com- panies, says that onlj' four of them will take farms. Formerly the Aetna and the other rich Hartford and New York companies used to take farms, but they want ncme of such property now. The insurance man referied to says that the constant snccession of fires in Deerfield gives the Greenfield agencies a black eye, and tends to make it hard for farmers anywhere in this section to get satisfactory insur- ance.- -Gazette and Courier. Conway, Massachusetts The Conway Civic League at its annual meeting elected these ofiBcers: President, A. P. Delabarre; vice-presi- dent, C. L. DeWolfe; treasurer, H. B. Hassell; .secretary, R. H. Cook; execu- tive committee, Rev. E. F. Hunt, O. D. Ives, Clarence Flagg, J. B. Laidley, J. B. Packard, A. M. Cook, W. W. Darby, Rev. W. J. Kelly, H. T. Newhall, C. L. Parson.s. W. T. Graves and D. McKenzie. Plans are being made to set out trees and shrubs and flowering plants in various places and otherwise beautify the town. Hadley All the tobacco giowers here have made their seed-beds, using cloth mostly. The indications are for a smaller acreage than last year. Lester Smith, James Burke and Frank Merrill have packed their crops. \eiv York Cigar Leaf Market New York, April 13. The only real activity in the local leaf market dnring the last few days has been created directly or indirectly through the manufacturers' anxiety to examine the Sumatra situation in con- junction with depleted condition of old domestic stocks. The 1903 Pennsylvania is fetching fair prices and meets with a demand. Wisconsin, 1902, has been selling liberally, at least 500 to 600 cases hav- ing changed hands within our knowledge. The present activity in Wisconsin may possibly be caused by the known indifferent quality of the new crop. Sumatra. — The manufacturer is naturally conservative at this stage, and while purchases are many they are mostly small on account of the general desire to hold back orders until samples are on view here from more than two or three inscriptions, after which they can form a more comprehensive view. Havana. — The market is in a more or less dormant condition, as Sumatra is holding almost monopolistic atten- tion of the manufacturers. Sales are small in size, but are quite many in the aggregate. West Suffield The Prospect farm has been rented for the year by William Sparry of New Britain. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Cuban Attitude Havana Paper Protests Against Exports of Leaf Instead of Manufacture ONLY along general lines have we tried to show in our previous article the danger which might fall to the Cuban tobacco industry with the export of leaf. As we consider that the matter is of vital interest to the country, as it has been proved that the tobacco industry is one of the principal factors to the progress and welfare of Cuba and her people, we said that the time had come when those interested in that progress should take some measures to prevent disappearance of the tobacco industry fiom the island or its reduction to a minimum. To think that this is not possible, is to overlook the truth, since the logic of figures takes away all hopes that we might cherish. Indeed, the material progress in all the ju'incipal nations of the world is evident, and only those who have not travelled or studied what has happened everywhere for the last 30 or 40 years will fail to see it. This progress has been done at a pretty good rate because the earnings of the laboring people has been raised; this improvement has brought about the Increased consumption even in those articles which are not of prime necessity, and if consumption has been increased in this way it is but natural to suppose that it has also increased with the excess of population. Therefore, if half a century ago we had less population in tne world, if with less wages the resources of the working classes were reduced, it is clear that today the tobacco industry in Cuba ought to be 50 per cent, more than it was half a century ago. Unfortunately it has decreased about 50 per cent., for in 1853 we exported 293 millions of cigars; and in 1902, half a century afterwards, we have exported only 208 millions. With more population, more money and more smoking in the world we have exported 85 millions less. For this reason we said that to deny that export of leaf will not kill the to- bacco industry is to overlook the facts. We said that we must avoid the clash we are coming to, and that after the idea has been poiiitj'd out by us, others should find the measures to prevent it. We know that if not altogether im- possible, it is very difficult to impose export duties on the leaf which would make illusory the profit that foreign manufacturers may have by exporting our leaf, to manufacture Cuban to- bacco; and we see it difficult, because our first importer is the United States; and as fatally we are compelled to move around the orbit of that colossus, neither the authorities would dare to take any steps which might harm eight or ten millions of Americans nor would they be willing to stand it. Therefore, there are only two ways left to prevent the death of our in- dustry. First. To look for compensation in a commercial treaty which would grant our cigars the necessary advantages for obtaining increase consumption at least in the proportion that they had previously to the McKinley bill, first dead blow to our industry. W'e hold the conviction that our tobacco as far as quality is concerned has no competitor but in quantity is a different thing, and here lies the evil to our industrj-. The United States with exception of the little tobacco which they manu- facture with Cuban assistance, twisted cabbage leaves; those leaves give very poor cheroots, but very cheap and their sale has reached this year the astonishing figure of six thousand millions of cigars. Therefore, the administration should help growers in a positive way so that they may produce a very great quantity of good tobacco; that excess of pro- duction will leduce the price of the prime material which will then be within the reach of other people be- sides those favored by fortune. With cheap leaf, growers will not suffer, if they produce plenty and manufacturers will be able to reduce prices on cigars and place them within the reach of smokers. If this is done, the industry will be saved, because not only they will not compete with us in quality, but with cheap prices everybody will prefer to smoke a genuine Cuban cigar, and thus the life of our industry will be assured as well as the prosperity of thousands of families who live on the tobacco industry. Let the government hurry up and protect agriculture, and get in circula- tion those millions which are sleeping in the treasurer's department. That money is needed for circulation. — El Tobacco, Havana. Great Sales of Mexican Cigarettes The sales of the Buen Yono cigarette factory, of the city of Mexico, reached a value of |3,769,942. 12 in 1903, against 11,851,167.81 in 1902. The profits for the year amounted to $656,- 832.70. The capital stock has been increased by |1, 000, 000, and 3,000 preferred shares of |100 each, par value, have been issued Orders for cigarettes have been so heavy that it has been impossible to fill them as promptly as desired. The capital of the company is $4,200,000, and the reserve fund is $270,000. $349,821 were divided among the stockholders this year. fOlIR FREE ] FRIENDS ¥IT iFARMER^ Our money winning books, written by men who know, tell you all about Potocsh They are needed by every man who owns a field and a plow, ami who desires to get the most out of them. They are_/r^tf. Send postal card, GERMAN KALI WOIJKS 91! Na«snu sirtct. .Ntw Tork APPARATUS Of all kinds, of large or small capacity, Mounted & Portable Outfits. Send for special Catalogue. PUMPS For Fac- tories or Private Use. FAIRBANKS-MORSE Gasoline Engines from U to 7.^> Ilnrse Power for all services. Special Pumping Engines. PULLEYS, SHAFTING AND BELTING for Power Eiiuiiniient "1 F:tL-t()rie&! and ISIills. WINDMILLS, TANKS AND TOWERS, Pipe, Fittings and Hose. In writiug for Catal'.'gue please specify which one you want. We make a epecialty of Water Supply Out- fits for Country Estates. CHARLES J. JAGER COMPANY, 174 HIGH ST., BOSTON, MASS. I YOUR HORSE | S^ is worth helping. ^ If sick or lame, K cure him. li DANIELS' REMEDIES ^ for Home Treatment ^ of Horses and Cattle. 1^ Big- Veterinary book from ^ anv drutrgist if you ask him, K or mailed free if you mention ?? this paper. |i'o^s?a!,':'^i^s1:Dr.A.C.DANIELS| PATENTS OBTAINED For information write to Ralph Sturtevant Warfield, SOO H St., N. W., Washington, D. C. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER THE BE6:T yet MADE. Specially Designed for IRACTICAL 'OWER URPOSES The Fairbanks Gasolene Engine Is the most powerful, easiest working and easiest adjusted engine ever made. Solid and substantial in construction, few parts and no waste metal. Every pound has work to do. These important features are the excuse for its great popularity. Do not place your order for a gasolene engine until you have seen and investigated the "Fair- banks." Correspondence solicited. The Fairbanks Company, 314 (Si. 316 Pearl Street, - Hartford, Conn. Can be seen in operation at the above address New York, N. Y. Albany, N. Y. PhilartelpUia, Pa. Baltimore, Md. New Orleans, La. Boston, Mass. Bufialo, N. Y. Montreal, Que. London, E.G. Pittsburg-, Pa_ Vancouver, B. C Toronto. Ont. Revenue Decisions Leaf Tobacco R.ulings by tKe Commissioner of Internal United States Revenue A COLLECTOR makes iiKiuiry whether a manufacturer of cigar.s should enter on his Book 73 as received, leaf tobacco consigned to him, subject to inspection, which he has examined at the depot and i-ejected upon finding it unfit for his use, hav- ing obtained permit to return it to the leaf dealer. The collector was in- structed that a manufacturer should only enter on his book and charge him- self with tobacco which has actually been received on his factory premises; that the tobacco shipped subject to in- spection and rejected at the depot, and not removed therefrom to his factory, cannot properly be held to have entered his factory premises. A collector advises the commissioner that certain missionaries in Alaska use large quantities of leaf tobacco as currency in dealing with the natives, and he desires to know if these missionaries will be allowed to pur- chase leaf tobacco and whether they will be required to register as leaf dealers. The commissioner held that there was no way in which tlie mission- aries, who are not granted any special privileges under the law, could pur- chase and use leaf tobacco in the manner suggested without qualifying as manufacturers of tobacco and con- forming in all respects to the laws and regulations governing such business; that if they qualified as dealers in leaf tobacco the}' would be limited in their sales, under the provisions of Section 3,224 of the Revised Statutes, to three classes of persons, that is, to other registered dealers in leat tobacco; to qualified manufacturers of tobacco, .snuff or cigars, or to persons who are known to be purchasers of leaf tobacco for export, and all leaf tobacco so sold by them as registered dealers in leaf toljacco should be in quantities less than a hogshead, case or bale, as pro- vided in Section 69, Act of August 28, 1894; except that it would be law- ful for any licensed manufacturer of cigais to purchase tobacco of any licensed dealer, or other licensed man- ufacturer of tobacco or cif^ars in quan- tities le.ss than the original package for use in his own manufactory exclu- .sively; that it would be tlius seen that as registered dealers in leaf mission- aries would be precluded from retail- ing tobacco or using it as a medium of cnrrency in bartering or trading with the natives. As qualified manufacturers of to- bacco, however, they would be per- mitted to purchase leaf tobacco of dealers in leaf, or from the farmers or growers, but that they would be re- quired to put in statutory packages and tax-paj' it, in conformity with the laws and regulations. They could then transfer it to themselves as dealers in tobacco, on separate premises, and sell or otherwise dispose of it, having in view the restrictions imposed by the law and regulations. A collector informs the commissioner that several parties in his district have made application to him for permis- sion to make their own cigars for per- sonal use only. He was advised that, while the commissioner had ruled in a number of cases that a farmer or anj- person may make cigars for his own personal smoking, and not for sale, without qualifying as a manufacturer of cigars or incurring liability to tax on cigars so made and consumed, there is no provision under existing law and regulations for the sale of leat tobacco to such persons, and the onlj' way that they can legally obtain it would be to purchase it from the farmer or grower who is unrestricted in the sale of leaf tobacco to persons other than those pre- scribed in the rcgulation.s. Maubuc Many of the farmers are busy getting their tobacco fertilizer from the wharf. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER ^he New England Tobacco Grower Published monthly by Tobacco Grower Publishing Co. S3 Trumbull street, Hartford Fire Insurance Building Hartford, Connecticut. Subscription, One Dollar a Year. Ten Cents a Copy. Official Journal of The New Englaud Tobacco Growers' Associatiou. PAUL ACKERLY, Editor. Volume V. Entered at the Hartford Posl-Dffice as Second Class mail matter. HARTFORD. MAY, 1904. THE LJtTE SPRING OPENING late, in clire<'t coiihast with last year, the Spring de- termines that this season the jilanting of tobacco phal! he late, as compared •with some years. Yet the warm, sunny days of a genuine Spring make fast work in the plant beds, and when the climate really sets about it, a week of sun and warmth is recompense for several weeks of cold, and the young tobacco plants come along so cheerfully as to make the grower forget the chilly waiting time just after seed planting. Recalling last season, the drouth cf May cut down the advantages of the earlier plantings, and while such an untimely period of drouth is not to he expected this year, yet the weather conditions may be so adjusted that the delays caused by the late Spring will be of direct benefit to the growing crop. Moreover, the warehousing work has been so late, owing to the dryness of the Winter and the late taking down of the hanging tobacco, that there is no waiting time of idleness between the warehouse and the farm this Spring, even if the season happens to be late. New England by means of a series of agitations on the subject. The buying and selling of a material like cigar wrappers is not one that can be operated after the business methods which apply to the handling of the heavier types of tobacco. So much depends upon the delicate distinctions between the different grades of tobacco, upon the judgment of the buyer, and the judgment of the dealer and con- sumer, as to the wrapping qualities of the leaf, and moie than all, upon its particular adaptability to the manufac- turer of any certain cigar. The sales of a brand of cigar are de- pendent upon local likes and dislikes, as well as upon the material and work- manship employed by the cigar manu- facturer. To maintain a given brand of cigars calls for close attention on the part of the manufacturer, his broker, dealer, and upon the packers who first handled the crop. Arrange- ments have been made for the carrying on of these ditterent processes of selec- tion through the established channels of trade, and it is certainly a diffioult liroposition to distribute these condi- tions without furnishing adequate security, that the interests of all con- cerned in the production of satisfactory cigars are not so manipulated as to reflect upon the prosperity of the whole trade. •-^^ TOBACCO JtT ST. LOUIS ^AMPLES representing the cream ^ of Connecticut grown tobacco will be exhibited at the Louisiana Exposi- tion at St. Louis. The exhibit went westward the latter part of April and will be placed in the Palace of Agri- culture. In the elaborate display from the tobacco states of the Union, New England will have a deservetl promi- nence. Included iu the display sent to St. Louis are samples of Connecticut broadleaf, Havana seed, and shade- grown Sumatra and Cuban. A promi- nent educative feature of the exhibit will be the evolution of the leaf from the time it starts in the seed-bed to the harvesting and curing. MARKETING WRAPPER 'W^HE tobacco trade continues in the •■■ hands of the packers and dealers who have for years been engaged in the business, and there is no indication that a public system of warehousing, such as is carried on in Virginia and other southern states, can be introduced into the wrappei -producing section of Warehouse Point Schneider & Morrell's four-acre to- bacco shed was burned to the ground April 12. The shed was built only a few years ago and was filled with to- bacco. It is reported that both the shed and its contents were insured. Within the past few years Schneider & Morrell have lost a dwelling house, a barn and an ice house by fire. THE SHADE-GROWERS [Ode on the Coronation of King Edward.] XL What people are these passing to the sound of pipe and drum? In the garments of all nations, and singing as they comeV By the color on the cheek. By the accent when they speak. They are foreign-born and alien, and theii homes aie far to seek; But they all come up to England, when England calls them home. XII. And these who speak the English tongue not in the English way. With the careless mien and temper self-assured, whose sons are they ? By the larger, looser stride. By the ampler ease and pride, By the quicker catch at laughter and the outlook keener-eyed, They were bred beneath the tent-cloth of a wider, whiter day. — Bliss Carman. Hard Wood Ashes In reply to a query regarding the value of hard wood ashes for tobacco rai.sing. Dr. E. H. Jenkins of the Con- necticut Experiment Station says: "For four years in succession the Connecticut agricultuial station, at New Haven, used hard wood ashes as the sole source of potash for a tobacco crop, in JtY, Suffield, Conn. Vice-President THJIDDEUS GUJIVES, Hatfield, Mass. Secretary and Treasurer PJIVL JtCKERLT, Rockville, Conn. Office S3 Trumbull Street, Hartford, Conn. Directors. Wm. F. Andross, South Windsor, Conn. Joseph H. Pierce, Enfield, Conn. M. W. Frisbie, Southington, Conn. William S. Pinney, Suffield, Ctmn. H. W. Alford, Ponuouock, Conn. Colonel E. N. Phelps, Windsor, Conn. B. M. Warner, Hatfield, Mass. F. K. Porter, Hatfield, Mass. Albert Hurd, North Hadley, Mass. J. C. Carl, Hatfield, Mass. C. M. Hubbard, Sunderland, Mass. W. H. Porter, Agawam, Mass. Lyman A. Crafts, East Whately, Mass. James S Forbes, Biunside, Conn. George O. Eno, Simsbury, Conn. W. E. Burbank, Suffield, Conn. E. O. Hills, Southwick, Ma.ss. James Morgan, HartfortI, Conn. H. Austin, Suffield, Conn. Charles H. Ashley, Deerfield, Mass H. S. Frye, Poquonock, Conn. 10 THE NEW ENGLAND :. TOBACCO GROWER Japanese Monopoly Bill Government of THat Country to Control Tobacco Business DISPATCHES from Japan state that the monopoly bill, which proposes to form a government monopoly of the tobacco business in that country, has been amended in such a manner that the total sales for the past three years of all cigarette and tobacco factories will be considered as the basis on whicli payment will be made on account of good will. It was proposed heretofore to give a sum equal to the profits for the past three years only. The bill will undoubtedly pass in its present form. The regulations govern- ing the tobacco trade are as follows: "Leaf tobacco is sold by the govern- ment according to fixed prices, but when necessary it may be sold at auction. "Nobody except a manufacturer or dealer can buy or receive any leaf to- bacco. An exception is made to leaf tobacco bought as samples under per- mission of the oiBcers authorized. "No manufacturers can make use of any mateiial other than tobacco in luannfacturing, nor can a ciealer buy or sell any material other than tobacco with the object to supply it for manu- facture of tobacco. "Any manufacturer or dealer who has any leaf tobacco placed in ware- houses outside of his establishment shall send a report, countersigned by the proprietor of such warehouses, to the local monopol}' office, indicating the location of warehouses and quantity of each of different kinds of leaf to- bacco, this report to be repeated when- ever the places of storage are changed. "Manufacturers and dealers must keep books, and enter therein particu- lars of all business transactions to be submitted to the examination of the proper officers, who will visit them from time to time. "Any leaf tobacco not sold by the government, if found in possession of any manufacturer or dealer, will be collected by the government, whomso- ever it may belong to, and remunera- tion will be paid at the proper rate. "The government can inspect ware- houses or any place tf storage of to- bacco belonging to anyone whatever, so the officers authorized can enter any place where tobacco is kept, or supposed to be kept, and take necessarj' measures for proper supervision. If in course of transmission it can be examined on the spot, wherever it may be." With regard to the effect of this monopoly upon the tobacco growing industry of the empire, in the interest of which it was adopted, and the re- sults that have accrued to the Ameri- can export trade in leaf tobacco, United .States Consul Lyon, of Kobe, Japan, in his last annual report makes the following interesting statement: "From January 1 to August 15, 1899, there existed a duty of 35 per cent, on leaf tobacco; and from the latter date the Japanese government has monopolized the import. While the 35 per cent, duty was in force, and in anticipation of the exclusive im- portation by the Japanese government, there was imported bj" merchants and manufacturers an enormous quantity of leaf tobacco, valued at #2,5^3,004, against |2, 254, 774 in isys, and |15i),- 785 in 1897. The import of 1899 seems to have glutted the market during the two years following, and to have destroyed the government's chances to do much business in the commodity, the value of the import having decreased to|22G,237 during 1900, and to |15,075 in 1901. The establishment of the government monopoly has had the effect to en- courage the raising of tobacco in this country upon a much larger scale than formerly, official estimates increasing the acreage of 1902 to til, 358 acres, expected to yield 78,177,012 pounds. "As to quantity, the Japanese are not such excessive users of tobacco individually as are found in many other countries They make more frequent use of it, but in lesser quantities; the small Japanese pipe, carried at the belt and holding less than a thimbleful, being emptied many times a day. Tobacco is largely u.sed by the natives at seaports and in larger cities in the form of cigarettes. Many are consumed by the jinrikisha men, and when one is called, he places the cigarette behind his ear, ready for another draw at the end of his run. "The American Tobacco Company has recently invaded this country with large capital and up-to-date methods, and are continuing to absorb the tiade. There were shipped from this port last year cigarettes valued at fU8 1,490, against a total export of |838,293, and nearly all the balance was sent from Osaka, in this consular distiict. Home 70 per cent, of the whole was shipped to China. During 1900 the export of cigarettes to China was more than doubled, and during 1901 that of 1900 was more than trebled. The duty on manufactured tobacco remains at 150 per cent. ' ' In New South Wales In a report to the Department of Commerce and Labor, Consul Baker at Sydnej', New South Wales, states that in the year 1897 there were 5,002 acres Ijlanted in tobacco, but in 1901 only 1,053; so that it may be said that the cultivation of tobacco in New South Wales has been somewhat of a failure, but yet it has not been given up. Siamese Twins Freak L. A. Pearson, dealer in leaf tobacco in West Milton. Ohio, has a decided novelty and one which is very inter- esting. It is a "freak" tobacco leaf and naturallv suggests "Siamese- Twins," inasmuch as it consists of two leaves on one stem that grew at right angles with each other. The variety is the Gebhart Seed. The leaves are jierfectly formed and about twenty inches in length. Sake Steam Engine JIN NO UN CEMENT WE have just placed on sale in the new store of E. U. Dens- low, 218 State Street, Hartford, Conn., a full line of up-to-date farm machinery. We make a spe- cialty of Steam, Gas and Gaso- lene Engines, and every courtesy will be extended by Mr. Denslow to those who are looking- for any- thing- in this line. THE B. I^. BRAGG CO. Springfield, MassacHtisetts ^^^^^ William J DixoM., . grVV^S*! 803 Main. Stbeet. ^ ^M YOUR CASH IS SAFE. In our fire-proof and burglar- proof vaults, your money is ab- solutely safe. The safest way to do busi- ness now-a-days is to deposit | your money and settle your ac- counts by check. Errors and disputes are prac- tically unknown where checks I are used, because the voucher | serves as a receipt and record. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 1 1 E'S well as thirty •two"conseils generaux, " and the press of every political opinion. The principal object claimed by those who have brought the bill foi- ward is to Ijeep in France the millions now paid abroad, to augment the treasury without injuring the present departments in which tobacco is now grown, and to favor the consumption of tobacco by creating a new type of which the price will permit the work- man to satisf}' his taste more economi- cally. During 1900 and 1901 the French Parliament placed 110,229,000 at the disposition of the administration of tobacco, and in 1903 the sum was raised to Ijsl 1,1 94,000. Of the |10,229,- 000 expended In 1900 and 1901, some $4,500,000 was spent for French pro- duction, from which some l|7'('3,000 must be deducted for foreign cigars and cigarettes, which French manufac- turers do not produce. This leaves ifO, 000,000 and more which yearly goes abroad for foieign tobacco, and which, according to the promoters of the bill, could easily be iept at home by raising tobacco in Fiance. The total amount of sales in these two years was 179.902.- 000, giving a net profit of neariy |(i4,- .'iOO.OOO. " This monopoly must serve the interests of our citizens," says the promoteis of the bill. There is no doubt but that at present the govern- ment aids departments which are not in soil and climate altogether favoiable to the culture of tobacco, while refus- ing it to those exceptionally favorable. French tobacco raisers in 1909 and 1901 received |166aud$170 per ton, while for foreign tobacco the adminis tration paid |270 per ton in 1900 and $262 in 1901. In 1898, |340, or exactly double the price of home raised to- bacco, was paid for the foreign article. Before 1870 tobacco culture in France embraced about 34,000 acres. Alsace-Lorraine alone produced 7,000 to 8,000 tons, or one-third the national production. Since then the consump- tion has rapidly increased, although the government during the thirty-three years has authorized only 5,000 acres more to be cultivated, when accoiding to consumption some 16,000 or 17,000 acres more were necessary. The sale of tobacco of every kind in 1870 amounted to 133.000,000: in 1901, to 167,740,000, or more than double the figure of 1870. In 1870 the consumption of tobacco was 19,000 tons, representing a sum of 124,00'', 000 in receipts: in 1901. 27,000 tons were bought, or over $19,000,000 worth more than in 1870, upon which $47,- 000,000 were realized. 12 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER THe Leaf in Austria Tobacco Monopoly Maintained by tHe Government US. CONSUL IlessfeUl, at Trieste, • Austria, furwartls to the De- partment of Coiuiaerce and Labor in Washington an interesting report upon the operation of the Austrian tobacco monopoly. Mr. Hessfeld say.s: "The manufacture and sale of to- bacco is a state monopoly in Austria, which nets the national treasury over $27,000,000 a year. Tbe government purchases the raw material, manufac- tures it into cigars, cigarettes, smoking tobacco and snuff, and sells to the con- sumer through licensed agents, who receive a fixed commission — averaging about ten per cent. — on the proceeds of their sales. "The frices are uniform throughout the Empire. There are in all fourteen brands of domestic cigars and eleven brands of cigarettes, the prices of the former ranging from 0. G cent to 3.fi cents, and those of the latter from 0.2 to 1.2 cents. Of smoking tobacco the state manufactures twenty-six vari- eties, which are sold at from 18 cents to 12.80 a pound. This tobacco is usually put up in packages containing from one to six ounces. The govern- ment factories produce, furthermore, no less than twenty-seven different kinds of snuff. This commodity is also put up in similar packages. Commoji snuff' is sold at the rate of 28 cents, and the best quality at the rate of 74 cents per pound. "Chewing not being a popular habit in Austria, the state manufactures but two kinds of chewing tobacco— both of the twist variety. This tobacco is especially cheap, twists weighing 1^,^ ounces, costing only 1.2 and 1.8 cents, respectively. "In the sale of all the various products of tobacco the state adheres strictly to the post-office principle of allowing no discounts on large sales. Whether the consumer buys one cigar or a hundred, an ounce or a pound of snuff', the rate is the same. "The total amount spent for tobacco during the year 1902 was |44,.')74,000, or about .Ifl.lfi per capita. The amount expended by the state for raw material, salaries, wages, commissions, etc., was !|lG.f)22,000. The state man- ufactured in its thirty factories 1,307,- 000,000 cigars, 3,114,000,000 cigar- ettes, 526,756,000 pounds of smoking tobacco, 30,062,560 pounds of snuff'.'' Applications of Fertilizers Phosphoric acid and potash, even in water-soluble forms, do not leach out of the soil to any appreciable extent. On the contrarj', they do not distribute themselves well enough, and therefore should be applied to some depth. Nitrogen, on the other hand, finally leaches out of the soil unless taken up by the roots of plants. In some ma- terials it is much less readily soluble than in others. Tankage, for example, should be ap- plied deep, and it is well to mix cotton- seed-meal and blood with the soil; but nitrate of soda and ammonium ."ul- phate should nearly always be applied as surface dressings. Only one application is advised for ammonium sulphate, but when large quantities, ovei 200 pounds to the acre, of nitrate are to be used, two applica- tions of 100 pounds each are often made to advantage, one when the plants are first coming up, and the other two or three weeks later. Potash salts when used in quantity, 100 pounds or more to the acre, are well applied in the fall, so that the winter rains may take out the chlorine, wnich when combined with either lime or magnesia acts in a detrimental manner to plant growth. Lime is also well applied in the fall. Acid phosphate when used as a top dressing may be applied either in the fall or early spring. ■When a small amount of fertilizer is to be uaed, it is best applied as the seed is sown or as the plants are set out, in the row or in the hill ot, when practicable, drilled with crops which are drilled. As a general rule only a heavy application of a complete fer- tilizer, saj' 1,000 pounds or more to the acre, is recommended to be applied broadcast and worked into the soil for crops which are planted in rows. Factory Burned in Tampa Hickman Brothers' cigar factoiy, at Tampa, Florida, v;ith a large quantity of tobacco on hand, was burned to the ground April 1. Two frame buildings adjoining the factory were also con- sumed. WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. Advertisements under this head cost one cent a word each time; no au vertisement taken for less tliaii twentj' cents; cash or stamps must accompany orders, which should be re- ceived by the 25th of the moiilh. FOR SALE, NORWICH HILL, MASS. A small farm; house of eij^ht rooms; g-ood barn; henhouses; plenty of fruit; running- water; near post-office, school and store; stag-e to Northampton and Huntington daily; a yood summer home. D. H. HATCH, Norwich. Mass. JENKINS & BARKER, Successors to Col. Charles L. Bordett. Patent and Tradi* Mark Causes. Solicitors of United Slates and Koreig-n Pat- ents, Desij^'us and Trade Marks. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, 50 State Street, - Hartford, Connecticot, Shade-Grown Sumatra and Shade-Grown Cuban Wrappers FOR. SXLt IN QUANTITIES \i DEilR-ED Write for Samples and Prices FOSTER Drawer 42. Hartford, Conn. THE USE OF AN Underwood Typewriter will increase your business. Rent one for a month and watch the result. Underwood Typewriter Company, rSS.rs? Main Street, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. STUDIO 1300 MAIN ST.. HARTFORD Leading Artist in Photo^rapKy and General Portraiture. Our photot,'rai)hs are not "shade" grown but are made with the clearness and exact likeness that win for us pertiianent customers. We are after your photoprapliic trade. Studio, lOSti Main St., Opposite Morgan St. HEJtDQUJtRTERS FOR mnu mnmi F. F. SMALL & CO., 9S Peart St., HMRTFORD, COMM. 14 Fort St., SPRINGFIELD, MMSS, THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER )3 Ji Decision of Interest In the cane nf the M. & E. Soloiimii Tobacco Co. vs. SiiiKiii Aueiliach & Co., which was tried in New York re- cently, judgnieiit was rendered in favor of the pbuntiflEs for upwards of ^800. The case is an important one to the tobacco trade, and is one of a series of cases involvin;; einiihir qnes- tion.s which are pending aL'idnst vari- ous importers of tobacco. Attorneys Cxnggenheimer, Untermyer & Marshall, who represent the plaintiffs, have made settlements for their clients in a number of cases heretofoie brought by them. The defendants are represented by Attorneys Einstein, Townsend & Guitevman. The fact.s as disclosed on the trial are substantially as follows; The M. & E. Hohuuon Tobacco Co., about ten years ago, purchased a quan- tity of Sumatra tobacco which Simon Aueibach & Co. had imported. The duty was to be paid by the purchaser on the government appraisement as made, with the understanding that if on a reappraisement it should be ascer- tained that a lesser amount of duty was imposed, the purchaser would have the benefit of the difference. The tobacco wa.s appraised at sixty- one cents per pound. Protests were made by the importers, and proceed- ings then remained in abeyance for a number of years, until after the de- cision of the Blumlein case, in which a decision was rendered which resulted in a reappraisal of the tobacco in ques- tion at thirty-five cents per pound. The attorneys who represented the im- porters, as a result of proceedings which were instituted, which were tediously long, recovered upon this particular purchase about |1,400, re- taining one-half as compensation for their services. The M. & E. Solomon Tobacco Co. demanded the difference of the sum so recovered, and payment having been refused, brought -this ac- tion, with the result already .stated. The I905 Turkish Crop On account of the corruption of many of the offlcials, as well as of the smuggling carried on in all parts of the sultanate, it is difiicult to obtain accurate figures as to the output of Turkish tobacco. The official returns range from ten to twenty-five per cent, below the actual amounts. Making due allowance for this condition of affairs, it may be stated that the to- bacco production of Turkey in 1903 was 90,000,000 pounds, as against 75,- 000,000 in 1903. The increase in quantity was not accompanied by an increase in quality. On the contrary, the output of fine leaf was no larger, if as large as in the previous year. This output, though the largest on record, was insufficient to meet the demand — particularly that for the finer qualities. As a result, quanti- ties were imported into the Turkish marKets from Ureece, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Roumelia. As to quality, the 1903 crop showed 20 per cent, medium, and 30 per cent, poor; while of the 1903 crop, the Baker's Traceless Harness I Ins lianii'^s is pari icul.ul y valualiU- lo ti)l.a<:tu ltow- i-rs, hiiili ill iii(. ctiUivation of open ami tloih «ov.T«-d licUls. Ouirii^td tlie absence of whiftk-treL-s and traces. closer w«jrkcaii he done with teams every where. It is the lartner's'-llaitdy Harness." saves labor, and makes farm work easier. Invaluable to every fruit KTower, orchard- i^t and liinibcrman. indorsed by users everywhere. Wriie to-day for free catalotrne. B. F. BAKER CO., ? 14 Main St., Burnt Hills, N. Y- ACME SIZHS 3 to 13)4 feet Agents Wanted Pulverizing Harrow Clod Crustier and Leveleri best pulverizer — cheapest Riding Harrow .rth. We also make walkiii),' ACMES. Acme crushes, cuts, pulverizes, turns levels all soils for all purposes. Made entiitlv of cast steel and vvioukIU iron — lAdeslructible. Sent on Trial To be returned at my ex- pense if not satisfactory. Catalogue and Booklet. "An Ideal Harrow" _ _ by Henry Stewart, mailed free. T drhvtr fob it ^ew York, Cbicaco, Colotnbos Louisville Kansas City. Minneapolis SanFrancisco, Portland, etc DUANE H. NASH, Sole Manufacturer. Miilington, New Jersey. Branch Houses: 1 1 O Washington 51.. Chicago. i^40 7lh Awe. So., Minneapolis. i3i6 W. 8th SI., Kansas City. i"LJS.\SK JIE^TION VHIS PAPEB. ratio wa? i^,") per cent, tine, 80 per cent, good, 20 pei cent, medium, and 15 per cent. poor. The poor and medium grades are in strong demand, being bought by the Austrian, Hungarian, Roumanian, Italian and French monopolies, as well as by Turkish, Egyptian, Swiss and German cigarette manufacturers. A moderate but increasing amount comes to the United States foi the low-grade cigarettes which now flood the market. Washing Powder rag issKg^ftj^ mid S-«t and Company CHICAGO Swiffs Washing Powder — foB- CLOTHING WOOLENS Swift's Washing Powder is the Tidy Housewife's best friend. Try a package and see for yourself. SWIFT PROVISION COMPANY, IQJ JOHN, STREET, BOSTON, MASS, 14 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Plea From PHilippines Memorial Sent to AVasHington A.sKing for Free Entry to United States THE following lueiiioriHl, asking for the free entry of Philippine tobacco into the United States, has been received at Washington: "Your petitioners, tht majority of whom are workers in the tobacco fac- tories of Manila, and all of them resi- dents of this capital, on behalf of themselves, their fellow workmen and families, who are at present in the direst poverty, have the honor to ask the honorable the civil governor of these islands that he obtain from the government and Congress of the United Slates prompt legislative measures in a Philippine tariff bill which will grant the free entry into the United States of Philippine tobacco, especially the manufactured ai tide, the existence of many thousands of workers being de- pendent upon it. "The free entry of Philippine manu- factured tobacco into the United States cannot harm the interests of the American manufacturers of this article, , for the reason that the Manila factories could at the most export a maximum of 150,000,000 cigars annu- ally, while the yearly consumption in America is calculated at more than ti, 300,000, 000. "Moreover, the industry in the Philippines cannot enter into serious competition with that in America, for it is well known that here the means of cultivation and production are prim- itive, the methods of manufacture have reached but a small degree of perfec- tion, and, without doubt, the finished article would be very acceptable to the great ma.ioiity of American consum- ers. "The tobacco industry in the Philip- pines, that for years has furnished a decent livelihood and future to thous- ands of families, is today threatened with imminent ruin because the best foreign markets have been lost to it, and this has brought about the closing of many factories in Manila. Every- one must have noted that thousands of Filipino tobacco workers who two or three years ago packed even the largest streets of this city morning and eve- ning are no longer seen. "During the last fiscal year the value of exports of manufactured tobacco diminished fifty percent., equivalent to about 2,000,000 Mexican pesos, which signifies the shutting down of many factories and the throwing out of employment of approximately 3,000 workers, and these figures will in- crease from year to year so long as present legislation afiiecting this mat- ter is in force. "We ate certain that the govern- ijient which rules over us will extend its protection to this very important industry of the country, and will within the shortest possible time make the voice of the working cla.sses of the Philippines be heard by the govern- ment at Washington in order that prompt legislation maj' he had." Considerable attention has been at- tracted in this connection to an inter- view with Baron Koniura, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, recently published at Washington over the signature of Alonzo H. Stewart. Mr. Stewart is the assistant doorkeeper of the United States Senate, and visited the Philippine Islands and .Japan during the last congressional reces.s as a special commissioner of the department of agriculture to investigate the resources of the Philippines and the marketing of their products. Mr. Stewart received the impression frotn several confer- ences with Baron Komura that Jajjan would be willing to negotiate a treaty with the United States under which, foi certain minor privileges under our navigation laws, Japan would make a specially favorable rate of duty on Philippine tobacco, which would thereby be absorbed and the pressure for its admission into the United States removed. In inesenting Baron Komura' s views, Mr. Stewart says; "Those products of the Orient which compete with the products of the Occi- dent should be raised in the Orient, manufacured in the Orient and sold in the Orient, and it is only in this man- ner that inevitable conflict Ijetween the two can be averted. Where the Occi- dent and the Orient come into conflict, individually the Occident may be supreme; collectively, the Orient forces everything to his own level or standard. "This led me to ask him where, as in the case of the United States, one country controls the destinies of both an Occidental and Oriental race, each of whom raise similar products, how they could be governed without a con- flict of interests. He expressed him.self of the belief that to harmoniously govern the Occident and the Orient un- der one Pag, as the United States is trying to do, laws should be enacted so as to prevent the labor and products of the one from coming into competition with those of the other, otherwise the laborers receiving the highest wages must work at the price and accept the wages paid to those who can produce the cheapest. This naturally brought us to a discussion of the articles capable of production in the Philippines, and especially those desired by Japan. "'There are two products of the Philippines,' he said, 'which the Jap- anese people would gladly take, and for many years to come could absorb the total production— tobacco and sugar. ' "Japan, it seems, is establishing a government monopoly in tobacco, and it is found that the tobacco of the Philippines is the best tobacco for the Orient, because it can stand a moist climate better than tobacco raised any- where else. This, coupled with the exceedingly low cost ot production, might warrant Japan in making ar- rangements with the United States, either by treaty or otherwise, whereby Philippine tobacco would have a prac- tical monopoly in Japan, and through it become tlie tobacco of China. This would develop the Philippines with great rapidity, provided an agri- cultural class of people could be in- duced to settle in those islands for its cultivation. The only competitors of Oriental tobacco would be the tropical colonies of England, France and the Netheilands. " lot THAT MY are those that reach just the class of peo- ple to whom you want to sell your go&ds. If you want to do business with the to- bacco g rowers of New England, the adver- tising medium to use is The New Eng- I, AND Tobacco Grower. Intelligent adver- tising in The New England Tobacco Grower makes good customers. It brings not merely a tran- s i e n t trade, but steady business, for the tobacco growing industry is such that the grower finds himself in need of new equipment and new supplies at every season of the year. ^fye NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GRO"WER, Hartford. Connecticut. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER t5 ^^wwuwywvk'vwvwwwwvwk'wwvwyywykvwv^^ luthe:r m. case:. WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, Packer and Dealer in Connecticut Leaf Tobacco. Shade Grown j^j^ Sumatra in Bales. Main Warehouse and Office, Pine Meadow, Conn. BRMMCH IVJtREHOVSES: Southwlclt, Mass.,— Foreman, H. L. Miller. East Canaan. Conn.,— Foreman, L. F. lironson. IJarkhamsted, Conn.,— Foreman, L- A. T,ee. North Hatfield, Mass.,— Foreman. Willis Holden. New Hartford. Conn.,— Foreman, James Stewart. SUMATRA PLANTATIONS: Pine Meadow, Conn., 25 Acres Barkhamsted, Conn., 20 Acres Southwick, Mass., 15 Acres Always in the market for old Tobncco if well assorted and packed. ^ Havana Seed Wrap- pers a specialty, assorted and sized into thirty-two grades. ...... Jy' ''^mmmmfmmmmmfmmmm^m^f^. Trend, of Immigration Some of the Southern States are waking up to the need of adding to their wliite population. An indus- trial revolution is going on at the South. The increase in cotton manu- facturing has called thousands of white people away from the farms to the factory. Several causes, among others the danger from the boll weevil, are changing the whole aspect of cotton growing. The result is that the South feels the need of diversified farming as never before, while the necessary skilled labor is lacking. Southern agriculture would be more promising today if during the past 30 years thousands of the best negroes could have been trained to skillful service on the farm. The majority of leading men do not apparently believe yet that such train- ing is possible, and they aie hoping to attract immigrants from southern Europe. South Carolina will send an agricultural commissioner abroad to present the advantages of that State. It seems to us that the South has waited too long. Foreigners have already spread all over the North and West. In 1900 there were in New York City alone 2,213,0.58 persons with both parents born in foreign countries. Those who come now are most likely to go where their friends or relatives are located and as the irrigated districts are opened in the Far West immigrants Irom southern Europe will be likely to go there if they see farm work at all. We do not think the southern people can seriously expect to attract immi- grants from northern Europe, for such immigration flows along close lines of latitude, and rarely goes very far south. Another thing which the southern people must consider is the evident fact that the northeastern part of this country will hereafter attract from other sections instead of sending its own people away. New York, New England and Pennsylvania have dur- ing the past 50 years sent millions of men and women and millions more in money to settle and develop the West. Now a movement has started to stop this flow, and start it back again. We believe this will succeed, for the eastern country has many advantages which other sections cannot match. We think the South is about 20 years too late in starting its call for Euro- peans. It can no longer attract the cream. The northern farm is to have its innings once more. In New York State the struggle tc obtain the build- ing for the agricultural collef;e is bringing farmers together for a dozen worthy purposes. — Rural New Yorker. Glastonbury Frank Urbanski has sold his tobacco, about twelve acres, to Edward Good- win. STABLE PiPHllItE IN CAR. OR. CARGO LOT^ Prompt Delivery Lowest Prices /{. M. Goodrich HARTFORD AND NEW YORK TRANSPORTATION COMPANY HARTFORD CONNECTICUT IT'S A GOOD THING TO KNOW: The best place in Uarlford to buy Jew elry, tobuya watch, to have a watch repaired. It's over on Pearl street, just a little way from Main. GEORGE W. BALL, Diamond Broker and Jeweler, 65 PEARL ST.. HARTFORD. CONN. 16 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER ^" oooooooo ^"^ o o o o o o ^"^ o ^^ o ^^ o ^^ o o o o ^"^ o ^"^ o ^^ o ^"^ o InLtemational Tobacco ClotH ^° ^ ^' ^° ^° .;^ I HE superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth has been fully dem- onstrated in the field €1 High-grade material and skilful construction, combined with long experience in manufacturing this class of fabric, accounts for the superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth €L Made in all required widths; shipments prompt and complete. Forbes ®. Wallace Spring'field, Mass. ^ ^ o -^ o o ^.^ o _—. o __. o ^^e New England Tobacco Grower VOL. V. No. 4. The Pagoda rises to a height of 52 feet sur- mounted by a sphere which supports a ship sailing in a sea of to- bacco. HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, JUNE, J904. ■4' f} $J.OO A YEAR The entire structure is covered with tobacco, and the leaf is used in | working out clever dec- ' orative effects. TOBACCO PAGODA AT THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION. ^^^^^ THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER IMPORTJtNT DECISION In lesponsje to an application made ';by the Tobacco Leaf, the treasury department has rendered an important decision covering questions raised in a large niimbor of inquiries with regard to the eligibility to entry at reciprocity rates of duty of Cuban tobacco export- ed from the island to a foreign coun- try before the treaty took elfect, and imported into the United States after .the convention went into force. The geneial proposition involved in 'these inquiries was ruled upon under ■date of February 19 last, when the de- paitment held that "articles, the pro- duct of the soil or industry of Cuba, exjioited to another country and thence imported into the United States subse- quent to the taking effect of the said convention, are entitled to the reduc- tion of duty therein provided. " This decision, however, did not cover the question of the whereabouts or custody of the tobacco after its arrival in the foreign country and prior to its expor- tation to the United States, nor did the department undertake to lay t'own any specifications as to the character of the evidence which should be recjuiied for the identification of the tobacco Considerable correspondence has since taken place between the depart- ment and the collectors of customs at New York and other leading ports, and, as shown in this new decision, the conclusion has been reached that importers who desire to bring into the United States, at the reduced lates of duty, Cuban leaf which was shipped abroad before the treaty took effect, must he prepaied to show that the to- bacco was shipped diiectly to the coun- try from which it is proposed to ex- port it to the United States, and that while in such country it did not pass out of the custody of the customs officials. The Soy Bean The .soy beau is an excellent forage crop and is now grown all over the south and west, and is found quite satisfactory as far north as the latitude of central Illinois. Because of its bushy growth it is preferred to cowpeas by a great many farmers, as it is easier handled and cured in the humitl regions. The value of this crop is no longer doubted, and it is advisable for every farmer who wants a nitrogen gathering crop to try soy beans. The whole plant can be siloed, it can be ent and cured for hay, or it can be grown for seed. For this last pui'pose it is especially valuable for fattening hogs. The land for soy beans should be prepared about the same as for corn. Any good corn land will answer very nicely. The ground should not be plowed Ttntil just before planting time. This plant is tender, cousecjuently should not be put in the ground until late in the season — say late May or early June. The ground must be thoroughlj- warmed or the young plants will not grow well. As only 80 to 100 daj'S are required to mature ,soy beans, they need not be' planted early. Tobacco in Java U. S. Consul Rairden, at Batavia, Java, has made a brief but interesting rejiort to the Department of Commerce and Labor, at Washington, with regard to conditions in the tobacco industry in the island, in the course of which he says: "During the year an American com- mercial traveler visited this place with the intention of making direct connec- tions in tobacco with his firm in the United States. He appeared to think that should he hold out profitalile in- ducements he would have no difficulty in arranging for direct shipments from here to the United States. After being here a short time and making the necessary inquiries, this gentleman found that it was useless to attempt to do business direct with the tobacco planters, all business must be done through the Amsterdam maiket. "The manufacture of cigars from Java tobacco is still successfully carried on at Samarang, and I understand the output has increased greatly the last year. These cheap local cigars are re- tailed to the Chinese and natives at one Dutch cent (less than 0.r> cent in United States cuii-ency) each. "During 1903 theie were exported from Dutch India 10;>,93(!,()00 pounds of tobacco, valued at $1."), 117,731, of which 78,(i97,700 pounds, valued at !?11.431,219, were exported to Holland alone. The total exportation for 190:.' was thus 7,79(i,800 pounds in excess of that for 1901. Prices for the year ranged from 30 to 33 cents per kilo- gram (3.3 pounds)." Jlrson JUtempted Au attempt was made to fire the large brick tobacco warehouse on the corner of Duke and Chestnut streets. in Lancaster, Pa., on May 5. It is thought arson was attempted to cover a robbery. The building is a large three-story, with basement, brick struc- ture. The eastern end is occupied by B. M. Mavery <& Co., agents of Elias Bach & Sons, of New York, and the eastern half by W. K. Cooper, also a leaf dealer. Isaac Stiik & Co. also had some tobacco stored in the building, as had Edward Kready. So far as can be ascertained there were 3,:i00 cases of tobacco in the building, of which 1,000 cases are the property of Elias Bach & Sons, 300 cases belonging to B. M. Mavery and 1,000 in the Cooper half of the warehouse, all of which, except several hundred cases were Mr. Cooper's property. The tobacco was mostly of the 1903 crop, with some of 1903. Covers for Cigar Tips Covers for cigar tips have be« u ex- amined by the analytical bureau of Aitona. The covers are supposed to absorb the nicotine frOui the tobacco smoke. The used covers contained a very small quantity of nicotine. Andrews & Peck^ MANUFACTURERS, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Doors, Windows and Blinds. Manufacturers' Agenfs for Akron Sewer Pipe and Land Tile. We make a specialty of hotbed sash. Office, 88 MarKet .Street, Mill: Charter Oak and Vredcndalc Avenues, HARTFORD, CONN. Dl IIV/IOO KIDER A.ND ERICSSON. All Sizes. New and Second Hand, rUIVIl O from S4S.O0 up. All Repairs. D/^ll CDO Second Hand, 35 H. P., Sleani. $"I).(HI. No. 5. Second Hand Dvyll—ClriO ScoUay at fSO.OO. New Boilers at Low Prices. RQC^ New 2 in., Full Lengrths at 9'/(c.; Second Hand, 2 in.. ">;c.: IVa in., S^e-: it l'/4 in., 4V2C.; 1 in., 3f4c.; Ji in.. 3c. Fitlitig-s I'f all Kinds. PIPE CUTTERS NEW SAUNDERS PATTERN No. 1, jl.OO; No. 2, *i.30. STOCKS AND DIES NEW ECONOMY No. 1, S3.iHl, No. 2, S4.00. STILLSON WRENCHES NEW IS inch, S1.6S, 24 inch, $2.40. PIPE VISES NEW No. 1, HINGED, S2.2S. O A D P\ C M I— I r\ O C NEW Yt in.. Guaranteed 100 lbs. Water Pressure VjrAril— 'CIN nvyoC. 7;=c. per foot: not Guaranteed, 4;';c. per toot. /^I AOO '^''"■' I'"'24, Double, Natural Gas Made Glass, S3.40 per Box; \Ji L_MOO 14.\20, Double, S3.20; 12.\1(j, Sing-le, S2.30-, 10.\12 and S.vlO, Single, S2.2S HOT BED SASH NEW, No. 1 CYPRESS, 70c. COMPLETE, FROM S1.60 UP. Get Our Prices for New Cypress Building- Material, Ventilating Apparatus, Oil, Putty, White Lead, Points, Ac. Metropolitan Material Company 1598-1400=1402. 1404=1406=1408 Metropolitan Jtuenue BROOKLYN, NE^V YORK ^he New C^ngland Tobacco Grow^er HARTFORD CONNECTICUT JUNE 1904 Season is Late But Plants Are Thrifty and Promising. Growers Begin Setting Westfield The season with ws i.s hite, but is tatchiiig- up fast. There are some tine beds of tobacco plants and some that are thin and late. J. E. Merick has 20 ca.ses of 1903 and Sa cases of 190S, and Homer Buck 43 cases of I'JOiJ, both good crops. O. W. Hanford has a good crop not sold. The Luomis Brothers have 30 cases of ly03 and TO cases of 1903. Chas. H. Dewey has plants ready to set. Sitnsbury The season is a little late. The wet cold weather of last week was not favorable to the growth of plants; but the warm rain of the last few days is bringing them along m fine shape. Not every grower has been success- ful with his seed-beds, but such as have plants tind them thrifty and promising. E. A. Haskins. C. N. Eno and «. C. Eno are setting their plants and others are about ready. Feeding Hills Considerable tobacco has been set on the E. H. Smith farm, both in the open and under teuts. They have an abundance of plants, and will be obliged to rush matters in order to Keep np with their growtli, now that bright sunshine is giving them an added impetus. Over 1,000,000 plants will be required for the 140 acres which are to be planted, not to mention the possibly many thousands for reset- ting. East Hartford The tobacco warehouse of P.Denner- lein & Sons has been closed for the season. About 1,800 cases of Havana seed, most of which was raised in Suf- fleld and vicinity, were packed. R. A. Sykes and Charles Skinner have delivered their tobacco crops to E. O. Goodwin. Warehouse Point The insurance companies have settled their losses with Schneider & Morrell for the tobacco shed and to- bacco which were destroyed by tire. The amount paid is said to bo ijl.l.'SO. Glastonbury More than $400 worth of tobacco be- longing to Miss Emeline Kann and William Clark, jointly, unaccountably caught tire May G and was entirely destroyed. Besides two acres of new tobacco, 1(5 bales of old tobacco were also burned. The tobacco had been sold to Edward O. Goodwin of East Hartford and was to have been de- livered the following day. The tianies were checked in time so tliat the shed itself was uninjured. The loss is covered by insurance. Enfield Street The farmers aie pushing their work in all tlirections. The pr(js[iects are generally good. Tobacco plants are looking fine. Some farmers expect to set their tobacco by the Hrst of June. East Whately Charles E. Waits has sold 13 acres, assorted and packed, at private terms. L. F. Graves recently sold about 70 cases, assorted and packed, at private terms; also about an acre of shade- grown Sumatra. Suffield Edmund Halladay has returned from St. Louis, where he has been getting the Connecticut tobacco e.xhibit in place and ready for the exposition. Mr. Halladay will go to St. Louis again later in the summer for a longer stay. Leaf Tobacco in Mexico The total annual production of leaf tobacco in Mexico, according to a Mexican correspondent of Dun's Review, amounts to 3.5,400,000 pounds, nearly all of which is consumed at home. Only one district engages largely in tobacco growing for export purposes, this going to Antwerp, Ham- burg and Bremen. Rates of duty on tobacco practically prohibit Mexican leaf coming into this country. IQentucky Shade^Grown The exi)erini('ntal crop of tent to- bacco raised by J. W. Stump, of Hai - risen county, Kentucky, last year, was a success. It was sold recently at 3.") cents per jjound. Mr. .Stump says: "This tobacco was cultivated the same as that grown in the open field, and cured like any other wrapper tobacco. The leaf was of the white burley variety and I aimed to grow it express- ly for cigarette wrapjjers. The ven- ture was a success in every way. " Florida's Bright Prospects In every section of the tobacco section in Florida can now be seen vast tobacco shades, both of cheese cloth and slats, the tops of the former resembling immense lakes, and under- neath these Sumatra tobacco plants are beginning to take root and assume a healthy and thriving appearance. On the largo jilantations, as well as the small, the .setting-out season is draw- ing to a close, and with favorable seasons such as were had last year, another great success will be scored and [)rosperity in its fullest measure be again visited upon the growers. Tobacco in Switzerland lu some parts of West Switzerland tlie cultivation of tobacco is still an important factor in agriculture. 135,- 000 kg. of tobacco which had been grown in the Freiburg Lake district were sent off from two railwaj- sta- tions a short time ago. The average price was 00 francs per metric cwt. Eighteenth Century Snuff-box At a recent sale hehi by Christies at London, a snuff-box of the eighteenth century, which is without doubt the most magniticent of that period, was sold for .132,000. The sides, top and bottom are formed of panels of enamel, ornamented with paintings of various flowers by Hainelin, signed and dated 17.")S. The framework of the box is of solid gold, incrusted with diamonds of the first water. Effect of Increased British Tax The proposed additional duty of si.x cents per pound on strips, or stemmed tobacco, has caused the discharge of about one thousand stemmers in Henderson, Kentucky, which will also be (juite a loss to the merchants. They will stem no more tobacco until the i]uestion has been finally settled by the English Parliament. Siinilai con- ditions prevail in all the stemming marts. Philadelphia Leaf Market Dealers in seed-leaf tobacco are doing a fairly good business. Desir- able binder stocks are picked up at every opportunity, and a fair volume of business is also done in Connecticut leaf notwithstanding the rather high prices that are ruling. Sumatra tobacco of the new crop is meeting with increased favor as time goes by, and a considerable quantity has changed hands in this market since the arrival of samples of the first purchases of this year's offerings. A fair volume of business is also reported in old goods. Havana is holding its own, and old Remedios are moving steadily, while the new goods are receiving quite as much attention as was expected. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Setting tHe Plants Growers Are No^v Busy Transferring Same From Seed-Bed to Field Suffield A few of the growers hava coiu- menced setting tobacco and by the first of June the work will be in full blast. The season is about a week later than last year, but if a favorable suiuiuer should develop, the growers will find no fault on that score. ■ Some of the growers here began set- ting about May 25. J. P. Spencer was the first to comuieuce planting. No lecent sales. Very little tobacco was packed this season by the growers, as the 190;5 crop was pretty well cleaned up. June 1 will see about the average amount of tobacco planted in this sec- tion. Hinsdale The season has been a little back- ward, but seed-beds are looking well, and setting will begin as early as usual, Jund 1. Plants never looked better. They have made a very quick and healthy growth. There are only two lots of 190;5 to- bacco left in town, those of L. F. Tisconie and G. M. Wright. O. 8. Higgins has sold two crops of his tobacco to William J. Gabb of Bloomfield and one crop to Lewis Peters & Co., of Detroit, Mich. The prices were, for the 1901 crop, nine cents, the 1902 crop was five and one- half cents a pouiid. There were about twenty tons in the three crops. A. L. Taylor and William Fales also sold to Lewis Peters & Co., for seven and one- half cents a pound. North field No sales of tobacco, altliuugh there are two or three good lots on hand among the farmers. Not as great an acreage is antici- pated this year as last season. East Hartford The season is about one week late. At this writing the following are set- ting: A. y. Bidwell, Frank Burnham, P. Lawton, J. T. Newton, Bancroft Bros., and others. Plants are doing well. Several new sheds have been built. The acreage is about tiie same as in 1903. H. G. Church is holding his entire crop {VI acres) of 19UH, for a better price; he is in the Tliird District, South Windsor. Setting will advance rapidly the first week in June. Anuhoss. Nations* Tastes in Tobacco A Peculiar Fact That No T'wo Countries Use tHe Same Leaf IT is a peculiar fact that no two countries import the same sorts of tobacco. The French regie, or govern- ment, tobacco department takes several different kinds from the LTnited States, their total yearly import being about 80, 000, 000 pounds. But two things they insist upon — that the stem shall be free fiom mould, and the leaf loose enough to open freely. Piel)ald, or cherry-red, leaves are the German favorites. The German tobacco manufactureis like a heavy, gummy leaf, and they prepare this liy treating it with what are termed iu the trade "sweet sauces." This makes the leaf black. Most of the leaf the Germans buy comes fiom Tenne.ssee and Kentucky. Quantities of "spangled" tobacco are al.^o imported into Germany. This is a pretty yellow leaf, with red spangles. Much of this spangled tobacco is imported into Bremen, where it is repacked in lighter casks and sent on to Russia. Italy, Austria, and Spain all possess government monopolies of tobacco, but in each case their requisitions are quite different. Italy likes a very long leaf, as much as 20 iuches iu length, of delicate fibre and dark-hrown color. It must be elastic and strong. Italy uses a largj (juantity of very coarse Hungarian tobacco. Austria also manufactures much of the cheap Hungarian leaf, but hei choicer brands and cigars aie made of very good American tobacco. Tliis is of a firm texture, and beautifully glossy. Spain, not lieing one of the richest of countries, purchases idieap tobacco. A nondescript leaf of light type is largely bought, and is not cut, but powdered. It burns very quickly, and is hot to the tongue. Black, fat, anil heavj- tobaccos suit the Dutchman; but the Nethei lands buy a certain ainotmt of what is known as "Dutch Saucer," a tine cigar wrapper of a silky type, which is used for making Dutch cigars. Going further north, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all have very similar tastes. Heavy tobaccos, cured by fire, are their favorites; and these leaves,/ be- fore being manufactured, aie dipped in sweet mixtures of liquorice and sugar. Hatfield In this section the season is about the average. The plants are thrifty and promising. About half the growers were able to begin setting early. Richard Fitzgerald has s;)ld his fine crop of 39 cases to E. Bach of New York at p. t. There are twelve nice crops of Havana seed in town. John Sting- line, Chas. Warner, E. Godin. E. S. Warnsr, T. Graves, H. S. Hibbard, Jos. Goliu, W. W. Goer have the lai'gest crops, which are all cased. Several Ijuyers pissed through tow;i recently in an automobile. It seems their chauffeur did not know where the good crops were. Feeding Hills Plants have grown rapidly for the last ten days, and .setting has com- menced at the Hinsdale Smith farm. The tents are being put in readiness for about twenty acres. The other farmers will commence setting about the first of June. Conway, Massachusetts The tobacco plants are growing well. Setting began about the twenty-fifth. That is late for farmers here, as they usually begin abaut the fifteenth. Tobacco Grown in Syria The following is taken from the re- port of the German Consulate at Bey- route: Syria grows various kinds of tobacco. Peculiar to it is the so-called Aburilia, a kind containing saltpetre and burning with a black ash, which grows in the neighborhood of Latakia and comes into the market exclusively from there. Iu normal years about 4.000 bales of 100 kg. are shipped to Gieat Britain, which is the only Euro- pean customer. In 1902 the ciop was a particularly large one; G,.'j09 bales were shipped and 2,000 bales remained irusold at the port to which they liad been sent on account of their inferior or mixed (]uality. Lately the Ottoman Tobacco Regie Company in Constantinople, which lays claim to the sole right of buying the raw tobacco (but up to now unsui'cessfully with regard to Syria), is said to have secured the English de- liveries in the place of private dealers. Other kinds of tobacco are cultivated, principally round Damascus, Beaka, Yebel, Saida and also iu the Lebanon. Sutter Bros. Reorganize Judge Kohlsaat, of Cliicago, has ordered the receivers of Sutter Bros, to turn the assets of the firm over to the latter, and this has been done. The Sutters have incorporated with a capital stock of |100,000, and the nau)e under which business will be conducted will in all prol)ability be the Sutter Brothers Co. The officers will in all likelihood consist simply of the former uieuibers of the hou.se, L. P., A. S., John E., Jacob and Edward A. Sutter. The New York and St. Louis branches will be main- tained, but they will have no Havana house tor the present. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Bowkcr's Tobacco Fertilizers have for over twenty years been producing the best and finest crops of tobacco in the Connecticut Valley, because they supply the plant food that is best for tobacco, and plenty of it to carry the crop through to maturity. Mr. B, N. Alderman, East Granby, Conn., .says: "I am partial to the Bovvker Tobacco Ash Fertilizer because it acts very quickly and also carries the crop through." Another grower writes : "The Bowker g-Qods also show the second year which is important in repeated use of the same g^round." BOWfCiTli FERTILIZER COMPANY, \J ▼▼ im. JCL^ iX. R0.VT01SI ar.H VITAV YORK BOSTON and NE'W YORK. 220 State Street, Hartford, Conn. Types of Tobacco Valuable Suggestions Made by Dr. JenKins of Experiment Station DR. E. H. JENKINS of New Haven has jnst published a re- port of the experiments of the Con- necticut agricultural esjieriment sta- tion with Sumatra tobacco in 1903. In the course of the report he says: "It is certain that the leaf of both broad-leaf and Connecticut Havana of favorite strains which are named usually from the originator or grower, become gradually larger from succes- sive crops of seed. This fact leads careful growers to lay by a large quantity of seed and u.se from this store as long as it keeps its vitality, r.sually from eight to twelve years, instead of saving seed each year for the next year's sowing; for by the latter practice the leaves will glow larger and larger year by year till their size lessens the value of the crop. "A common fault at present with our Connecticut Havana is that many of the wrappers are so large that they cut to waste: that is, after all the wrappers possible have been cut from a leaf which has cost the cigarmaker from 30 to 40 or 50 cents per pound, there is left too much tobacco which can only be used for scrap at three to five cents per pound. "Piobably IS to 20 inches is the best length of the cured feimented and seasoned Sumatra leaf as it goes to the manufacturer. "This means a length of 20 to 22 inches in the field, for in the curing, fermenting and seasoning process there isashiinkage in length of one and a half to two inches in leaves of that size. "The leaf, moreover, should not taper gradually ■ to either end, but should approach an oval or egg shape, so as to allow of cutting four good sized wrappers from a single leaf, leaving comparatively little behind but the 'stem' or midrib. "The more good leaves of this sort which i-an be fully ripened on a single stalk, the better, of course. Biit the shade-grown Sumatra differs from our domestic leaf in this, that those leaves which are not peifectly ripe cannot be used for wrappers at all on account of their vile taste and are worthless for any purpose. "The above considerations have led us to believe that while growers are learning how to grow, cure, ferment and pack the crop, it is equally neces- sarj- to endeavor by select io.i to get a strain of Sumatra .seed which will yield crops uniform in respect of type of tobacco at least and as nearly uni- form and desirable in size and shape of leaf as is possible. There is a simi- lar demand for a more careful selec- tion of seed of cur broad-leaf and Havana seed varieties in order to es- tablish and maintain the most desir- able form and shape." Bans on Tobacco Strange as it may appear now, both Sultans of Turkey and Sliabs of Persia have tried their best to put down smoking. In Turkey, formerlj', smok- ing was a crime, punishable by the offenders having their pipes thrust through their noses, and in Russia in 1(134 the noses of smokers were cut off. In Tran.sylvania offenders were fined from 3 to 200 florins. In Berne, Switzerland, in 1661, where crimes were divided into sections according to the Ten Commandments, smoking was classed with adultery. The tri- bunal to put down smoking, called chambreautabac, continued to the middle of the eighteenth century. The climax was reached by Amarath IV, king of Persia, who made it a capital offense. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Rotation of Crops HapHazard MetHods Follo^ved in Many Parts o^ tKe United States INFORMATION collected by the Department of Agriculture shows that haphazard is a mild word to de- scribe the impression given b.y reading the reports on the rotation of crops in many counties and parts ot counties of the United States. Although there may be an annual change of crop on the same laud, this change is so uncer- tain, so unsystematic, that at first it seems impossible to establish order out of the chaotic mass of particulars. Throughout the region north of the cotton belt there is a three-crop rota- tion which may be regarded as a sys- tem with innumerable variations. These crops are corn, small grain (wheat, oats, barley, rye), and grass or legumes; and the period covered by the rotation in some of its variations Is commonly four or five years and not infrequently extends to eight or ten or more years, the length of the period de- pending mostly upon the ability of the grass or legumes to remain jiroductive. Sooner or later most of the tillable land that is not bottom land or is not devoted to one crop, fruit or vege- tables, passes through this rotation, but often with interruptions or the ad- mixture of other crops in the effort to adapt the products to markets, prices, soil, weather, and the special or general objects of farming. In some regions which produce con- siderable tobacco, potatoes, or beans, a portion of the land that would other- wise be given to corn may be given to one of these crops in this general rota- tion. In the cotton belt, as far as any sys- tematic rotation of crops is discover- able, it is cotton and corn, bxit this is subject to the repetition of cotton be- cause of larger area than corn, to the resting of the soil for a year, to the inclusion of cow peas, and of various small crops of sorghum, oats, sweet Ijotatoes, and the like, in the couise of several years, during which the primary rotation may have occurred two or three times. In the arid and semi-arid regions, which comprise that part of the coun- try lying west of the one hundredth meridian, except a border on the Paci- fic Ocean, the crop rotation, outside of vegetable and fruit production, tends to maintain the growth of alfalfa as long as possible. In the reseeding year wheat or other small grain is sown. There is, however, consider- able resting of land throughout this entire region as a poor sub.stitute for the renewing the fertility of the land by the use of alfalfa, for alfalfa is not grown where giain is the chief pro- duct. In western Oregon and Wash- ington, where the rainfall permits the introduction of grasses, the rotation chiefly includes only small grains and grasses, and in some counties only the small grains. The reports on the practice of rota- tion, or non-practice of it, as to tobac- co growing, are as follows: Connecticut — Tobacco without rota- tion, Hartford County. Corn (rye sewn), (Rye jjloughed under), tobacco, grass, Litchfield. Tobacco two yeais, corn, tobacco, clover, Tolland. Pennsylvania — Tobacco, oats, wheat, haj', Clinton. Tobacco without rota- tion, Tioga, Bradford. Ohio— Tobacco, wheat, grass two j'ears, Montgomery, Brown, and quite general. Wisconsin — Corn, tobacco three J'ears, .Jeilerson Rock. Tobacco with- out rotation, Crawford, Vernon, Columbia. Virginia — Tobacco, wheat, clover two years, Pittsylvania, Halifax, Charlotte, Lunenbui'g, Bedford, Brunswick, Not- toway, Cumberland. Tobacco, wheat, Halifax. Bright tobacco, rest, Mecklenburg. New land grows two to five crops of tobacco, then wheat. North Carolina — Tobacco, wheat, corn, Stokes, Nash. Corn, tobacco, hay, or rest, Pitt. Kentucky — Tobacco, wheat, clover. Graves. Caldwell. Webster. Corn, to- bacco, wheat, clover, two yeais, Christian. On new land, corn, tobac- co wheat. Graves, Logan. Origin of Tobacco "I have been favored with an In:liaii tradition concerning the origin of to- bacco, Indian corn and wheat, which, although you may have .seen it before, I shall recite. " said the poet laureate of all the Pascagoulas to a New Oi leans man. "At .some distant period two Indian youths, pursuing the pleasures of the chase, were led to a remote and unfrequented part of the forest, where, being fatigued and hungry, they sat down to repose themselves and to dress tbeir victuals. While they were thus employed the spirit of the woods, at- tracted, as it is supposed, by the un- usual and savory smell of the vension, approached them in the form of a beautiful female and seated herself l)eside them. "The youths, awed by the presence of so superior a being and struck with gratitude for the condescension which she had shown them in becoming their guest, j)resented to her in the most respectful manner a share of their re- past, which she was pleased to accept and upon which she regaled with seem- ing satisfaction. The repast being finished, the female spirit having thanked them corilially for their atten tion and informed them that if thej' would return to the same place after the revolution of twelve moons they would find something which would recompense their kindness disappeared from their sight. "The youths having watched the revolving moons ami having returned at the aijpointed time, found that upon the place on which the right arm of the goddess had reclined an ear of Indian corn had sprung up; under her left ft stalk of wheat; and from the spot on which she had been .seated was growing a flourishing plant of tobacco. " Farmers' Consolidated Company The Farmers' Consolidated Tobacco Company was organized last fall at Greenville, North Carolina, for the purpose of doing a warehouse business. They have closed up their business for the selling of the 1903 crop of tobacco, which was very satisfactory, as a large dividend was paid the stockholders. For this year's crop they will operate three warehouses. Good Farming Pays "It paj's to raise tobacco if it is properly cultivated and cared for, remarKed a Southern farmer. Said he: "I have a little farm in Stokes county, on which is a negro tenant with one horse. On three acres this man grew 4,00(1 pounds of tobacco, which aver- aged him seven cents, or |280 for the three acres. Besides he rai.sed HOG bushels of corn, wheat enough to do him. and sold watermelons and other things.'' APPARATUS Of all kinds, of large or small capacily, Mounted & Portable Outfits. Send for sfircidl Gaialogui.-. PUMPS For Fac- tories or Private Use. FAIRBANKS-MORSE Gasoline Engines hum n to 7,') Hui-s(_' I'uwt'r lu want. We make a specialty of Water SHi>pl.v Out- fits for romitry Kstates. CHARLES J. JAGER COMPANV 174 HIGH ST., BOSTON, MASS. I YOUR HORSE Vj is worth helping. 5j If siclv or lame, K cure hi in. I DANIELS* REMEDIES ^ for Home Tieaimeiil ^ 3 "f Horses and Cattle. K y5 Hif Veterinary boou from ^ F? any drutrtrisl if you ask him, ^ Kj or mailed free if you mention K y$ this paper. K |iVs?.JJ,':1i^1i:Dr.A.G.DANIELS| THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER THE BE6:T yet made Specially Designed for iRACTICAL ^OWER URPOSES The Fairbanks Gasolene Engine Is the most powerful, easiest working and easiest adjusted engine ever made. Solid and substantial in construction, few parts and no waste metal. Every pound has work to do. These important features are the excuse for its great popularity. Do not place your order for a gasolene engine until you have seen and investigated the "Fair, banks." Correspondence solicited. The Fairbanks Company, 314 (Si, 316 Pearl Street, - Hartford, Conn. Can be seen in operation at the above address New York, N. Y. Albiiny. N. Y. Philariclpliia, Pa. Baltimore, Md. New Orleans, La. Boston, Mass. Syracuse, M. Y Buffalo, N. \'. Montreal, Que. L,oudon, E. C. Pittsburg-, Pa. Vancouver, B. C. Toronto, Out. Tobacco in Porto Rico TKere Are No'w Over 300 Acres Under Cultivation on tHe Island THE cnltivatiuu of tobacco in Poito Rico is booming. There are over 300 acres on the island now under cloth. A very fine leaf has been obtained. The shade method has only been on trial two seas^ons, but al- ready it has been demonstrated that Porto Rico will not have to imijoit her cigar wrapper in the future. The Porto Rican brand of tobacco is of very strong flavor, and mostly dark. In a number of the districts of the island r)0 per cent, of the cultivable soil is devoted to the raising of the leaf. The planting of tobacco fell off some- what as soon as Cuba, after becoming independent, placed a prohibitive taritt on the product. Much of the Porto Rico yield went to Cuba before that time, and after being made into cigars and cigarettes was captioned as Cuban. As Cuba got the best of the Porto Rican crop, it left only a quality for shipment as Porto Rican tobacco, that was good enough for filler.s. The consequence was that the tobacco de- nominated Porto Rican received a black eye. .Since Uncle Sam has been in posises- sion, however, the fame of Porto Rican tobacco is increasing. The yield from the canvas pi'ocess has virov- en that a quality second to none can be raised there. Tobacco is shipped in great quantities from Porto Rico now, and not disguised under any other name. The island is rapidly re- covering from the falling off in plant- ing which followed Cuba's tariff. American capital has also come to the rescue, and the superior methods of cultivation of the past few months are the result. The leaf liy leaf stringing process has been adopted in the drying, and this has improved the brand. Last year was a comparatively dull season for the planters, but the next harvest will be exceptionally large, if the crop meets with no mishap. The Cavey district is where the canvas cul- tivation is carried on. This is the largest tobacco growing section of the island. The last authentic statistics obtainable show that in 1897 the tobac- co yield in Porto Rico was about (i,2.'50, 000 pounds. A great deal of the poorer kind is shipped to Germany. A Chicago manufacturer who recently vi.sited San Juan declared that he stood ready to buy a tenth of the coming yield, and preferred it for its peculiar fine flavor and strength. Experiments in Neiv South Wales Over a year ago, with the object of applying a scientific knowledge and more s3-stematic method to the Victo- rian practice of tobacco growing, ex- perimental work \at the Edi tobacco farm in New South Wales was placed under the control of Mr. Howell, chem- ist of agriculture. The varieties grown have been submitted to the to- bacco manufacturing companies in Sydney, who have expressed high ap- proval of the quality. The manager of the States Tobacco Company re- ports: "They are the best samples of Australian grown cigar leaf we have ever had submitteil to us, and we would be prepared to purchase a large quan- tity of such leaf, at a price which, we believe, would be profitable to the grower, even allowing for the extra cost of gi'owing. " Cuban Leaf in Texas The Lavaca County Tobacco Com- pany has been tormed at Hallettsville, Texas, with F. Simpson president, and William Blakeslee secretary. A con- tract has been made with C. J. Hud- gins, of Pensacola, Fla., to superin- tend the planting, cultivating and curing of the crop of tobacco for the company. About 35 acres will be jjlanted in Cuban tobacco and a few acres in Sumatra wrapper. It is thought that about 75 to 100 acres will be planted in Cuban tobacco within ten miles of Hallettsville. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER ^Ae New England Tobacco Grower Published monthly by Tobacco Grower Publishing Co. S3 Trumbull street, Hartford Fire Insurance Building Hartford, Connecticut. Subscription, One Dollar a Year. Ten Cents a Copy. Official Journal of The New Eugrland Tobacco Growers' Association. PAUL ACKER.LY, Editor. Volume V. Number 4. Entered at the Hartford Post-Office as Second Class mail matter. HARTFORD, JUNE, t904. LEVEL CULTIVJtTION A^ S tne season of tobacco cultiva- ■^ ^ tion with machine aud by hanil will soon be reached in New England, the question arises as to the relative merits of the two systems of cultiva- tion, level or deep. The plan of level cultivation may be regarded as a i)art of the newer school of tobacco culture. and yet there are farmers who for years have been inclined toward shallow cultivation in contrast with the deep cultivating and high ridging favored by their neighbors. Just as level cultivation has ad- vanced in popularity among the growers of corn, so has it made its way among tobacco growers. Both plants feed near the surface under normal conditions, so that in both cases there are mechanical reasons why the teeth of the cultivating machines should not be set to tear too deeply, aside from the questions of moisture and soil sur- faces. We invite the readers of The New England Tobacco Grower to write out for the next issue of this paper their views for or against the plan of level cultivation in tobacco growing. Letters on this subject should reach this office by June 20th, for publication in the July number. FOREIGN WRJtPPER "IJ EPORTS from abroad are not un- ^^ favorable to the continuance of high prices for good cigar leaf tobacco. The inscriptions in Amsterdam are proceeding with the prices for Sumatra tobacco at a high level, especially iu the grades suited for the American market. Advices vary as usual on the amount of desirable leaf in the Suma- tra otterings, but it can be asserted that high prices are not being paid without reason. From Cuba comes the information that the tobacco crop now in the ware- houses is not so wonderful as the early reports indicated. The gi'owth of the Cuban crop was excellent, aud the yield so great that the farmers could not resist the temptation to over- crowd the curing sheds. The damage that resulted reduced the amount of the crop and has not added to the esti- mation of the leaf in general. A re- action has set in among those who be- lieved that the Cubai. crop was so large that no one need worry for Cuban wrapper. The domestic market is certainly not overloaded with wrapper, and the crop to be produced in New England in ly()4 has everything in its favor, antl there is nothing to prevent the establishment this fall of a very high range of prices for good Connecticut and Housatonic Valley tobacco. THE MIDSUMMER MEETING 'T'HE summer meeting of The New Englanil Tobacco Orowers' Asso- ciation, which will be held in Spring- field about two months from now, should receive the cordial support of all who are engaged in tlje cultivation of tobacco. There has long been an annual \viuter meeting of the Associa- tion, and without lessening the value and importance of the January session, there certainly can be much accom- plished in a summer meeting. Coming in the midst of the season of growing, just at the period before the harvest, this meeting will afford an opportunity for the inter-change of views and experiences on a most timely occasion. To aid in the strengthening and the further development of the to- bacco growing industry should be the duty of all who are engaged in this branch of agriculture, and the mid- summer meeting of The New England Tobacco Growers' Association is some- thing that should be attendeil in the line of the performance of that duty. >?r ST. LOUIS ^CONNECTICUT'S exhibit of to- ^^^ l)acco at St. Lt)nis is a work which reflects credit upon the commit- tee in charge, and which is, moreover. practical and of instructive value, in- stead of being merely an attraction by reason of fantastic arrangement, as so many exhibits are. To be thus represented at St. Louis is sure to be of lasting advantage to the New England tobacco growers by way of advertisement and further in- troduction into new territory of domes- tic goods. An additional value lies in the viewing and discussion of the exhibit by the growers themselves, and it is to be hoped that all who can ar- range to leave their work will attend the exposition. Mew York Market Now York, May 35 In domestic leaf there has been little doing in" the local market during the past week, unless we quote an active inquiry for what little is left of fine 1902 Pennsylvania broad-leaf, and a continued demand for old Little Dutch. Sumatra. — This market appears to be abnormally slow with some local houses, while others are fairly busy, and all acknowledge considerable in- quiry and numerous small purchases, mostlj' of Western origin. Several of the larger holders of new crop stock re- port active sales, and in one instance they amounted for the week to over 600 bales. Havana. — This market remains dull. Santa Clara prices are firm. Aside from the scarcity of goods in the market, the abnormally high prices be- ing paid in Cuba for the new tobacco will necessitate the realization of not less than thirty-five cents, with corres- pondingly high prices for first capadu- ras— say not less than fifty cents. First Tobacco Valuation In the March (1630) session of the Colonial General Assembly of Virginia, the cash value of tobacco was officially determined for the first time in his- tory. The act reads as follows: ' And it is further ordained and enacted by the Assembly that no per- son or persons, after the publication or notice hereof, do buy, or cause to be bought, any merchandise, goods, or any other things whatsoever, excep- ting cattle, goats, hogs, poultry, or any household stuff, com. hides, or any commodities that are or shall be raised here, or make any contract, bargain or promise tor the having or buying of same, or any part thereof, in exchange for the commodity of tobacco, directly or indirectly, allowing under the rate of fid. per pound for every pound of tobacco, as the goods first cost in Eng- land, bona fide, upon the penalty to have or to suffer, for his or their first offense, imprisonment by the space of two months, without bail or main- prize, aud shall also lose aud forfeit the value of the said merchandise or goods so by him or them bought or had as aforesaid." THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Effect of Cuban Treaty Large Increase in Imports from Cuba to tKe United States THE stimulation tliat was sup- posed to accrue to coininerce be- tween the United States and (Juba by the recent reciprocity treaty appears to be a rather onesided affair to judge from the abstract published l)y the Bureau of Statistics of tht Department of Commerce and Labor on tlie imports from Cuba to the United States and to exports from the United States to Cuba during 'he period the treaty is in existence. The treaty went into force on Ue- ceniber 27, 1903, and therefore all the commercial transactions between the two countries since January, 1904, re- flect its influence. The increase dur- ing the first three months of the year as compared with the corresponding three months of 1903 is apparent, both in imports from Cuba and in exports to Cuba. The imports from Cuba in January, 1908, were *2,.557,0.'"j5, and in Jannary, 1904, |.'),3«7,440, or an increase of about 13,670,000. . The same proportion was retained in Feb- ruary and March, and where a total of imports for the first three months of 1903 were only !|11,94«,.')97, during the first quarter of 1904 they were 133,217,180, an increase of practically one hundred per cent. The exports to Cuba increased from 15,311,063 to |6,49.'5,149, or about twenty per cent., so that it appears the bulk of the benefit was to the Cubans, who sent to the United States more than double what they did in 1903 and yet bought only twenty per cent, more from the United States. The total trade with Cuba has increased from $17,1.59,660 in the three months of 1903 to 139,713,339 for the three months in 1904, or more than seventy per cent. The matter of the importation of to- bacco was not treated on in the bulle- tin, but after some difficulty part of the figures for the three months end- ing March 31, 1904, have been pro- cured by the correspondent of the U. S. Tobacco Journal for comparison with the figures for the same period in 1903. It was impossible at this time to procure the figures on the imports of Cuban wrapper and filler leaf sepa- rately, but it appears that in January, 1904, 1,895,82.5 pounds of leaf tobacco were imported at a valuation of |952,- 006, a very considerable increase over the importation for January, 1903, which was 1,437,078 pounds, valued at $788,039. On the other hand the importation for February, 1904, was less in both pounds and value, and apparently the importations in February of this year consisted of a much larger percentage of filler tobacco than the importation of February. 1903, the figures for 1904 being 1,984,930 pounds, valued at $770,455, and for February, 1903, 2,053,910 pounds, valued at !j;914,(113. So that while tht re were only 6,498 pounds more imported in February, 1903, than inFebruary, 1904, the im- portation in Febniarj', 1903, exceeded the value of the inii)ortations in Febru- ary, 1904. l)y $14:;,.558. The importa- tion in March, 1904, exceeded that for March, 1903, in bi5th quantity and value, the figures being March, 1903, 2,010,035 pounds, valued at $873,734: March, 1904, 2,026,372 pound.s, valued at $930,370. Of course it has been expected that the greatest increase in tobacco imports in Cuba would be in the cigars and cigarettes, as the duty reduction on the manufacture of leaf was very much higher than on the raw leaf. It was impossible to secure at this time more than a few figures on this subject, nor could the statistics pertaining to the Cuban cigars alone be procured, but as in a total importation during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903, of cigars and cigarettes amounting to $3,- 271,956, $3,175,722 worth were im- ported from Cuba, or about ninety- seven per cent., the figures on the total importationjof cigars and cigarettes for January, Februaiy and March are ap- proximately of the imports from Cuba. The total importation of cigars and cigarettes for January, 1904, amounted to 54,755 pounds, valued at $332,142, as compared with 41,398 pounds, valued at $325,233 for January, 1903. For February, 1904, 58,654 pounds valued at $256,732; for February, 1903, 51,833 pounds, valued at $294,- 172. For March, 1904, 79,911 pounds, valued at $.341,096, and for March, 1903,62,532 pounds, valued at $317,- 197. So that there is a considerable increase in pounds each month and in values for January and March, with a decrease in February. It is specially interesting to note that the increase in value by no means keeps pace with the increase in iiuan- tity. For instance, the increase for January, 1904, over 1903 was 13,357 pounds, or nearly 331;, percent, while the increase in value was only $6,809, or a little over 3 per cent. The in- crease in February was 6,821 jjounds, but the value fell off $37,440. The increase in Maich, 1903, was 17,379 pounds, and only $23,899. A little calculation from this shows that the average value of the cigars imported in January, 19(13, were $5.44 per pound, as compared with $4.24 for Januarj', 1904; for February, 1903. the average value was $5.67 per pound, and in February, 1904, $4.38 per pound. In March, 1903, the value was $5.07, and in March, 1904, was $4.35 per pound. So that while the quantity has largely increased the average value per pound for these three months is from $1.18 to $1.29 less than it was last year. First to See Tobacco Smoked The first Euiopeans who saw tobacco smoked were two men whom Columbus dispatched on an embassy immediately after tlie discovery of the i.sland of Cuba. The names of these envoys, worthy of memory by the smoker, were Koderigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, the latter a Christianized Jew of special proficiency in Arabic and Hebrew. Si.x days were allowed to these two worthies in which to acconi- jdish their mission, but after penetrat- ing inland for some twelve leagues and stopping at a vilhitre of a thousand in- habitants they rejoined Columbus on Nov. 6, 1492, and recounted the several wonders which had fallen under their notice. It was on tlieir way back to the Spanish caravels, accompanied by three natives, that they first saw smoking practiced Several of the aborigines were making use of dried tobacco leaves, which they formed into a long roll, lighted and put in their mouths swallowing and puffing out the smoke. The.se piimitive and gigantic cigars the natives called tabacos, a name since transferred from its original ap- plication to the plant itself. A^eu; England Tobacco Growers' Association. President EDMUND HMLLMDMY, Saffield, Conn. Vice-J*rcsi(ieiit THJtDDEUS GRJiVES, Hatfield, Mass. Secret.iry and Treasnrer PMVL MCKEHLY, Rockville, Conn. Office S3 Trumbull Street, Hartford, Conn. Directors. \Vm. F. Andross, South Windsor, Conn. Joseph H. Pierce, Enfield, Conn. M. W. Frisbie, Southington, Conn. William S. Pinney, SufBeld, Conn. H. W. Alford, Poquonock, Conn. Colonel E. N. Phelps, Windsor, Conn. B. M. Warner, Hatfield, Mass. F. K. Porter, Hatfield, Mass. Albert Hurd, North Hadley, Mass. J. C. Carl, Hatfield, Mass. C. M. Hubbai'd, Sunderland, Mass. W. H. Porter, Agawam, Mass. Lyman A. Crafts, East Whately, Mass. James S Forbes, Burnside, Conn. George C. Eno. Simsbury, Conn. W. E. Burbank, Suffield, Conn. E. O. Hills, Southwick, Mass. James Morgan, Hartford, Conn. H. Austin, Suffield, Conn. Charles H. Ashley, Deerfield, Mass H. S. Frye, Poquonock, Conn. (0 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Egypt's Cigarette Trade Report of tKe Consul General at A.lexandria A REPORT on t-iie cigarette mak- ing industry of Egj'pt has been niatle bj- the United States Consul General at Alexandria. The many misapprehensions existing as to the source of many of the so-called Turkish cigarettes, and as to the origin and (inality of the materials used, have in- duced the Egyptian government to compile these tignres with special care. The tobacco and cigarette industry of Egypt is regarded as of such im- portance that in tabulating the export and import returns, leaf tobacco and cigarettes are stated separately, while all other kinds of merchandise are con- solidated in a single class. The total imports of tobacco during the calendar year 190;! amounted to l.i, 183,328 pounds, valued at |:^,02i),24.j. The amount imported in 1002 is not stated, but the value is given at $3,01.^,670, showing an increase for 1903 of 113,57.5. The exports of cigarettes, which constitute the only tobacco product separately reported, aggregated 1, ION, 640 pounds, valued at |2,07G,47."). The value of the exports in 1902 was 12,149,680, showing a decrease during 1903 of 173,205. From these figures it appears that Egypt consumes all but about 8 per cent, of her importations of leaf tobacco. The rei)utation which Egyptian cigarettes enjoy in well-informed quarters as being manufactured from high-grade Turkish tobacco, appears to be sustained by an examination of the detailed import figures, from which it appears that of tlie total of 15,- 182,323 pounds imported, nearly one- half, or 7,355,211 pounds, came from Turkey. This tobacco was invoiced in the country of origin at !{!1,701,485, or about 23 cents per pound. It is probable that the actual imports of Turkish tobacco are much larger than stated, for the reason that considerable quantities are annually shipjied from Turkey to Grecian ports, and thence trans-shijjped to other ports on the Mediterranean Sea. This fact is re- flected in the figitres shown In this summary, from which it appears that there were imported into Egypt from Greece in 1903 no less than 4,954,087 pounds, valued at |05,550. It would seem, therefore, that about 80 per cent, of the total imports of tobacco into Egypt are brought in, directly or in- directly, from Turkey. The following table shows the im- ports of leaf tobacco in detail by countries of origin : Pounds. Value Great Britain 9(,.='FS $2,S,170 IJritish Medilerratieaii Possessions 47.7*, 20,740 Erilisli Oriental Pos- sessions .=;,08,S 2.560 Germany 10.714 4.0<10 United States 2il.Sm 0,025 Austria-Hungary 1,053.2:1 2S1,W0 lieljfium 4,1117 1,')55 Bul),'aria 608,410 1,52.110 China and Orient 431,8.y 98,145 Spain l'« 95 France 2,521 690 French Mediterranean Possessions 250 S5 Greece 4,944,088 675,550 Holland 12.0.51 5,635 Italy 26.141) 12,3.=5 Persia 413,402 46.'i75 Koumania 45.3.^1 10.315 Russia 7,744 1,755 Switzerland 25,069 11,966 Turkey 7,355,211 1,701,485 Other Countries 176 45 Total 15,182,323 $3,ii29,245 Tobacco in Greece Culture of tKe Leaf MaKing Rapid Strides in Recent Years I^O industry has made such strides in Greece of recent j'ears as the culture of tobacco. Till quite lately the tobacco grown in Greece was only smoked in the kingdom itself, but last year it began to take its place in the European markets, due to the greater care taken in the choice of plants and in their cultivation, and also to the monopoly wliich has caused such a rise in the price of Turkish tobacco. In Greece there is no tax on the growth of tobacco, and there is no monopoly, so that no restraint is placed on the cultivation of the plant. But on the other hand, tobacco can only be cut up, and cigarettes can only be made in the state manufactories, where, however, the merchants are allowed to use their own machinery. A tax and a stamp duty has to be paid, which comes to rather less than half a crown per pound of tobacco. The state also reserves the right of manufacturing cigarette paper.s, and from this and frtjm the duty on tobacco Greece last year realized over half a million ster- ling. The cultivation of tobacco has been greatly stimulated, and today Greece produces four times as much as she needs for her own consumption. The leaf has not got the peculiar and deli- cate aroma which distinguishes the very best Turkish, but it is quite as good as the ordinary tobacco of Macedonia and Albania, much of which has been sold in the Euroi^ean market. Chinese Imports Increase There has been a great increase dur- ing recent years at Tientsin in the quantity of cigars and cigarettes im-' ported. The troops there are, of course,; large purchasers. But smoking is also greatly on the increase amongst the Chinese, especially the smoking of cigarettes. Saii: Steam Kn*; ine MNNO UN CEMENT WE have iu-st placed on sale hi ibe new su>re of IC. U. Dens- low, 218 Slate Street. Hartford. Conn., a full line of up-to-date farm machinery. We make a spe- cialty of Sleani, Gas and Gaso- lene Entfines. and every courtesy will be extended by Mr. Denslow to those who are looktnj»- for any- thing- in this line. THE B. L, BR.AGG CO. Springffield.MassacHtisetts AiiiE#^l!!ilBanK 1600,000 JOSEPH H, King, .T^^^^^rt William J.Dixon. President. — ""W^ Cashier. OPPOSITE on'au.i.. e...n^ir.- hahtford. CITY HALL. 803 MAIN STREET, conn. CLOSE ATTENTION to the interests of our de- positors is always our first consideration. The absolute safety of their deposits, and our extens- ive facilities, quick col- lections, modern methods and convenience of lo- cation have secured for us an ever increasing bus- k iness among those desir- ing the safest banking THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER n El^ssex ^Special Tobacco Manure and Tobacco Starter LTHOUGH the prices of chemicals have ad- vanced very much during the past season, we guarantee to keep the analyses of all the high- grade Essex Specials fully up to the high stand- ard of preceding years. CThe Growers that use our to- bacco goods are among the most successful raisers in the Valley, getting good weight and a large percentage of light goods in all seasons. CBuy our Tobacco Starter for your seed-beds, your plants will be from ten days to two weeks earlier than those grown on any other formula. CSend for our 1904 Catalogue. RUSySIA CEMENT CO., MANUFACTURERS jz/ £/ jS^ j£f jS? ^ GLOUCESTER, ^^'MASS. E. B. KIBBE, General Agent. Box 752, Hartford, Conn. TKe Tobacco Family No Lines of Trade so Closely Allied as TKis Industry THERE is HO line of trade iu whicli the various flivisions are so close- ly allied and interlaced as in the to- bacco industry, says Tobacco Leaf. Each individual branch of tliis busi- ress is like one lueuiber of a family, and takes almost as much interest in the doings of the other members as in its own personal affairs. Not one retail jeweler out of a hundred can tell you where a ruby came from or how it was mined; the man who sells you your spring suit wouldn't know a woolen mill if he should see one; and your hatter knows no more — and generally le.ss — about the manufacture of a Panama than you yourself. In these and nearly all other lines, each separate branch, from the original producer of the raw product tc the man who hands it out over the retail counter in manufactured form, lives closely within his own little zone of dealing — knowing little, and caring less, about the kindred divisions. Not so tobacco. My Lady Nicotine, whose sociability is her most promi- nent trait, has kept ner brood together, and their interests aie now so closely intertwined that they are as one. Take, for example, the two extienies, the retail cigarist ami the leaf tobacco packer. Tlie cigar storekeeper of the present time does not content himself with the trade knowledge to be found on a factory price-list or a salesman's business card. There may have been a time when the price per thousand, and a superficial comprehension of the sizes and shapes of cigars, was all the trade information needed bj' the man behind the counter; but it isn't so to- day. The modern cigar retailer must know — and does kno\v, if he is up-to- date — all about tobacco, from the seed- bed to the final ash. He must be familiar not only with the evolution of the leaf in geneial, but with the characteristics of every succeeding crop; and he must be posted not only on the leaf in hand and in the market, but on the prospective conditions of the crop. It is only by thus keeping in touch with the embryonic stages of his stock-in-trade that he is able to talk intelligently to his clientele, and that he is better fitted to act advan- tageouslj' to himself. "" Reversing the extremes, the packer of leaf finds it quite necessary to know what is going on in retail circles. By keeping his hand on the dealer's pulse he is guided in his operations in the field, and he can guage his purchases more accurately, and with better re- sults. The community of interests be- tween these two divisions of the trade has been especially marked of late, and during the past few years it has even become the vogue for leading cigar re- tailers to visit Cuba and other leaf- growing sections at regular iuteivals, merely for the purpose of broadening tlieir knowledge of leaf trade affairs. Tobacco in the Transvaal The official statement of the quantity and value of exportations from the Tiansvaal for the twelve months ended December 31 last gives the total num- ber of cigarettes exported at L>.i.5(),(i.'iO, compared with only 21)6,900 in the previous twelve months. Altogether 170,932 pounds of tobacco were ex- ported from the Transvaal last year, as against 102,072 pounds iu 1902. These figures strongly encourage the belief that the South African Colonies will before long be supplying a good part of the tobacco sold in the English market. Forbid Imports by Letter Post Amongst the goods which it is for- bidden to import by letter pest to Italy belongs tobacco. An exception, however, is made iu favor of the Min- istry of Finance in Rome. Pipes and pipe stems can be imported as patterns of no value up to 100 kg. 12 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Sumatra in PHilippines Series of Experiments in tKe Culture of tHe Leaf THE Division of Insular aftairs of the War Department at Wasliin!>- ton is in receipt of tlie annual report of the Bureau of Agriculture of the Philippine Islands for the year 1908, in which is embodied an interesting account of a series of experiments in the culture of Sumatra tobacco at the experiment station at Malate, Island of Luzon. The report is in part as follows: "All experiments with tobacco grown from Sumatra seed at the Ma- late experiment station gave most sat- isfactory results. A one-tenth acre plot wa? planted. It was intended to grow one-half of this plot under shade: but the structure erected for this purpose, being very light, was destro3'ed by the winds during the month of March, and this feature of the experiment had to be abandoned. The seed was sown January 14, and transplanted to the plot Febrtiary 14. At this time there was little or no moisture in the ground. As a pi'ecau- tion, the plants were set late in the afternoon and abundantly watered. Cutworms destroyed many of the young plants, which necessitated resetting the plot several times. Owing to the diiference in the age of the plants, the crop did not mature uniformly: hence, the entire crop could not be harvested on the same date. The plants were set eighteen inches apart, in rows 3}4 feet apart. Very little cultivation was re- quired in the growing crop. Stirring the .soil once a week with a fine tooth cultivator was sufficient to keep it in good condition. The plot was irrigated every day until the plants were large enough to shade the ground, after which very little watering and no cul- tivation were necessary. On May 7 the first cutting was made. Owing to the irregularity in planting, only about half of the plants were fully ripe at the time. It requires some experience to determine just when a crop of tobacco is ready to cut. Usually the plants take on a yellowish green color, and the leaves are dotted with lighter colored specks. The tobacco was cut and handled in the same manner in which It is usually done in the tobacco growing districts of the States. "The stalk was first split from the top to within a few inches of the ground with a heavy snife, and then cut off. As soon as cut, the plants are hung on bamboo sticks three feet in length, sis stalks to the stick, and im- mediately carried to the shed. If the tobacco is allowed to remain in the sun after cutting even for a short time, it ia ruined. Such precautions in a tem- perate climate is not necessary. In fact, the planters in tlie States prefer (o have the tobacco wilt before putting it in the barns, as the leaves are less apt to be broken or damaged in hand- ling. "On July 7, two months from the date of the first cutting, the tobacco was stripped and graded in the follow- ing way: The best fourteen inch leaves graded as No. 1 : twelve inch leaves as No. 2, and the shorter leaves and trash as No. 3. The only difier- ence between Nos. 1 and 3 is in the length of the leaves; both will make fine cigar wrappers. Nearly all the crop grades as Nos. 1 and 3. No. 3 will make good fillers or smoknig to- bacco. SUMMARY 1-1 0th acre Rate per yield. acre. Pounds. Pounds. No. 1 38 380 No. 3 47 470 No. 3 .. 13 120 Total 97 970 Second crop — No. 3 30 300 No. 3 50 200 Total 80 500 "Frcjm the above figures it will be seen that the total yield for the two crops was at the rate of 1,470 pounds per acre." To Stop Smuggling To put an end to the growing prac- tice of smuggling leaf tobacco into the United States from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, Collector Stranahan at New York has addressed a letter to steamship companies warn- ing them of theii- liability in the mat- ter. The treasury department has agents at Holland ports watching the ring of smugglers. WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. Advertisements under this head cost one cent a word each time; no auverlisement taken for less than twenty cents; cash or stamps must accompany orders, which should be re- ceived by the 2Sth of the month. FOR SALE— Farm, 160 acres, with pink errauite led^e and about 2fX)0 cords of wood; tine site for building-. Box 185, Beckel, Mass. WANTED— Reliable sin^rle man to work on milk farm. W. J. Baker, Z^3 Fairview ave., Chicopee, Mass. WANTED— Man to take care of horses and work about place, also farm hand ; (^ood wayes. Address Box 121, Care of Wew England Tobac- co Grower, JENKINS & BARKER, Successors to Col. Charles L. Bnrdett. PatiMit and Trade Mark Causes. Solicilotsof Miiited Slates and Foreifrii Pat- ents, ])esit,'ns .'Mill Trade Maiks. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, 50 State Street, - Hartford, Connecticut Removes Micotine from Tobacco A New York woman physician and chemist, Dr. E. Edmonston, has dis- covered a process which she claims, re- moves the nicotine and gum from leaf tobacco without imparting any chemi- cal taste or odor, and without impair- ing the burning (juality. She spent three years on the subject, avoiding the tannin, gallic and pyrogallic acid processes which have been used, though ineflTectively, to produce the .same re- sults, and then discovered the chemical formula on which she is now working. In her laboratory the experiment ap- pears to have been a success, but whether it will do its work on a large scale, remains to be determined. An Old Established cigar and leaf tobacco merchant of New York City desires the as.sociation of a grower, buyer and packer, for the purpose of forming a corporation, with headquarters in Connecticut. I possess a thoroughly tried method of sorting and packing the leaf, which will produce a packing far superior to the old method, and will eliminate, to a very large e.xtent, the possibility of mold, and save from fifteen to twenty- five per cent, of the original cost. For further particulars, Address " G.," New Engiaim Totiacco Grower HAR.TFORD. CONN. Shade-Grown Sumatra and Shade-Grown Cuban Wrappers FOR- .SALE IN QUANTITIEJ \i DE,ilR.ED Write for Samples and Prices FOSTER Drawer 42. Hartford, Conn. STUDIO 1300 MAIN ST., HARTFOFCD l«eaclin££ Artist in PHoto^rapKy arkd Oev\eral Portraiture. Our iiliol(i;,M aplis are not "shade" prowii but are itKuie wiih the clearness ami exact likeness Ihat uin for us pertnanenl cusloiiu-rs. AVe are attiT ji our plii)te NE-W ENGLAND TOBACCO GRO"WER, Hartfora, Connecticut. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER LUTHBR M. CASE, WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, Packer and Dealer in Connecticut Leaf Tobacco. %\^ Shade Grown ^J^ ^^\^f Sumatra in Bales. ^fT Main Warehouse and Office, Pine Meadow, Conn. J5 BRJfMCH IVMREHOVSES: SoutUwick, Mass.,— Foreman, H. L- Miller. East Canaan, Conn.,— Foreman, L. F. Bronson. liarkhanisted. Conn.,— Foreman. L. A. T.,ee. North Hatfield, Mass., — Foreman, Willis Holden. New Hartford, Conn .,— Foreman, James Stewart. SUMATRA PLANTATIONS: Pine Meadow, Conn., Barkhamsted, Conn., Southwick, Mass., 25 Acres 20 Acres \5 Acres Always in the market for old Tobacco if well assorted and packed. ^ Havana Seed Wrap- pers a specialty, assorted and sized into thirty-two g-rades. mfmfmmmfmmmfmmmmmfmfh will mature a crop of tobacco qnicker than old lands of the sauie general characteristics, and the protluct -will be lighter in color. Periqne tobacco, so strong in the essential i)roperties of tobacco, is almost black in color. It is grown in the vacheries of Louisiana, the soils of which Mre a dark alluvium, rich in humus and plant food, and but little elevated abuve the swamps with which they are surrounded. The dark color of the tobacco is due largely to the method of curing, which is done by the frequent reabsorptiou of its juices after being heavily pressed. Indeed, it is said to be cured in its juices. Situation has much to do with the quality of cured tobacco, other things being equal. A southern exposure will make a tobacco lighter in body, brighter in color and with less gummj' material in its composition. A north- ern slope, I'eceiving less sunlight, will require a longer period for bringing the tobacco to maturity. It has more time for storing up gummy substances. An eastern exposure will make tobacco intermediate between that grown on the northern and soirthein exposures, while that grown on western slopes will be more like that grown on a soiTthern slope, as it receives more of the heat of the sun than that grown on an eastern exposure. No other product is taxed so heavily as tobacco. England levies a tax of 77 cents per pound when it contains 10 per cent, of moisture; 8o cents per ponnd when it contains less than this amount. This is from 1,^00 to 15 per cent, on the prices which farmers receive. Norway, Sweden. Switzer- land, Holland, Belgium, Russia, all levy heavy taxes. France, Portugal, Spain, Austria and Turkey make a monopoly of tobacco. All tobacco is sold directly to the governments last named, manufactured by them and sold to consumers. France, however, in order to accommodate her thousands of guests, will permit the introduction, or rather the importation, of tobacco for private use of the importer upon payment of fG94.80 for 100 kilograms. This is ifsR. 15 per iiound, and this is probably the highest duty ever paid upon any article of consumption. Those countries making a monopoly of tobacco are called Regie governments. Insurance on Tobacco Crop L. R. Lobdel of Bast (:iranby and August Pouleur of Windsor have caused to be summoned to the superior court to answer charges, tfee Fire Associa- tion of Philadelphia, ' the Fireman's Fund Insurance company of San Francisco, and the British American Assurance company of Toronto. On December 10, 1003, tobacco, belonging to the plaintiffs in Windsor was destroyed by fire. The companies had insured the tobacco for $6,000, the Fire association for $1,500, the British- American for 13,000, and the Fireman's Fund for $2,500. The plaintiffs claim 00 per cent, of these amounts. They also claim that Charles A. Cooley of Boston, the appraiser named by the companies, has failed to meet their appraisei, and that the money due them from the companies has not been paid. IN CAR. OK CARGO LOTJ Prompt Delivery Lowest Prices II. M, Goodrich HARTFORD AND NEW YORK TRANSPORTATION COMPANY H A.R T F O RD CONNECTICUT 16 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 'o"o"''>^o"°^ " ^'° ^^o ^""^ ^o ^^ ^^° ^^ *~^o — o^ — ^o^'o'-'o^ — ^o-'o"o^'o^^o— 'o^^o" ^ ^ Iritemational Tobacco ClotH ^ ^' ^' HE superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth has been fully dem- onstrated in the field ? ^ o ^"^ T ^-^ o S^ 9 ^— ^ O ^--v O lgt§tSt§t(St8t§lgt§t§t§t§t§tS^tSt§lgtStSl8ig^tiSt§« '^Ae New England Tobacco Grower VOL. V. No. 5. r HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, JULY, 1904. $J.OO A YEAR rf '^\-- COIHiErCTlCUT ^TATE BUiLDmC , LOUIJIAMA PURCMAJSP EXrC5IT!0N : JT. 1,0UIJ, 1904 THE CONNECTICUT BUILDINC, AT ST. LOUIS. The Connecticut Building; is a copy of the well known Sigoumcy house in Hartford .ind the interior is in eiact keeping with the Colonial style of exterior. The furnishings are simple but elegant. The upstairs rooms are perfect representations of the long ago, with high beds and their canopy tops. The building contains some very old silver and china, and several extremely valuable paintings. i THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Tobacco in Germany The manulacture of tobacco in Ger- many is the subject of a report received from United .States Consul Harris, at Mannheim, Germany. Mr. Harris says : The use of machinery of German, French and American designs is common in the better factories for all processes of tobacco and cigar manu- facture where machinery has been found practicable. Inquiries made at and by this consulate would indicate a desire on the part of the cigar and to- bacco manufacturer iu this locality to avail himself of labor-saving devices as far as possible. Ten trade journals devoted to tobacco are published in Germany, and are extensively used for advertising machinery and other appliances used by the trade. The feeling of hostility and alarm aroused by the introduction of Ameri- can and British capital, especially in cigarette manufacture. in Germany has not wholly subsided. The multi- 'ude of small manufacturers in country villages and elsewhere — over 7,000 factories and 200,000 workers, of whom 160,000 are on cigars- is re- ferred to by the press as the surest defen.se against any general consolida- tion of the tobacco business of the Empire. This feature of German manufacturing is one sure to attract the notice of an American resident there, and undoubtedly is to be taken into acccunt in any survey of manu- facturing in the Empire. Speed in l^alamazoo An experiment is being made in Kala- mazoo, Michigan, in a process of curing tobacco that may prove of importance to the trade in general should it be suc- cessful. About a year ago Garrett Dorenbus, of Kalamazoo, built for Thomas J. Zeedyk, of Zeedyk Cigar Co., a tobacco curer, which Mr. Zeedyk has since used with a good deal of success on raw material from which he makes his own brands of cigars. This cure has been installed in the factory of the Zeedyk Cigar Co. and is a simple cabinet about ten feet long, eight feet high aod four feet in width, and will hold when tilled about a ton of green tobaeco. While declining to explain in full the workings of this contrivance, Mr. Zeedyk says to the Tobacco correspond- ent that it will do in a few days what has formerly taken two of three years to perform, and that in the process to which the tobacco is subjected, the flavor of the leaf is not injured in the slightest degree. No poisonous drugs of any nature are used and the work is accomplished solely by an equitable distribution of heat, air and moisture. Mr. Zeedyk is at present experiment- ing with a shipment of Connecticut leaf of the crop of 190:!. The tobacco was sent him for the express purpose of testing the qualities and desirability of this new invention. I BAGS WANTED I CORRESPOND- ENCE SOLICITED COTTON SEED MEAL BAGS BOUGHT HIGHEST PRICES PAID BROOKDALE FARM '; "West Suffield, Conn. .V YORK. 220 StsLie Street, Hartford, Conn. The Acreage in 1903 Production and Value of Tobacco Gro^vn in United States STATIHTICS have been issued by the Department of Agriculture giving the acreage, production ard value ot tobacco in the United States in lOOii. Louisiana had the smallest acreage notwithstanding the attempts made to introduce the Cuban leaf there, only ninety-one acres being planted last year. Kentucky heads the li.-jt with 838,::i04 acres producing 367,- 360,100 pounds, valued at $1,650,1:^0. The highest yield per acre was in Vermont, 1,800 pounds, and the small- est in Alabama, 405 pounds. The highest value per potind is placed on the Florida crop, 32 cents, and the lowest on the South Carolina tobacco, 5. 1 cents. The total acreage was 1,037,735 acres, producing 81Q,973,425 pounds, valued at 155,514,637. The table is as follows; Acres New Hampshire 132 Vermont 180 Massachusetts 4,093 Connecticut 13.234 New York 7,061) Pennsylvania 15,887 Maryland 33,059 Av. At. yield farm per acre price. Lbs, Cts. 1,5011 13.0 i.siio 12.0 1,4110 12.0 I,(iOO 1.S.5 1.12S 8.0 1,410 7.3 050 5.5 Virg-inia ]02,3lK) 745 6.1 North Carolina 214,878 627 6.3 South Carolina 40,140 610 5.1 C.eortria 2,030 640 IS.O Florida 3,726 700 32.0 Alabama 620 405 10.0 Mississippi 168 502 16.0 Louisiana 89 375 20.0 Te.vas 237 650 20.0 Arkansas 1,222 646 12.0 Tennessee 71,108 700 7.5 West Virginia 4,395 640 6.2 Kentucky 338,304 790 6.2 Ohio 60,431 845 7.2 Michigan 305 750 8.0 Indiana 7,096 783 6.2 Illinois 1,298 655 6.1 Wisconsin 51.812 1,350 6.8 Missouri 2,012 008 0.0 The above figures indicate that to- bacco is entitled to be classed among the leading agricultural products ot the country, for the value of last season's crop exceeded 155.500,000. They also demonstrate that the United States produces more of the leaf than all the rest of the outside world. The part which the cigar leaf plays in the total production is probably less than 100.000 acres out of a total of more than a million acres devoted to the culture of tobacco, or one-tenth of the area. The statistics, however, go to show that the raising of cigar leaf is the more profitable business, as the average of the price to growers is con- siderably above the general average of 6.8 cents for the countrj' at large. A singular fact is shown, however, that the price of Florida averaging 33 cents is about two cents below the price out- lined in Amsterdam for Sumatra to- bacco on an average of a series of years. Tobacco in Wisconsin In writing of the history of tobacco in Wisconsin a writer says: ''Going back thirty years, we find growers of Wisconsin raising all kinds of heavj- seed leaf, known by different names — Valandingham — Pennsylvania seed leaf, Connecticut broad leaf. Some- time about 1877 a seed was introduced known as Spanish tobacco, which was raised as an experiment. This tobacco only yielded 1,000 to 1,200 pounds per acre, while the coarser leaf grown yielded as high as 2,400 pounds per acre. The quality of the Spanish to- bacco was evident, and soon came into repute, as bein'g most practical and desirable for Wisconsin growers. One of the first crops grown in the state was shipped East by Frank Pyer, of Fulton, in order to obtain its actual value. Mr. Pyer leceived in return a check figured at the rate of 17 cents per pound, which was turned over to the grower in full. This demonstrated the practicality of growing a pure variety of tobacco. ' ' THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER TKe 1904 Domestic Leaf A First of Jiii»e View of tHe Acreage by De- partment of Agricultvire THE statistician of the Department of Agriculture at Wasbiugton has caused to be prepared an exhaustive re- view of the acreage and condition of the tobacco crop, by special types, as observed on June 1 by more than fifteen hundred tobacco correspondents, whose reports have been carefully compiled by Dr. Holloway, the expert, who for several years has had charge of this particular branch of the department's statistics. The review has a special value in that it presents the figures by types, or fields, rather than by states, and thus enables the various branches of the tobacco trade to form accurate estimates of the acreage and condition of the particular kind of leaf in which they are interested. The text of the report is as follows; "The regular report on the acreage and condition of this important crop will not appear until July; but in view of peculiar conditions in many of the principal tobacco-producing sections, it is deemed advisable to present a summary of such information as is now obtainable. To those familiar with the subject, the difficulty of as- certaining the probable acreage with accuracy thus early in the season will be apparent; hence no definite com- parison with the acreage planted last year is undertaken. "The situation has been rendered more than ordinarily obscure by the fact that in practically all the impor- tant tobacco counties the season has been from ten days to two weeks late, and weather conditions have been un- favorable for the growth of plants in the beds, and for transplanting them to the fields. The present outlook, however, may be greatly modified by future developments. "Taking a general view of the whole country, it appears that the tobacco acreage in the Burley district, which embraces certain counties of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia, will be considerably larger than that planted last year. The good prices received for last year's crop, the re- duced stocks and the present very high prices of this type of tobacco are as- signed as the chief causes for the in- crease. A slight increase is reported also for the eastern Ohio counties pro- ducing export tobacco, and for the limited area in Virginia producing .sirn- cured tobacco. "On the other hand, marked reduc- tion of acreage is reported from the following sections: The cigar tobacco sections of New England, New York, Wisconsin, and the snn-grown tobacco area of (iadsden County, Fla., and Decatur County, Ga., and the dark to- bacco counties of western Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia; and the bright tobacco counties of eastern North Caro- lina and South Carolina. "A sligbt decrease in acreage is re- ported for Pennsvlvania and for the bright belt of Virginia. "The low prices received for last year's crop by the producers of these types, the high price of cotton, scarcity of labor and a late and unfavorable season are the principal reasons sug- gested for the decrease. "The acreage in the following sec- tions is reported to be about the same as that planted last year; The Miami Valley district of Ohio, producing cigar tobacco; the shade-grown tobacco area of Florida and Georgia; the 'Old Belt' counties in North Carolina; Maryland and the limited area in West Virginia, producing tobacco of the eastern Ohio export type. "In the detailed statement which follows the tobacco-producing areas of the United States have been arranged with reference to the type of tobacco produced rather than according to states, in the hope that such a report will be of greater service to those in- terested. I. CIGAR TYPES. "1. New England. — The season is at least two weeks late, and in some sections plants are reported very back- ward and scarce, and cutworms troublesome. In New Hampshire and Vermont the reduction from last year's acreage will be .slight. In Franklin and Hampden counties, Mass., tne acreage will be about the same as last year, while in Hampshire County it will be somewhat less. Moie Connec- ticut broadleaf is being planted than for several years, and in Hampshire County alone the increase in the area devoted to this type is estimated at 1,000 acres more than was planted last year. "From Connecticut reports indicate that the acreage will be reduced 10 per cent. There will be more broadleaf planted than for several years past. Plants are backward, some beds having been destroyed by late frost, and very little transplanting has been done. There is no scarcity of labor in this section. "2 New York. — Reports indicate that the acreage will not exceed three- fourths of that planted last year. The season is very wet and backward. Transplanting will begin June l."). The decrease, said to be due to the low prices of recent crops, is most marked in Wayne, Steuben. Cayuga, and Onon- daga counties. "H. Pennsylvania. — Reports indi- cate a slight decrease in acreage for the following reasons: The season is three weeks late, and hence plants are backward and scarce: prices for previ- ous crops have been low ; farmers lack the required help, and a larger acreage will be planted in potatoes; the development of the canning industry is said to have created a demand at pay- ing prices for large quantities of corn, beans, tomatoes and other vegetables. Very little transplanting has been done, and this only with forced jilants. The main planting will be done with the planter. "In Lancaster County, which pro- duces more than half the tobacco of the entire state, the acreage will be about 10 per cent, less than that of last year, owing to scarcity of labor. Plants in beds are doing well, but have not been transplanted. The season is at least two weeks late. "4. Ohio (Miami Valley District). — The acreage will not vary greatly from that planted last year. In Mont- gomery and Darke counties, which to- gether produce more than half the cigar tobacco grown in the state, the acreage is estimated at 100 per cent, of that planted last year, although the season is two or three weeks late. Transplanting has not yet begun. Miami and Meicer counties report a slight increase, while a decrease vary- ing from .'5 to 20 per cent is reported for Preble, Shelby, Warren and other less important counties. The causes assigned for the decreases reported are low prices, unfavorable season, and the large proportion of the 1903 crop which remains unsold. Owing to the late season plants are small, and in some localities are said to be infested with fleas and not doing well. "5. Wisconsin.— The bulk of the tobacco crop of Wisconsin, like that of Pennsylvania, is produced on a very limited area, only six counties in the state reporting more than .lOO acres each. Reports from these counties in- dicate a marked reduction in acreage. In Dane County this decrease is esti- mated at a.") to 30 per cent., in Craw- ford County, about 30 per cent. : in Columbia County, about 20 per cent. ; in Rock County, about 23 per cent. ; APPARATUS Of all kinds, of large or small capaciiy, Mounted&Portable Outfits. Send fi)<- spi-cia! Catalogue. PUMPS For Fac- tories or Private Use. FAIRBANKS-MORSE Gasoline Engines fniMi i;. tu 75 H.irsr IN.wrr for -aW M-rvii'cs. Special Pumping Engines. PULLEYS, SHAFTING AND BELTING fi>i- PuWi-r Ei|iliimnMil "f Fac'tmies ami Mills. WINDMILLS, TANKS AND TOWERS, Pipe, Fittings and Hose. In wriliiif; f"r i'Mt>lo);nfl please spei-ify wllich oiit^ V'lU want. We ni.ake a siienialty of Water Siipi'I.V Out- flt.s tor Coiintiy Estai CHARLES J. JAGER COMPAN\ 174 HICH ST., BOSTON, MASS. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER THE BE5T YET MADE specially Designed for iractical Wer URPOSES The Fairbanks Gasolene Engine Is the most powerful, easiest working and easicbt adjusted engine ever made. Solid and substantial in construction, few parts and no waste metal. Every pound has work to do. These important features are the excuse for its great popularity. Do not place your order for a gasolene engine until you have seen and investigated the "Fair, banks." Correspondence solicited. The Fairbanks Company, 314 (Q. 3ie Pearl Street. - Hartford, Conn. Can be seen in operation at the above address New York, N. Y. Albany, N. Y. Philadelphia, Pa. lialtiniore, Md. Buffalo, N. Y'. New Orleans, La. Monlreal, Que. Boston, Mass. Loudon, E.G. Syracuse, N. Y. Pittsburg, Pa. Vancouver, B. C. Toronto, Ont. in Vernon County, 3h per cent., and in Jefferson County, about 10 per cent. The weighted average for the whole state show.s a probable decrease qE 35 to 80 per cent. The season was late and cold, plants .small and b;'.ckward, and transplanting not yet begun. The rauses assigned for the decrease in acreage are low prices for previous crop, scarcity of labor, and the unfav- orable season. "6. Georgia and Florida. —Decatur County, Ga., and Gadsden Ooimty, Fla., constitute an important cigar-to- bacco district, a large proportion of the crop being shade grown Sumatra, producing excellent wrappers. Reports from these counties indicate an acreage in shade-grown tobacco practically the same as that planted last year, while the sun-grown tobacco will he reduced. ' ' Increase of Shade=Grown A Florida letter reports that there will probably be an increase of 20 per cent, of Sumatra shade-grown tobacco in Florida. There may be some reduc- tion in the amount of tobacco grown in the open. Prices paid for tlie lOOy crop were extremely flattering and in every way satisfactory both to dealers and growers There has not been a pound in the hands of the farmers since October. Booming Tobacco in Texas Soil Found to be Identical WitH That in Cuba THE counties of Nacogdoche.s, An- gelina, Cherokee, Augustine, Houston, Trinity, Walker, Montgom- ery, Tyler, Liberty, Lee and Lavaca in Texas, all have within their boundaries what is known as the orange burg or led sandy loam soil, suitable for raising the finest tobacco. An analysis made by the government found it to be iden- tical with that of the Vuelta Aba.io district of Cuba. This soil is under- laid by green marl, which is a fine fer- tilizer. Other counties than these have n3t been examined. Thus tobacco growing is confined almost entirely to East Texas. About TOO to 1,000 acres have been planted to tobacco this year. The FIniida. Havana and Sumatra Com- pany, William Tausiy. president, and the Texas-Cnba Company, A. Webb, president, L. H. Shelter, superintend- ent, are putting in quite extensive plants, and are contracting with Na- cogdoches Company farmers to take the 1904 crops as soon as stripped at 15 cents per pound. The Lavaca Com- pany, F. Simpson, presi(ient, Wm Balkeslee, secretary, and C. J. Hurt- gins, manager, are putting in extensive crops in Laxaca county. The Florida, Havana and Sumatra Company has 10 acres under shade and about 50 acres in the open. The Texas- Cuba Toliacco Company has 40 acres under shale and are setting out and hoping to have yoo acres in the open. The Lavaca Company has five acres un- der shade and 35 acres in the open. Ana there will be from 500 to 800 acres in the open planted by individual farmers in east Texas. Both Havana and Sumatra will be raised under shade. All the open field tobacco is form Cuban seed furnished by the Southern Pacific railroad, which sent men to Cuba especially to get pure seed. Both the wrapper and the filler are hard to distinguish from the gen- uine Havana. There were only 15,000 pounds raised in 1903, nearly all of which was bought by the Florida, Ha- vana and Sumatra Company. This to- bacco was raised under government supervision and cured by them. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER '^he New England Tobacco Grower Published monthly by Tobacco Grower Publishing Co. S3 Trumbull street, Hartford Fire Insurance Building Hartford, Connecticut. Subscription, One Dollar a Year. Ten Cents a Copy. Official Journal of The New Eng^laiid Tobacco Growers' Association. PAUL ACKERLY, Editor. Vdlunie V. Number 5. Entered at the Hartford P.ist-Office as Second Class mail matter. HARTFORD, JULY, 1904. THE YOUNG MJiN 1^*0RE young men shoultl atteiul the meetings of the New Eng- land Tobacco Growers' Association. Their presence is most desiiable, and if they are to carry foiward the indus- try as the older growers earn retire- ment, they owe it to themselves and to the trade to affiliate with the Associa- tion. The work that is being done by the young men on the tobacco farms of New -England can scarcely b6 over- estimated. Engaged in an industry which calls for conservatism and care- fulness as well as diligence and appre- ciation, they must necessarily become equipped with a learning and experi- ence out of the ordinary, and having to do with details that can not be taught fi-om books. So it is on the farm that the thous- and and one problems must be thought out and fought out, but co-operation in The New England Tobacco Growers' Association is helpful, and it can be made more helpful year by year. BJtRNS, MOT B/LL-SOJtRDS ■IJEMEMBEK that tobacco barns are meant for curing tobacco and sheltering implements and supplies, and not for displaying the advertise- ments of patent medicines or laundry soaps. A barn is part ot the farm landscape; if it is worthy and dignified and with- out reproach to be a farmei, one's buildings are worthy of being devoted to the one purpose of farming. The clothier would think it stiaiige if a tobacco grower offered him a few dollais a year for the privilege of paint- ing leaf tobacco advertisements in green and yellow on the side of the store building. Farm help seems this year to be steadier as to work and greater as to supply than last year, but the lateness of the Spring meant rushing for both men and teams, antl every year, may- hap, strikes the average of labor supply and timeliness of work. Shingle Roofs At the St. Louis Exposition I notice many different appliances antl materials for building purposes, yet how few changes have really been in- troduced into construction, and how strongly does the shingle roof hold its place after so many trials of other methods. Few farm buildings in New Eng- land are covered otherwise than with shingles, and it is rarely that a tobacco barn is seen that is not built in the regulation way with shingle roof. J. W. Upson built several large sheds at Bloomfield, with substantially fiat roofs, and scatteretl in the tobacco towns there are others built in this style. 1 wish that tobacco growers who have had experience with the flat roofed ehetl woultl write their views to The New England Tobacco Grower, — as to the cost of tin or other roofing, compared with shingles, durability of roof and convenience as to hanging space. Windsor. In the Sheds Find time this summer to look aftei the tobacco sheds. There may be doors to mend, poles to replace, roofs to look after. Above all, attend to the floors; clean out the rtibbish and draw in fresh sand, so that your tobacco will not have to cure in a sour, must}" place. >See that the drainage about the sheds is in good shape. There is no sense in having roof water run into a shed when a little trench digging would prevent it. .J. T. Sumatra Inscription At the -Sumatra inscTiption at Amsterdam on June ■^, E. Rosenwaltl & Bro. were among the largest buyers, having secured about 1,000 bales, in- cluding (Kit) bales in two running lots of Deli My H., 100 bales of N, A. T. M. S., 100 bales of Lankat Tab. My. V. D. P., antl smaller lots of Senembah My K. and U S. Deli. Hinsdale Smith & Co. bought 100 bales Deli Matty D. Lankat and Deil Ba My TH. S. Rossin & Sons secured 13.5 bales, a part of which consists of N. S. Deli. MEETING JtT JtMHERST The annual summer field meeting of the Alassachiisetts state board of agri- culture was held June 16 at the Massa- chusetts agricultural college at Am- herst. J. L. Ellsworth of Worcester, secretary of the board, was in charge of the program. Members of granges from all over the state were present. Members of the cattle owners' asso- ciation, the fruit growers' association and of the creamery association were present. Altogether there was an at- tendance of over .500, and in the after- noon, during the speaking, the chapel was filled to its full capacity. At 8:80 in the morning Dr. H. T. Fernald gave a demonstration of the preparing and applying of a wash to destroy the San Jose scale, antl also the fumigation of a tree for the same purpose. At 9;30 Prof. F. A. Waugh gave an explana- tion and demonstration of the Bord- eaux mixture applying to foliage to save fruits and vegetables from fung- ous diseases. At 1 Prof. W. P. Brooks exhibited the separators at the dairy school and tlemonstrated the Babcock test and the working of the latest model of Farrington's Pasteurizer. At noon dinner was served at Draper hall. Dr. George M. Twitchell of Augusta, Me., editor of the Maine Farmer, spoke at 1:30 on "Harness Your Forces." Dr. Twitchell spoke in brief as follows: Harness your forces is what it must be, not what it is at present. This is a periotl of great developments antl in the next 3.5 years great changes will be brought about in agricultural industry. The farmers should make an effort to face the great oppuitunities now open to them. Some of the Boston ministers have recently been speaking of the country towns be- coming demoralizetl, wliile the oppo- site is really the case. After the meet- ing those present scattered over the grounds, visiting the bain, experiment stations and the plant-house. Cigar Smuggling at Charleston Thousands of Havana cigars are be- ing smuggled into Charleston, South Carolina, if reports of the government authorities are true, and cases have been made out against a number of dealeis and consumers for handling and smoking smuggled goods. For the past several weeks Special Agert Magatee, of the treasury depart- ment, has been in that city, and it is said that he secured positive proof that from forty to fifty thousand cigars have been smuggled into Charleston during the past few weeks, represent- ing a loss to the government of from $3,000 to .t8,000 duty. Unless the duty is paid by the dealers and citizens cases will be made out against them in the United States court. The gt)vernment officials have secured a lot of the jiarties who have been handling the smuggled cigars. The list contains the names of prominent firms, citizens and clubs. It is under- stt)od that quite a number of citizens will have to pay at least $300 duty on the cigars to escape prosecution. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Tobacco Cultivation Metliods Employed in Grooving tKe Leaf in India "I" ETTER from H. Caine, Esq., As- J-^ sistant Manager, Poosa Tobacco Paruis. Tirhoot, to the Superintendent of Andauians and Nicobars, dated Cth October, 1885: I have been requested by the Secre- tary of Revenue and Agricultural De- partment of India to send you full in- structions as to the method employed here for cultivating, preparing soil, sowing, planting and treatment while growing of tobacco. I shall endeavor to do so in as clear and concise a ulanner as possible, and hope you will have no difficulty in following out the instructions. Preparation of Soil. — Tobacco land should be well-drained upland which has lain fallow some time, or that has had some light crop in it ; this land should be well manured with well- rotted manure. We plough our lands twice monthly. Just before the time for transplanting the soil is ploughed up and well pulverized by a henger or beam of wood drawn by bullocks over the upturned soil, so as to bend it and to break any lumps of earth. The soil should be sufficiently dry for this pur- pose so as not to cake and harden. Seed-bed.?. — These should be made up in a suitable situation, that is, protected from the hot afternoon sun, having some building or grove of trees on the west side. The seed-beds should be raised some six inches off the ground and have trenches dug all around so as to carry off any superfluous tuoisture, the beds should be well worked with a kodalie, and good, rotted manure well worked in. After pulverizing the soil and levelling it, pick off any stone or other rubbish and it will be ready for sowing the seed. The size of the beds should be about 4 feet x 15 feet; this is more convenient than square beds, as it enables the plants to be attended to without risk of destroying them by trampling on them. Sowing the Seed. — The seed is sown broadcast with the band, mixed with some sand or ashes so as to sow evenly ; care should be taken not to sow too thickly. About one chittak of seed ought to be found sufficient for one of these beds which would furnish enough plant for one beggah of land. After having sown and if there is a hot sun, it would be advisable to cover the beds with light mats. The seed should germinate in 7 or 10 days at least. American seed does; Sumatra takes much longer. The plants may require watering, which should be done with a watering can with a rose, when the plants are well up and large. Only water seed-beds in the evening. As soon as the seedlings have leaves of the size of a penny, they are capable of bearing transplanting. Before taking up the seedling to transplant, water the beds well an hour beforehand; tliis is done to loosen the earth about the roots so that the plants may be taken up without injury. To take up the seedlings they should be seized by the underside of .the two laigest leaves by the finger and thumb, having one leaf on each side, not by the stem, then l)ull up gently, taking care not to break the leaves. They may be placed in an open basket. When the basket is full, it should be covered with a cloth if the sun is hot and the seedlings .slightly sprinkled with water and then carried off to transplant. The seedlings are planted out in rows 3 feet x 3 feet apart, for which purpose a knotted cord is used, the knots being three feet apart. This cord is drawn by two men, one at each end. Across the field or portion of the field at a distance of two feet from the outer edge, the cord is drawn out and then trampled upon by coolies. The knots leave an impres- sion in the soil where the seedlings have to be planted. The cord is then raised and put down again at another distance of tv^ o feet from the first and so on till sufficient land has been marked off. This work can be done during the day and the transplanting in the evening. Transplantin g. — Transplanting should be done in the evening if there is any sun ; in cloudy weather it can be done all the day long. Rainy weather is most suitable as it dispenses with watei'ing and the plants settle better. A boy takes a basket of seed- lings and walks up the row, dropping a plant here and there where the marks have been made; he is followed by a man who makes a hole with a kurpie into which he places a seedling and then presses the soil around the roots firmly with his fingers and then goes on with the rest. As transplanting can hardly be done here without water- ing, a boy carrying a can without a rose follows the man who is transplant- ing and waters each plant he comes across; but, as I mentioned above, if the transplanting could be done in rainj' weather, the watering would be unnecessary. When growing the young plants require some attention. After the plants have been planted about a week or so, weather permitting, it is advisable to loo.sen and open the soil around them with a kurpie and also to eradicate weeds which may appear. Later on a kodalie may be used to work the earth between the rows. As soon as the plants have made growth and begin to throw out flower or seed- heads, which will take place in about eight weeks or so, the)' should be topped, viz., the flower heads should be broken off before they flower in this way. The stem on which the head was found should be seized about two to three feet from the ground and snap])ed clean off by the hand or fingers. This topping will cause the plant to throw out heavy leaves. The higher up the stem is broken off, so will the leaves of the plant become thinner and smaller. Wo generally leave about ten to twelve leaves to each jilant. After topping, numerous suckers and off shoots will sjiring up; the.se should be promptly brokwn oft' as soon as they appear, as they take a lot of nourishment from the plant. The plant ripens in about three months. We cut here in January, and none but ripe i)lants should be cut. How to cut ripe plants :— A tobacco plant IS known to be ripe if the leaf cracks when taken between finger or thumb and pressed, and also when the leaves present a swollen appearance and have a heavy look. The stem when cut is full of sap, very thin rind on edge, the leaves are carved over and look mottled, the ribs of the plant get brittle and are easily broken off; when fully ripe, the plant is cut at one stroke clo.se to the ground. The best instrument to cut the plant is with a kurpie. When cut, the plant is allowed to hang over on its side and wilt or droop in the sun. This wilting takes from one to two hours according to the strength of the sun. When sufficiently wilted (which is known when the plants look drooping and the ribs can be bent slightly with- out breaking), the plants are placed in a cart and taken oft to the curing- house. New England Tobacco Growers' Association. President EDMUND HJlLLJtDJIY, Saffield, Conn. Vice-President THJtDDEUS GRAVES, Hatfield, Mass. Secretary and Treasurer PJtVL JtCKEK-l-T, Rockville, Conn. Office S3 Trumbull Street, Hartford, Conn. Directors. Wm. F. Andross, South Windsor, Oonn. Joseph H. Pierce, Enfield, Conn. M. W. Frisbie, Southington, Oonn. William S. Pinney, Suffield, Oonn. H. W. Alford, Poquonock, Conn. Colonel E. N. Phelps, Windsor, Oonn. B. M. Warner, Hatfield, Mass. F. K. Porter, Hatfield, Mass. Albert Hurd, North Hadley, Mass. J. 0. Carl, Hatfield, Mass. 0. M. Hubbard, Sunderland, Mass. W. H. Porter, Agawam, Mass. ■" Liyman A. Crafts, East Whately, Mass. James S Forbes, Buinside, Conn. George O. Eno, Simsbury, Conn. W. E. Burbank, Suffield. Conn. E. O. Hills, South wick, Mass. James Morgan, Hartford, Oonn. H. Austin, Suffield, Conn. Charles H. Ashley, Deerfield, Mass H. S. Frye, Poquonock, Oonn. to THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER ^ Cuban Parcels Post Ho'W it Operates in tKe Importation of Leaf Tobacco and Cigars THE parcels post arrangement witli Cuba has now been in effect long enough to enable the postal anil treas- urj' officials to judge of the volume of business in leaf tobacco likely to be carried on through this channel. The Tobacco Leaf states that while the im- portations through the mails have not constituted anv considerable propoi- tion of the trade in Cuban leaf tobacco, they have nevertheless steadily in- creased in amount, and the treasury officials have found it necessaiy to adopt careful methods, not onlv for the collection of duty, but also for the -tracing of all leaf thus imported, in order to prevent fi-auds upon the reve- nue on the part of cigar manufacturers, who might otherwise be enabled to secure considerable quantities of leaf tobacco for which they would not be obliged to account in making their re- turns to the Internal Revenue Bureau. It is an interesting fact that practi- cally every pound of leaf tobacco im- jiorted from Cuba through the mails has been invoiced as filler. It has been imported in packages weighing from a pound to four pounds each, and in some cases single importers have brought in a dozen or more packages at a time. Under the rules now in force the postal officials turn over to the collectors of customs at the e.xchange offices all such importations, and the collectors thereupon make out special reports describing the tobacco and for- ward them to the Commissioner of In- ternal Revenue. While the leaf to- bacco is not subject to internal revenue tax, the commissioner desires to ascer- tain its destination, and in all cases copies of these reports are forwarded by him to the local internal revenue office at the place to which the goods are consigned, with instructions to ascertain what becomes of the tobacco. If imported by a cigar manufacturer or Dy a leaf dealer, the revenue officer's duty is to see that such leaf is promptly taken up on th= revenue records in the same manner as if purchased in this country. In this way the government guards against the use of such leaf in the manufacture of cigars to be placed on the market without the payment of the internal revenue tax. In connection with these parcels post importations of Cuban leaf tobacco, the Internal Revenue Bureau has de- cided to apply the piovisions of section 69 of the Act of August 2S, 1894, to all persons bringing in tobacco. This section provides that "every person shall also be regarded as a manufac- turer of tobacco, whose business it is to sell leaf tobacco in quantities less than a hogshead, case or bale; or who sells directly to consumers or to persons other than duly registered dealers in leaf tobacco, or duly registered manu- facturers of tobacco, snuflf, or cigars, or to persons who purchase in packages for export; and all tobacco so sold by such persons shall be regarded as man- ufactured tobacco, and .sucli manufac- tured tobacco shall be put up and pre- pared by such manufacturer in such packages only as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, shall prescribe. ' In applying this statute, the com- missioner holds that importations through the mails of leaf tobacco can only be made by persons who consume the leaf themselves, or by regularly qualified leaf dealers or manufacturers. No one, not a registered dealer or manufacturer, can sell leaf so imported without becoming liable to payment of the tax thereon at the regular internal revenue rate of six cents per pound a.ssessed on manufactured tobacco. Although it is unlawful to import cigars and cigarettes from Havana through the parcels post, nevertheless the treasury department is almost daily called upon to rule on violations of the regulations in this regard. Cigars and cigarettes are not prohibited specifically from importation through the mails; but as the law provides that they shall be imported in certain quan- tities only, which quantities are in ex- cess of the weight limit of the parcels post airangement, it follows that all such importations are illegal. In the ma.iority of cases, the customs officials content themselves with a nominal seizure of the goods, which are released upon the payment of a fine equal to the duty and the internal revenue tax, which practically amounts to permit- ting importation upon the same condi- tions that prevail as to shipments through tlie regular customs channels. Where the department has a reason to believe that the importers have knowingly violated the law, however, the provisions of the statutes relating to smuggling are invoked, and the goods are seized and held until pay- ment is made by the importer of the appraised value thereof, namely, the foreign market value with the duty added. In such cases the owners of the goods are obliged to pay the cost of the goods the second time besides the duty, and this method of correct- ing the abuse appears to operate in a very salutary manner. Crop Transfer A query is presented to the Com- missioner as follows: "A tenant was to have a part of the tobacco crop for his share, but afterwards the owner of the land concluded to buy the tenant's tobacco. It was in effect a contract for wages instead of part of the crop." The applicant desires to be informed whether or not a farmer who thus acquires leaf tobacco' of his tenant can go out and retail it to consumers. The Commissioner held that under the con- ditions above specified ftie farmer him- self who owns the laud and buys the tobacco of his tenant as an offset for wages, would be entitled to sell the same without restriction in its natural condition at retail or in bulk without the payment of taxes Safe Ste.am Engine MNNO UN CEMENT WE have just placed on sale in the new store of E. U. Dens- luw. 218 State Street, Hartford, Conn., a full line of up-to-date farm machinery. We make a spe- cialty of Steam, Gas and Gaso- lene Eng-ines. and every courtesy will be extended by Mr. Denslow to those who are looking- for any- thing- in this liiu'. THE B. L. BR.AGG CO. tSpring^field, MassacHtisetts Joseph h,Kin& PHESlOENT, Iui^Sau. 803 Main' Street. William J Dixon. | Casmieb. HAHTFORa J IN THE HEART OF THE CITY The central location of this Bank makes it convenient for city or out-of-town depositors. All street cars pass City Hall and the American Bank is di- rectly opposite. We offer depositors every facility which their accounts, business and credit warrant. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER II E.ssex vSpecial Tobacco Maiwire and Tobacco Starter LTHOUGH the prices of chemicals have ad- J /\ 11 vanced very much during the past season, we guarantee to keep the analyses of all the high- grade Essex Specials fully up to the high stand- ard of preceding years. CThe Growers that use our to- bacco goods are among the most successful raisers in the Valley, getting good weight and a large percentage of light goods in all seasons. CBuy our Tobacco Starter for your seed-beds, your plants will be from ten days to two weeks earlier than those grown on any other formula. CSend for our 1904 Catalogue. RUvS^IA CEMENT CO., MANUFACTURERS j£/ jz/ ^ ^ £/ £>^ GLOUCESTER, ^'MASS. E. B. KIBBE:, General Agent, Box 752, Hartford, Conn. Leaf Trade CKanges Buyins Direct Noav a Feature of the Cigar Leaf Industry TALKING with the .senior partner of one of the oldest leaf houses in this city last week, he said with a sigh: "It is really surprising how during the last ten or fifteen years the leaf business has changed. I remember the time when I used to take a little trip and call first at South Norwalk, where I woulil .sell a bale or two of Havana over a few minutes' friendly chat; and then, on taking in New Haven and Hartford, come back home after a pleasant jaunt with little competition, and every customer an affable friend; and on my return I could figure up a really handsome sum as my profits. "You see, those days we thought nothing of maKing a profit of |40() or so a bale. "How ridicuously different now! Why, the competition is really tierce, and the margins of profit are fast be- coming nominal only. "But the most galling condition tliat gets nest to me of late is to have my formerly best old customers continu- ally dropping in on me from their big factories in Chicago, Milwaukee and other cities. They come into my office, shake hands cordially, take one of my smokes, drop into a chair, and start in this way: 'Just called in for the sake of old acquaintance to see how you were, old man. I've only two hours to spare before the Ward line steamer leaves, and I thought I'd see what you knew of the new Cubau crop before I leave for Havana. ' "And I am expected to blow them otf to lunch and drinks, and then see them off on the steamer, and wish them a pleasant and profitable trip in taking away my business by buying perhaps 400 or 500 bales in the Cuban capital that they used to get from me in those good old times. "The tobacco broker has disappeai'ed into ancient history, and I venture to predict that before the middle of this century the leaf dealer also will vanish, to give jilace to commission merchants in the ports where the leaf is grown who will purchase and ship direct from the country of origin to the order of the cigar factory management. Then Water, Pearl and Fiont streets will lose their present pungent nicotian odors, and great office skyscrapers will displace the two and three-story leaf merchants' warehouses. "Ah mel" — Tobacco Leaf. Dutch Imports and Exports The Bureau of Statistics of the De- partment of Commence and Labor, at Washington, has received the Dutch statistics on the importation, con.'ump- tion and exportation of tobacco for 190;l The total impoitations of tobacco and cigars amounted to 164,136,088 pounds, of which 81,048,513 pounds were landed at Amsterdam and 83,077,- .'576 pounds at Rotterdam. America furnished 38,484,446 pounds and the Dutch East Indies 81,886,346 pounds. For domestic consumption there was imported American leaf to the amount of 30,893,332 pounds, a slight increase over the amount in 1902, which was 19,117,496; of this 7,470, lo3 pounds came by way of Am- sterdam and 10,261,824 by Rotterdam. Imports of European tobacco amounted to 7,810,716 pounds, of which all but 39,672 pounds came from Prussia. Java supplied 1.5,026,873 pounds for domestic consumption against 12,723,692 pounds in 1902: of which 8,644,088 pounds came through Amsterdam and 5,953,004 pounds through Rotterdam. All other coun- tries supplied 11,535,736 pounds in 1903 against 11,793,604 pounds in 1902. The total exports amounted to 140,- 789,316 pounds, of which 76,888,744 pounds were exported from Amster- dam and 51,569,193 pounds from Rot- terdam. The heaviest exportation was to Prussia. J2 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER British Tobacco Tax London Paper Points Oot MistaKes of CKan- cellor of ExcHequer THE Chiiucellor of the Exchequer has not heard the last of the to- bacco tax, says the London Tobacco Weekly Journal, and influential and practical men have since its announce- ment been pointing out that from the point of view of imperial revenue the whole thing was a mistake. At the first blush it seemeii to the chancellor, who is nothing if not pro- tectionist, that a preferential duty in favor of unstripped leaf would cause employment of British labor, and so far it seemed his position was plaus- ible. It is now proved to him that sucli labor is not going to be a boon to workers here, and indeed such workers are not forthcoming in any great num- bers, and the result is likely to be that, in future the imports of unstripped for crushing will increase, and the other which bears the higher tax will pro- portionately decrease. As a result of his new scheme, the chancellor now stands to gain little or nothing by his increase of 3d. ( (i cents) on the stripped tobacco. The duty is now seen to be protective in purpose, without increasing the revenue, and without to any appreciable extent in- creasing the employment of British labor, because with such a substantial differential duty in favor of unstripped, there is a temptation to manufacturers who cannot get cheap labor for strip- ping to use up the unstripped by crush- ing stalk and all. By the increased use in this country of unstripped leaf which cannot be stripped here, the consumer will obviously be required to put up with an inferior article. He will be asked to smoke tobacco which, but for this vexatious tax, would be stripped for him before shipment by the foreigners. It is now regarded as certain that the trade will suffer by any deprecia- tion of the quality of the working man's tobacco, and it is to prevent the introduction of the practice of crush- ing stalks to any great extent that efforts are still being made to get the chancellor to reconsider and revise his scheme. •■ lu .. If the chancellor had realized that such a big differential duty as 3d. (6 cents) would only induce importers to run upon unstripped for crushing pur- poses, thus leaving him without his desired revenue, he would have made the new duty Id. (2 cents) and this would have yielded him what he expects from the 3d. (6 cents) tax, as for the sake of Id. importers would have made no difference in their im- ports of stripped. It is on the cards that the chancellor will yet grant a rebate of 1 %d. or 3d. (3 or 4 cents) on the stripped leaf, and so get his tax without dislocating the trade machinery as he threatens to do. However that may be, he and the treasury and a considerable body of parliamentari-ans are getting a lesson from tobacconists which will tend in future to make the tobacco trade less of a football for the revenue than it has been in the past. The advice as to raising prices that is being given by leaders of the retail trade in London at last is "Do not attempt in face of big competitors to raise the threepenny (0 cents) tobacco to any higher price." It cannot be done "by artificial means, least of all by the mere resolutions of small organiza- tions whose members may be beaten in competition with outsiders. To recoup himself for his loss of this 3d. (6 cents) tax is to be per- manent, the retailer of cheap stuff must first supplv the cheapest he can get, and if it be nasty as well as cheap it will the sooner disgust the consumer, who will be driven then to ask for a higher irrade tobacco and pay for it. To put 8d. (16 cents) a pound on the price in order to collect 3d. (ti cents) a pound for revenue is a practice which will make the tobacconists unpopular, and to throw an extra profit into pockets of the trade was not, of course, the object of the tax. Bo long as the tobacconist is expected to supply a cheap smoke, and at the same time collect the extra tax, without taking any undue advantage himself, it is obVious he can only do so by lowering the quality to the extent of the 3d. (6 cents) per pound. If the consumer kicks, he may blame the chancellor, and then, in sheer desperation, go for a better class of tobacco. within a few years all of the tobacco was set in the fields by hand. Boys were usually employed to drop the plants and a man followed and set them in the ground. It was tiresome work, but it is now a thing of the past. The machine known as the tobacco setter is now in general use. and the farmer who does not own one hires his neighbor's. The machine is drawn by two horses; the driver rides on the front of the machine, and two boys ride at the rear near the ground. The plants are fed into the machine by the boys, and are set out one at a time and at even dis- tances apart. The farmers recognize that the machine sets the plant more evenly and better than can be done by hand, and that they are more likely to live than when set by the former method. The machine also carries a water tank, so that each plant is auto- matically watered when it is set. This saves having a man follow the person who is setting to water the plants, as used to be necessary. Another useful device which the farm- ers are using to some extent is a sower which is attached to the rear of the tobacco setter, for the .purpose of sprinkling plaster or some compound upon each plant as it is set. to kill the worms if they attack it. This poison sower can be bought, but many farm- ers can make a small cart like affair on wheels which answers the purpose. There has been consideiable progress in the methods employed by the farm- ers carrying on the tobacco industry, and, while there is still much hard work to be done, the labor saving devices are making portions of the woik much lighter than formerly. Marked Change in Methods The marked change in the method of transplanting is apparent. Until WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. Advertisements under this liead cost one cent a word each time; no adveruseraent taken for less than twenty cents; casli or stamps must accompany orders which should be re- ceived by the 25th of the mouth. FOR S.\LE— Farm, 160 acres with pinli eranite ledjre and about 300O cords of wood ; fine site for buildinf. Box 185 Becliet Mass. WANTED— Reliable sing-le man to work on milk farm. W. J. Baker 253 Fairview ave. Cliicopee Mass. Shade-Grown Sumatra and Shade-Grown Cuban Wrappers rOR. .SALE IN QUANTITItJ Ai DEilR-ED Write for Samples and Prices FOSTER Drawer 42. Hartford, Conn. WANTED— Man to tallo(.n-.aph.c trade. Stadto, I030 Main St., Opposite Morgan St. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 13 Tobacco Insurance AVHat the Tobacco AVorld Has to Say on the Subject Till-; Tobiiccu World of Phihuleliiliia Hays editorially: Dnriiifi; tlio past few years tobacco seeiiis to have attracted imicli atleritiou auioiij; fire iiisnraiice underwriters in several of the principal tobacco grow- ing states. Difficulty has at times been experi- enced by the leaf tobacco packers of Wisconsin, who were often unable to obtain insurance in satisfactory coiu- panies at a reasonalile rate, and within the past two weeks it was openly an- nounced in Lancaster that if there were any more lire losses there among tobacco risks the companies would withdraw insurance from that section. It also seems that there is a similar agitation in Connecticut. It is, however, admitted that a wide variance of opinion and experience gives to the subject an unusual inter- est, and it is further stated that while many companies have written the class with profit for years, some under- writers have been less fortunate, with the result that tobacco may now be found upon quite a few prohibited lists. A member of a Hartford insurance agency, controlling several large to- liacco risks, among which are two of the hirgest growing corporations in (.'onnecticut, said that, wheieas the agency had collected many thousand of dollars in premiums duiiiig the past five years, only -f'J.OIK) had been paid out for losses, leaving a larger margin of profit than that realized on aliuost any other class of risks. Inquiries among other agencies also developed the fact that in a inaji>rity of cases a fair profit had been realized. It is the general belief among agents in that state that the aversion which some companies shew toward tobacco risks is due more to ignorance and un- grounded prejudice than to a high loss ratio. It is our opinion that if insurance cinnpanies to whom toliaceo risks are offered would exercise a closer scrutiny of the moral integrity and the hazards the ratio of losses would remain at a minimum, and an unnecessary embargo upon the honest merchant would be avoided. Windmills and. Water Systems Time was when a man about to Imild in the country would not thint of locating his house elsewhere than by a spring. But that day has gone. There is no longer necessity for it. Water can be had most anywhere ;it a reason- able depth below the surface -water as pure and cold and clear as ever came from the "crystal spring." And with the modern means of rais- ing it, the advantage lies not with the man who owns the spring, but rather with the man who b(n'es for water, for while he is about the job he usually plans for raising and storing at heights above the surface, so that with little extra expense house, barn, yards or shops may have water service in every part, for household use, tor stock, for watering lawns and gardens, for stor- age, in fact, every advantage enjoyeil by people connected with city water systems. The windmill is the agency which makes all this possible. A concern which has shown these possibilities to country people far and near is the Charles J. Jager Company of Boston. They are the agents of the famous Eclipse Windmill, a mill which from every windmill requirement, is the peer of any on the market. It is the basis of the Jager system of water works. For this concern is not only windmill makers and sellers, but it plans and suggests and builds complete water systems, taking the whole of the responsibility and guaranteeing satis- factory results. A Jager advertisement will be found in another column. Their catalogue uives a complete idea of what they do in the way of fitting out with water systems, windmills ami powers. Tobacco Industry in Trinidad Vice-Consul Wm. W. Handley, at Triniilad, West Indies, has transmitted to tlie Department of Commerce and Labor a lengthy report on the com- iiierci^ and industries of Trinidad, parts of which relating to the tobacco indus- try will be of general interest to the trade. During the last half of the year 1901 and the first halt of WWi leaf tobacco to the amount of 5() 1,000 pounds and manufactured tobacco amounting to (iil.OOO pounds was im- jioited into Trinidad. For the same periods in l!IOO-100:i the imports were 502,000 pounds of leaf and 77,000 pounds of manufactured tobacco. Leaf tobacco comes almost entirely from the United states, the manufactured pro- duct chiefly from Great Britain and the cigars and cigarettes (on which the duty is ill. 30 per pound) chiefly from the LTnited States. Tobacco Jtgainst Weevil It is reported from Texas that, although it is not completely effective, the best antidote yet found for the boll weevil that is making such ravages in the Cotton plantations is a strong solu- tion (if cobacco leaves. JENKINS & BARKER, Successors to Col. Charles L. Burdett. Patent and Trade Mark Causes. Solicitors of United States and Foreig-n Pat- ents, Desi^'ns and Trade Marks. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, so state Street, - Hartford, Connecticnt Washing Powder ^lade by S*«t and Company CHICAGO Swifrs Washing- Powder -ran- CLOTHING CROCKER'' fLO OfS .^'■^•iif>'' Swift's Washing Powder is the Tidy Housevuife's best friend. Try a package and see for yourself. SWIFT lO John Street, PROVISION COMPANY, BOSTON, MA.SS. J4 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER About TurkisH Tobacco Many Interesting Details of a Rapid Grooving Indtxstry THE expression "Turkish tobacco" is almost as vague and nieauing- less as "American tobacco,'' as it covers almost as many varieties of leaf as does the latter, says a writer in Tobacco Leaf. The difference be- tween the heavy Kentucky and the Havana Seed of Connecticut is no greater than that between the fine, tiny leaf of Cavalla and the heavy, gummy leaf from the interior of the Smyrna district. For purposes of convenience the Turkish tobacco of commerce may be classified into the varieties that come from Turkey in Europe and Asia on the one hand, and those which come from adjacent countries on the other. The ever increasing demand for these tobaccos makes all of them of especial interest at the present time. Of the latter category, Greek tobacco leads in importance, and is followed by Crimean, Caucasus, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Servian and Bulgarian. The tobacco raised in Turkey proper are divided into four great classes — the Cavalla, Smyrna, Lataki and Samsoan. These aie names of places, all four being seaports, the first on the southern coast of Roumelia, opposite the island of Thasos: the second on the eastern coast of the province of Aidin, Asia Minor; the third on the coast of Syria, opposite CyiDrus: and the fourth, Samsoun, on the Black Sea. Cavalla is the most important place, and its leaf is the most important of all the Turkish tobaccos. It is grown in many parts of Roumelia, and is there classified according to the district of its origin. When cured it is for- warded to Cavalla, where it is stored in the numerous warehouses of that city. These warehouses are owned by wealthy merchants, and are managed with great ability. Where the leaf received has been improperly cured, they re-cure it. They do all the packing, sorting and baling. From Cavalla, which is a busy seaport it is shipped to all parts of the world, and more especially to Germany, Great Britain, Fgypt, Austro-Hungary, the United States, Roumania, Russia, Italy and Switzerland. Smyrna, the second tobacco shipping port, has a large export trade. The predominant leaf in that market is known under the name of Ayassoluk, and is distinguished by being packed by the farmers with the leaves threaded upon long strings. Ayassoluk is re- markable for its deep, rich aroma, so deep that the leaf finds its chief em- ployment in blending, and is seldom used alone. The Samsoun leaf ranges in color from light yellow and light red to dark brown, and is seldom uniform in appearance. It does not seem to be cultivated with the same care as Ca- valla leaf, and when packed by the farmers is seldom made into neat bundles. It has a rich aroma, a warm, pleasant flavor, and excellent burning quality. It is often used alone for making cigarettes and pipe tobaccos, but is more frequently blended with Cavalla and Smyrna. Latakia has enjoyed prestige for many years, but does uol seem to in- crease much in popularity. The country thereabouts varies greatly in topography, with the consequence that the leaf grown is equally varied. In the market numerous varieties are found, ranging from a small leaf two inches long, to large fleshy affairs twenty and even twenty-four inches in length. In general the stems of the leaves are too heavy for cigarette making, but the leaf is used for the narghile, either plain or else mixed with other varieties. Of the four classes, Cavalla is the most important, and, so far as the European and American markets are concerned, causes Latakia to sink into, insignificance. The market classifica- tion of its leaf is very complex, and would not interest American readers. So far as American trade is concerned, it is divided into Dubec of Giu-bec, which brings trom seventy cents to two dollars a pound. This is packed in small bales weighing fi'om twelve to twenty-five pounds. The word Giu- bec means the '"belly leaf." In pick- ing, the lower, or sand leaves and the embryonic top leaves are rejected and only the middle or "belly" leaves in the centre and upper part of the stem are taken by the grower. This is the origin of the word Dubec, which is a Ujispronunciation of tlie word Giu-bec. The second quality, Basma, comes packed in bales weighing from forty to eighty pounds, and costs from ten to seventy cents a pound. Below this comes what we Americans would call trash. It includes sand leaves, tops, broken and injured leaves, and brings from five to ten cents a pound in the open market. Little or none of it comes to the United States. Large quantities are" exported to Germany, Holland and other lands, where it is made into cheap cigarettes and snuff tobacco. Tobacco culture in Turkey is not marked by either high knowledge or progress. It is carried on by farmers who have small holdings of land, and' who follow in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers. This is especially the case with Turkey in Asia, where the methods of today are the same as those of a hundred years ago. In the Cavalla district the forces of civilization have exerted considerable influence, and here and there modern ideas have obtained a foothold in the agricultural districts. The cultivation is carried on by farmers and their wives and children. Those who are well to do have a donkey, which aids them about the farm ; where there is no donkey, the wife takes its place. Irrigation is effected b3- loading a don- key with leaky water-cans, and driving him slowl}' up and down the fields where the plants aie growing. Where there is no donkey, the stalwart wife per- forms this task, using for her water- pails two American kerosene cans. Thus doth the Standard Oil Company carry Christianity into Mohammedan lands! When the leaves are sufficiently ripe, they are cut, taken home, and strung and hung on poles supported by cross pieces a few feet above the ground. At this point is the first sorting. The upper and finer leaves are strung by themselves, as are the middle and larger, the lower and still larger, and last of all the sand leaves. During the drying, the crop must be protected from rain and storm. When bad weather threatens, the entire family turns out and carries the leaf- laden poles into a barn, or even their own house where they remain until the weather is dry again. When thoroughly sun cured, the leaves are taken from the strings, bunched, baled and wrapped. These operations con- sume the fall and winter months, the crop being ready for shipment about March to April. In January to March come the buyers, who purchase the crops from the farmers and forward them to Cavalla. These buyer.', are of all sorts. Some represent great cigar- ette manufacturers ; others leaf dealers ; and still others, speculators pure and simple. When the farmers' bales reach the warehouses they are unpacked and reassorted. Frequently the leaf has been improperly cured, and more fre- quently parts of a .single crop will be both well and poorly cured. Some- times all the leaf has a poor burn, and needs long packing and storing to develop its full value. For crops of this class there are special storage room, where they are kept ore, two, and even three years before they are finally put upon the market. In this sorting and packing the Greeks seem to have a greater genius than any other nationality. At Caval- lais a large Greek population, which is supplied from the island of Thasos, just as there is one at Smyrna supplied from the island of Mitylene, which is employed in the warehouses. They regard the work as a technical educa- tion, and in many cases, after having served an apprenticeship in the ware- houses, go to Alexandria, Cairo, Lon- don, Berlin and New York, where they become leaf dealers or, more fre- quently, cigarette manufacturers. While the Greek leaf is inferior to the Cavalla and Samsoun in delicacy and aroma, it burns exceedinglj' well, and is therefore a valuable blend in cigarette making. Large amounts go to Egj-pt, where they are blended with Cavalla, Smyrna and Samsoun to make the famous Egyptian cigarettes. While the Turkish government does THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 15 ^ LUTHBR M. case:, ^ WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, Packer and Dealer in Connecticut Leaf Tobacco. ^^i^ Shade Grown J^J0^ >»>«:» Sumatra in Bales. ^T* 5 Main Warehouse and Office, Pine Meadow, Conn, BR^MCH WAREHOUSES: Soiithwick, Mass.,— Foreman, H. L- Miller. I'^ast Canaan. Coiiii.,— Foreman, L,- F. Bronson. BarUhamsted, Conn.,— Foreman, L. A. t^ee. North Hatfield, Mass., — Foreman, Willis Holdeii. New Hartford, Conn., — Foreman. James Stewart. SUMATRA PLANTATIONS: Pine Meadow, Conn., 25 Acres Barkhamsted, Conn., 20 Acres South wick, Mass., J 5 Acres Always in the market for old Tobacco if well assorted and packed. ^ Havana Seed Wrap- pers a specialty, assorted and sized into thh"tv-two grades. ...... I' mm^^mmmmmmmmm^m mm^.ww^ little 01 nothing for its tobacco indus- try, its neighbors pursue the opposite policy. Greece, Montenegro, Herego- vina and Bosnia have been energetic in aiding their tobacco growers in many ways. They have reduced the taritf on fertilizers; have engaged to- bacco experts from other lands; have started government factories to create a home market: have imposed differ- ential duties in favor of the domestic leaf; have built roads and even rail- roads to lessen the cost of transporta- tion, and in Herzegovnia and Bosnia have conducted small government farms. It is therefore fair to assume that in a few years the srpply of Tur- kish tobacco will be largely and per- manently increased. All of the.se tobaccos are the results of the action of climate and soil. The original leaf «f southeastern Europe came from the West Indies and prob- ably from Cuba, although some autho- rities believe it was taken from the American mainland. But in the cotirse of the years it has assumed a type peculiar to that part of the world. This type is not confined to the coun- tries named hereinbefore. In Persia and Armenia, Trans-Caucasus, Bessar- bia and Hungary, where the soil and climate are somewhat alike to those of Greece, Turkey and Syria, similar leaf has been grown without trouble from Turkish seed. It is very possible that these lands will ere long enter the Tur- kish tobacco market and compete with those now in possession. Tobacco Burned in Virginia On June .5, Danville, Virginia, was visited by the largest and most des- tructive fire known in its history, en- tailing a loss in the neighborhood of f40(t.00(). Four big buildings were reduced to ashes, including Lee's Waie- house. owned by G. Penn and O. Dudley on the east of which was the factory of B. Newgrass. of London, and two on the west owned by 'the T. C. Williams' estate, of Richmond. The buildings were all occupied by the American Tobacco Company, lessee. It is estimated that nearly 4,00(1,000 pound of tobacco was stored in the four buildings, all of which was burned. The building owned b? Penn and Dudley was valued at about $1."),000, and was insured for |1 0,000; the building owned by B. Newgrass, which is better known as the Scott factorv, was valued at $7,500, and fully insured. The two Williams estate buildings were of brick, and valued at about it!l,T,000 each, and they were -well insured. In addition to the above damage, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company plant suffered a loss of several thousand dollars by water. Charles {(ruse Dead The death is announced of Chailes Kruse, secretary of the Kruse-Reese Leaf Tobacco Company, of St. Louis. Will Insure Themselves A letter from Janesville, Wisconsin, says; The first of a chain of mutual insurance companies to be organized nmcuig tobacco men in the state was formed here last week, and |200,0()0 of business was pledged by the sixty tobacco men in attendance. The com- pany is to be known as the Bower City Mutual Fire Insurance Company of .lanesvilln, and other companies a e soon to be organized elsewhere. Among the cities where companies will probably be formed are Viroqu;!. Edgerton, Sparta, Madison and Jeffer- son. Those interested say these companies will reduce the cost of insurance on tobacco about 20 per cent. HEJtDQUJtRTERS FOR nmU IKSURflHGE F. F. SMALL & CO. 95 Pearl St., HERTFORD, COXN. 14 Fort St., SPRINGFIELD, MJISS. t6 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER ^ ooooooooo o o o ^^^o ^"''^o ^^"^o ^""^o ^■"''^o ^"""^o — o ^-"^o ^^'''^o ^""'^o ^•'"^o ^""^o ^' €S & InternatioriLal Tobacco ClotH ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ & HE superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth has been fully dem- onstrated in the field fi; High-grade material and skilful construction, combined with long experience in manufacturing this class of fabric, accounts for the superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth ^ Made in all required widths; shipments prompt and complete. Forbes ^ Wallace Springfield, Mass. V* >^ ^^ . ** j^^ ° j~^ o O _^ O __ O -^ o -^ o o.— .0^-^0...-»0.*«,.*>.*-vO ^-^ o o „«.. o ,^^ o — . o i3i§o ^f>e New England Tobacco Grower VOL. V. No. 6. HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AUGUST, 1904. $1.00 A YEAR Seed from Selected Broadleaf Plants ^XTHILE so iiuich is being done in the line of efforts to improve vaiioHs varieties of tobacco introduced from different countries, the old broadleaf type of Connecticut tobacco is not beiug neglected, for the plant has long been in the hands of care- ful, painstaking growers. These men have appreciated the importance of seed selection and year after year ha^e taken steps to preserve the uniformity, thrift) - ness and good smok- ing qualities of the standard type of to- bacco to which they have devoted their energies. To the admirer of broadleaf there is no finer sight than a large level field of thrifty broadleaf, each plant a duplicate of its neighbor, the large wide leaves spreading out grace- fullj'. Mongrel plants ai'e nowhere more annoying than in such a field, and aside from the annoyance and bad appear- ance, there is likewise the certainty that the inferior plants will show up in the bundle and in the warehouse to the detriment of the crop. On the other hand, no variety of to- BROADLEAF PLANTS SELECTED FOR SEED BY JAMES S. FORBES, BURNSIDE, CONNECTICUT. bacco responds better to a little care in the selection of the seed plants. Having long been grown in the Connecticut Valley, broadleaf has become acclimated and localized, so that it is not so sub- j e c t to freaks o f growth or leaf char- acteristics as the va- rieties of more recent importation. It only requires, therefore, a little extra attention at this time of the year, when topping plants, to enable the broadleaf grower to gratify his pride in a uniform field of hand- some tobacco, to say nothing of the better financial results ob- tained by such crops. James S. Forbes of Ijurnside, a director uf The New England Tobacco Growers' Association, and a member of the com- mittee in charge of the Connecticut tobacco exhibit at St. Louis, is among the growers of broadleaf who annually give close attention to the selection of seed plants, thereby maintaining a strain of uniform and thrifty plants having leaves of the right shape, affording wrappers of the highest value. GROOVERS* MEETING AT SPIMNGFIELD. AUGUST 13 Hartford, Connecticut, July 26, 1904 The New England Tobacco Groovers' Association will hold its mid-summer meeting in Gill's Hall, Springfield, Mass., on Saturday, August ■3) 1904, commencing at 10 A.M. Interesting addresses have been arranged for, and all tobacco growers, whether now enrolled as members of the Association or not, are cordially invited to attend. By order of EDMUND HALLAD.'W, President. PAUi ACK.ERLY, Secretary. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER WorK of tHe vStations Govsmment £^xperiments in tKe R.aising of Tobacco THE reports of the various state agricultural exiieriiuent statious for the year 190:5 made public by the Department of Agriculture, Wasbins- tou, contain some interesting inforiua- tiion relative to the work by them in experimenting with the raising of to- bacco. Of special interest to the trade is the report eaf is of Oood Color mUstotvn The average comlitioii of the crop at this time is uiucli better than at the same time last year. The .stand in the fielfl is good. It has j^ruwn rapidly and is of good color. Green worms were never so scarce aud the crop is sound. There is a slight increase in the acreage, probably not more than three per cent. Mr. May, on tbe U. M. Smith place, has built a five-acre shed with cellar; William Bently a new two acre shed, and Paul Kasche & Bro. a three-acre shed. There is plenty of help at present, but more will be needed during har- vest. Old tobacco in farmers' bands is very scarce. I know of but two lots; Jerome Hills has eighteen cases and G. W. Bancroft twenty-one cases, all broadleaf. While the present condition of to- bacco is good I can say from my own observation that the towns of Houth Windsor, East Haitford and Glaston- bury are much in need of rain as the ground is very dry. We old tobacco raisers have learned not to set our affections on a crop of tobacco until we have it in the shed for no man knows what a day or an hour may bring forth. (4. W. B. Enfield The rural free delivery route, estab- lished by State Superintendent C. B. Rodgers, will be about twentj'-four miles i:i length, and will take in terri- tory about three miles .south of Thompsonville and about two miles east of Thompsonville, with the inter- secting cross roads. The carrier will start from the Thompsonville post- offlce about 8:30 o'clock in the morn- ing. His route will begin at the fresh water bridge and continue south in Enfield street to the Bridge lane, down Bridge lane, south on the river road, southeast to Enfield street, south on King street, east on the Hazardville road, returning on the Broad Brook road to Enfield street, east again on the south road to Hazardville, return- ing to Enfield street on the middle Hazardville road, north to the state line, east on the Brainardville road. returning to the post-offlce bj' way of Elm street. The carrier will be supplied with stamps. He will also receive letters for registration, giving receipts therefor, and will receive money for money orders, all of which he will be obliged to receipt for. Persons living witliin half a mile of the post-ofKce on Enfield street in Thompsonville will continue to get mail as at present. The route will be in operation about September 1. Simsbury The crop is of better growtb than that of 190:i and looks more healthy. Some crops were made uneven by the work of the cut worm, but many were not troubled at all. No damage has been done by storm 01 hail ill this town. Help is i)lentiful There is very little old tobacco in town. The outlook for the crop never was better at this time of the year. A. T. Patterson. Glastonbury Tobacco stems have been at a pre- mium since last fall up to within a few days. They are now arriving in large quantities and will be stored away until next spring. One hundred aud fifty tons were received last week, the consignment having been made to Agent Merritt Smart for Olds & Whipple, and was stored at Phelps's coal shed. There have al.so been large shipment tor Jerome Hills. Hardin & Warner and S. J. Stevens. Conivay, Massachusetts The tobacco is growing finely, al- though some pieces would bo bene- fitted by a little rain'. We did not get any rain last week, as some of our neighbors in adjoining towns did by appearances. East Whately George Dickinson & Son sold ;)0 cases dark wrappers and tops at 11 cents. George Pease sold from HO to 40 cases at private terms. North Hatfield Tobacco is looking fine where it has started, and has been hoed, but we need some rain for the general run of the crop. Burnside All the I'.IO;; bvipadleaf crop has S(jld for an averag(; of 18 cents per pnund, A small (inantity of Havana is still on hand. A slight change is noted in planting here this year, less Havana being grown than usual. A farmer suggests that growers should carry organization into eft'ect tbis season, if no more than to agree not to sell 1904 tobacco until it is stripped. Somers Resetting tobacco and hoeing have kept the growers busy. Crops have derived great benefit from the recent rains. C'utworms are proving that even a small worm can do much injury to growing crops. In one instance where tobacco had been set the setter was obliged to reharrow and reset the piece. Suffield The tobacco crop is looking well and many of the fields are budding out. The warm weather of the past few weeks has done much for growing crops and although the season started late ciops seem to be as far advanced as usual this time of the j'ear. Looking for Broadleaf L. W. Scott of Boston, a tobacco dealer, was in Connecticut recently looking for 1902 broadleaf. He visited growers in the noith section of East Hartford, in South Windsor, East Windsor Hill, Wapping and Ellington, but could find only one who had any of the gooes on hand. The grower in question had 17 cases, whicb, however, had not been sampled last year and was not found by Mr. Scott to be in a desirable condition to pui chase. Tobacconist's Widow a Philan^ thropist Mrs. Mary C. Duulop, relict of David Dunlop, tobacco manufacturer of Petersburg. Virginia, will build a handsome annex to the Home for Sick in that city, as a memorial to her hus- band. It will cost about $100,000, and will be endowed to be self-sup- liorting. New Leaf Tobacco Firm A new leaf tobacco firm is announced in Philadelphia under the name of the Sunderland Tobacco Comjiany. It is composed of Thomas H. Sunderland and H. S, Myers, the iatter of whom is a well known salesman. The new firm already carries a substantial stock, having purchased 200 cases of domestic and 73 bales of Sumatra tobacco. Its present office is at 141 North Third street, which is also occupied by M. Rosenstein, leaf tobacco broker. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Rains Improve tHe Crop 'Wet Spell Came Just at tKe R-igHt Time for Tobacco East Hartford With the farmers iu this vicinity the recent rains were providential, coming at a time wlien they would do the most good. One of the best trolley rides to take to realize this is to East Windsor Hill, for from the forks of the roau in East Hartford to the bill can be seen some of the best tobacco raised in the Connecticut valley. One of the first crops is that of A. Fred Olmsted. It consists of about eight acres and is about three feet tall. Then comes Daniel Driscoll's crop of about 10 acres. William Buruham has one of the best crops iu this sectiou. Daniel Reardon raises about 10 acres on the old Elizur Drake farm. Lester New- ton's crop consists of 42 acres and is one of the largest raised in the valley. His tobacco is looking excellent and Mr. Newton expects to make the best harvest in 10 years. Selectman Harry Powers of South Windsor has an excel- lent crop of from V to 15 acres, and the Jones brothers are raising their best crop of a number of years, while the Bancroft brothers are raising a large crop at the hill and the Driscoll brothers have a yO-acre crop which is in fine condition. John Driscoll also has a large crop. The fear of hail is passing, as the farmers say they look for hail from July 3 to July '?0. There is practically no "calico," and the crop generally is the best in from eight to 10 years. The leaves are finer and the tobacco is of a much better quality than is generally the case. Tobacco is nearly ready to top. The tobacco is nearly all broadleaf, little or no Havana being raised in this vicinity The recent rains are the cau.se of the crop presenting so good an appearance and quality. The long continued hot days were causing the farmers much anxiety, but just when they had their hay in the barns came the rain which meant so much to their tobacco. East Windsor Hill The condition of the crop at the pre.sent time is better than that of last year. The recent rainy weather has greatly improved it, the plants show- ing bright green tops and growing rapidly. Although some fields show a tend- ency to bud rather low, yet the plants spread well and are filling between the rows. Green worms are few, and barring .severe storms, the crop will be harvested in as sound a condition as the crop of li)0:i, which was secured in a remarkably whole state. At jiresent writing, growers have all the help required, but in about a fortnight or three weeks, when sucker- ing and harvesting begins, extra help will be iu brisk demand. We may expect the annual influx of ''floaters." looking for short jobs and good pay. Efiicient hands are so scarce at harvest time that the grower is compelled to employ from the ranks of those "on the road." William Dunn, Frank Bidwell and Dwight Farnham have built new sheds this season. Others are contemplating building. The general acreage in .this vicinity has been but slightly increased, but more broadleaf is grown than last season, caused by several who have heietofore raised Havana seed chang- ing to tne former. Sutter Bros.. Osterweis and Gershel have been visit- ing the tobacco regions, inspecting the growing crops. Growers will hold for good piices for they have a better crop, thus far as appears, than last season. No hail has visited South Windsor and none is expected. RoswELL Grant. Westfield Iu comparison with 1903 the crop of I'JOi is a good margin ahead. Budding a little low; a fair .sized leaf: color good. With now and then a little rain everything looks favorable for a good harvest. Cut-worms were plentiful in some fields. Two tobacco shed additions are being built, one by George Hubbard of Little River, of three or four bents, and the other by William S. Bush of East Silver Street. Everything in the shape of tobacco was taken by the dealers last spring. There seems to be plenty of help at present, mostly Russian Poles. A. D. S. Windsor f At this writing the crop is ahead of that of 15103. A few growers were bothered with cut-worms, but generally speaking they have not been very troublesome. The acreage here is about the same as usual. Hatfield Tobacco in this .section looks much better than at the same period last year. The plants have a good color and look thrifty. Some of the growers are prep.iring to commence cutting the first week in August. Two sheds are being built, one by Edward Ryan, -iOxT.T, and one bv Patrick Mulliu.s. ;!0x7.5. B. M. Warner lost his three acres of cheesecloth. A spark from a pa-ssing locomotive sotting it on fire. Enfield Street Enfielil Street was the center of a violent electrical storm, accompanied with heavy rain and the dreaded hail, July 10, which caused much damage to the tobacco crop for a radius of about a mile and a half. Many of the tobacco growers estimate their tobacco crop to be damaged to the amount of from 15 to 3.5 per cent. The storm came from the west, its approach being heralded by sharp lightning and heavy thunder. Another storm seemed to approach from thenoith, and the two centered ovei Enfield and proceeded iu their work of destruction. The crops of several of the farmers were badly peppered by the hail, which fell for about 30 minutes, and were the size of walnuts. Many crops out through the country on the south and middle roads to Hazardville were also damaged to a great extent. The crops damaged the most were those that stood nearly two feet high and which were nearly ready for topping. The smaller plants that were not so far advanced suffered but little, as the leaves are still small, and it is expected the leaves that will sprout out from now until August 1 will come around in good shape. Some of the farmeis estimate the total loss in the vicinity of Enfield will reach between $8,000 and |10,000. Southwick The crop for 1004 looks very promis- ing. There has been no hail or wind to damage it. No cut-worms have been reported. In fact the crop looks all that could be asked for. Harvesting will commence about the eighth of August. E. C. Hills and J. W. Root. Harry Hudson, C. S. Miller, Nelson Stevens, Fred Johnson, have very nice crops. A. R. Webb and Cooley Giift'en are building new tobacco sheds. The acieage is about the same as last year. Lancaster, Pennsylvania At the State Experiment Stations in this county two fields of tobacco under cloth have been planted. At the old one at Milton Grove about one-third of an acre was set out under cloth ten days ago. That at Cocalico. in the red sand belt, was planted a few days earlier. It is also under cover, and good results are looked for as the soil is wholly diflerent from that on which the bulk of our crop is generally grown. Andrews & Peck, MANUFACTURERS. Wholesale and Retail Dealers in DjDrs Windows and Blinds. Manufacturers' Agents for Akron Sewer Pipe and Land Tile. We make a specialty of hotbed sash. Office, 88 MarKet .Street, Mill; Charter Oak and Vredcndalc Avenues, HARTFORD. CONN. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Kssex vSpecial Tobacco Manure and Tobacco Starter LT HOUGH the prices of chemicals have ad- vanced very much during the past season, we guarantee to keep the analyse- of all the hijjjh- grade Essex Specials fully up to the high stand- ard of preceding years. CLThc Growers that use our to- bacco goods are among the most successful raisers in the Valley, getting go'od weight and a large percentage of light goods in all SeaSOnS. CHuy our Tobacco Starter for your seed-beds, your plants will be from ten days to two weeks earlier than those grown on any other formula.CSend for our 1904 Catalogue. RUvSvSIA cem£:nt CO., MANUFACTURERS j£/ jZ/ ^ jZ^ j£/ jZ^ GL0UCESTI:R, v^•MASS. E. B. HIBBE:, General Agent, Box 752, Hartford, Conn. TKe Campaign Cigar strange Political Device, Said to be Intended for SmoKing THE snmiuer dullness in tlie cigar trade has been a.s prouonnced as usual, and there has been a strike in Tampa, but the time of the campaign cigar is approaching, and those who care to make this moutli instriimuiit will soon be in their glory. Originally intended to educate the American people in the relative merits of the opposing candidates, and the mysteries of part)- platforms, the caui- jmign has changed into a period for the wearing of badges made in Newark, and the smoking of campaign cigars, made no one knows where, for no one would be so unkind as to look at the label on a box of campaign cigars. Campaign cigars are distributed by candidates of all parties except those of the Frohibition Party; at least no candidate uf the Prohibition Party ever gave a campaign cigar to the writer, and this is the only evidence obtaina- ble. Out of sheer gratitude the writer ought to be voting with the Prohibi- tionists, but through natural perversity he is not. The origin of the campaign cigar is wrapped in mystery; there is no pro- tective tariff on mystery, and it is a big yielder. No one is old enough to re'nember when there were camp.tigiis without the campaig'i cigar, and it is in the records of the D. A. R. that when George vVashington ran against liimself for President, his managers dis- tributed campaign cigars in tlie effort to get out the full vote. The government to this day does not know the difference between cigars and campaign cigars, and goes on col- lecting the internal revenue just as if they were real cigars. This is said to be because the experts of the different departments do not co-operate with each other, and thus give the govern- ment the immediate wisdom of their joint knowledge. Some day the Bureau of Fumigation for Immigrants' Soiled Luggage, the Commission for the Pre- vention of Fires in the Forest Reserve and other Vegetable Fibres, and the Board to Erect a Monument to Henry day, will all get together and advise with the Internal Revenue Bureau, and then there will be no more stamp- ing of boxes containing campaign ■ cigars. Since the craze for bands and cou- pons started, the politicians have not been idle with their brains, and in this coming campaign, a good manv cam- paign cigars will be banded; "If 1 am elected Selectman, return lOU ot these bands and get three days' work on the roads; or 300 of the.se bands and get three days' work for man and team." Windsor. Third Sucker Seed Don Quixote is the patron of many of the Cuban tobacco growers, who exemplify his ideas in the instance of saving seed for their next year's tobac- co planting from the third ground sucker plants. In a good season, the first yield of tobacco is so good that it is a shame to waste anj' original plants by letting them go to seed, and in a poor season, when the farmer has a light crop anyway, he reasons that it would be too bad to still further cut down the yield by saving the first I)lants for seed. So each year he gets seed of puorer vitality, and mirst save tremendous quantities to be sure of having enough sprout. Harvesting in Florida Florida farmers are now cutting the new tobacco crop. In Gadsden County, five crops were reported sold recently, sun-grown tobacco bringing 15 cents per pound. Tent tobacco is said to be promising, Sumatra showing fine leaves 15 to 28 inches long. Generally the inO-1 sun-grown crop appears to be first-class, free from worms and of fine texture. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER vSHaded Vegetation studies on tKe E^ffect of Depriving Plants of tKe Lig'Ht ALONG with the growing of to- bacco r.n under- stands Connecticut tobacco, to taUe full chat^tje of an assortiiifT shop, and who is familiar with all warehouse work. Must understand all de- tails of hatidlinfr new and old tobacco, and be familiar with overseeiuL' a force of men. A yearly position %vith L^ood salary, to ris.'-ht man. Address P.O. Bo.\ Nu. 721). Hartford, Conn. ruling price paid in Havana for reme- dios tobaccos at the time those crops get to the market. In the island of La Palma, where nearly all of the tobacco of these islands is raised, fully twenty per cent, of the male population have been at one time or other in Cuba, and have worked in tobacco plantations; they have always been regarded in Cuba as their lest workers, and will, no doubt — having now the protection of the government — stay at home and go in for tobacco cultivation. I may remark, as I have bad con- siderable experience in the tobacco trade, that my opinion is that the ijuality of the tobacco grown in La Palma is far better than the Remedios of Cuba: and all that is necessary is to give more attention and care to the planting and cultivation, as well as to the curing. I have no doubt that in years to come it will compare favorably with the famous Vuelta Abajo crops. For the year 1904, it will reduce the export of Remedios tobacco from Cuba to Spain about 1,600 to 2,000 bales, and every year this will increase with the quantity grown, and at some future Shade-Grown Sumatra and Shade-Grown Cuban Wrappers FOR. iALE IN OIIANTITIKI Ai DEJ1R.ED Write for Samples and Prices FOSTER Drawer 42. Hartford, Conn STUDIO 1030 MAIN ST., HAR.TFOR.D Leaain^ Artist in Photoe'raphy and General Portraiture. Onr pliolosjrapbs are not •'shade" t't'own but are made with the clearness and e.vact likeness that win for us ]terniaenMit customers. We are after your photoirrai>hic trade Studio, I039 Main St., Opposite Morgan St. THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 13 Tobacco ill RHodesia Every Effort Beirxg Ma in ttte de to Interest Farmers Industry WITH tlK' view of creKting an in- dustry in the uiiiuufactiiie of a fjooil class of tobacco, for whicli theie is sure to be a large deriiaml in Soiifli Afiica, every elfort ia beiii;? inaile in Rlindpsia to induce the farmeis to take a keen interest in tobacco cultivation, which has .so far proved most success- ful. The be.st kinds of seed are pro- vided, prizes for competition are offered, and the service and advice of the government tobacco expert are placed at the disposal of the farmers. Not only in the country itself is the inilustry being stimulated, but in Eng- land also steps are being taken vfith a view to securing a market for Rho- desian tobacco as soon as the farmers are able to send it to the factories in sufficiently large quantities. Earl (irey, who is greatly interested in es- tablishing trade between Rhodesia and the mother country is devoting special attention to this branch of the future e.xport trade of Rhodesia. He has re- cently been visiting the tobacco factory of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, Manchester, where he exhibited sam- ples of Rhodesia tobacco, and obtained information from the manager as to the best leaf for the British maiket. The Co-operative Wholesale Society has promised its assistance in the en- terprise. The Rhodesia Herald (juotes the oiiinion of experts to the effect that an immense tobaico industry is in store for Rhodesia. They have expiessed themselves to the extent of predicting tliat in 30 years' time South Africa, with Rhodesia in the front rank, will command the supply of the entire English market. However lavish they may be in glowing prophecies, the present outlook seems by no means cloudy. 8amples of Rhodesia tobacco compare favorably with the best grades of the America.i article. System has been the secret of securing for the lat- ter a world wide reputation, and the building up of an industry enormous in its proportions. Central houses were established, for curing and pack- ing, and these protect the farmer, free- ing him from the agency of the middlemen, and turning out also a product of uniform quality. An in- creased acreage in Rliodesia during the season 19U4-.'J will demand such a system. The tobacco growers aie already pre- paring the soil for summer planting, and a low estimate for the total acre- age would be 2,0U0, which would repre.sent about "2,000,000 pounds of tobacco, conditions being favorable. During the season ]ust past there were fully 100 tobacco growers in Rhodesia, both on a laige and small scale. Farmers need have no anxiety at pres- ent in regard to any difficulty in mar- keting tlieir pioduct, for cigaiette to- bacco alone is imported into South Africa to the extent of nearly "j. 000.- 000 pounds, commanding an a vet age lirice of Bs. (id. per pound. The Palgrave plantation, near Eekle- doorn, has sold 30,000 pounds of to- bacco at a wholesale price of 3s. 6d. per pound, amounting to 13.5 pounds Iier acre, for the average yield was 1,000 pounds an acre. The demand far exceeded the supply. A Kimberly film has offered to take 1,000 pounds per month. As regards profits, there is no comijarison between the growing of cereals and of tobacco. An acre ot tobacco represents anything from .50 to 300 sovereigns at current prices, while for an acre of mealies 3 or 4 pounds would be a fair estimate, though the greater cost in production of the former must be taken into con.sidera- tion. It will be safe to assume that the present high prices are not a fixture, and that tobacco, as well as any othei agricultural pursuit, must sooner or later strike its level, and it will be only by the use of the most scientific methods that large profits will be netted. u ■k . -n HI ml =D ii^ A^B_R m H ttnd? S < . f-i rJ^^^^H s. f^^^^^^^HV CD '• 'wiPHi|% J> ' yif^ m CD O '^ « U =3 o w 3 3, SAl-li StF-AM ICN'.INK WE HANDLE ENGINES OF ALL KINDS STEAM, GAS, GASOLE^•E AND OIL We're als<» Headiiuariers fur EXTRAS For All Farm Machinery Call al .318 Stale St., Hartford. Conn., or 27 Lvnian St., Sprinylield, Mass. THE B. L. BRAGG CO. .Sp ri x\^fi eld »M as sacHu setts ^E^ervUiuig lur ihe Farm'' JENKINS & BARKER, Snccessors to Col. Charles L. Burdett, Patent and Trade Mark Causes. Solicitors of United States and Foreig^n Pat- ents, Desiyiis and Trade Marks. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, so state Street, - Harlford, Connecticut Washing Powder KRflRlil^ 11)111 ^^«« and Company <^HICAG0 Swifts Washinf Powder CLOTHING tomE Fl-0° rs ...'.|ic55>''" Swift's Washing Powder is the Tidy Housewife's best friend. Try a package and see for yourself. SWIFT PROVISION COMPANY, 19 John Street, BOSTON, MASS. J4 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER Climate and Plants Effect of Varioxxs Temperatixres and Degrees of Hvimidity DOMESTICATION and cultivation have undoubteilly caused plants to become more sensitive to the causes of variation than they were in then- wild state. Plants growing wild are obliged to contend with each other tor their food supply, tl^eir i^ioisture and their sunshine, and it is only the stronger and more favored types m each locality which survive and flour- ish. Domesticated plants, on the other hand, are given every advantage to make them thrive. We till and en- rich the soil, thereby giving them more available food and moisture, we kill oft the weeds and wild plants, giving them full possesion of the soil, and by selection we increase the truit- fuluess of one part to the exclusion ot strength and dominant qualities in another part. Under such caretul training and nursing plants are brought to a much higher degree ot development and economic usefulness than their wild neighbor. But after many years of domestication the plant loses a great deal of its native rugged- ness and develops a tendency to vary under slight provocation. In other words, the perfected plant or animal which is accustomed to certain condi- tions of lite will, if new conditions are substituted for the old, show more marked modifications and show them sooner than the plant or animal m the wild state. With this thought in mind some of the profound modifications ex- erted upon plants which are changed from one zone to another do not seem quite so wonderful. Proofs are plentiful that our domes- ticated plants are greatly modified by climate in order to meet the new con- ditions under which they are brought. That plants do become acclimatized is denied by some on the grounds that a plant indigenous to a warm climate never becomes hardy enough to with- stand frost as well as a plant indige- nous to a cold climate, and the suscep- tibility of Indian corn to frost is cited as an example. This is a mere wrang- ling over the definition of the word acclimatize, for Indian corn has been spread over an enormous area, the northern limit of its growth is being advanced every few years, and the time required for maturity has been shortened fully one-half. Early ma- turing qualities of vegetables, and m fact of all economic plants are soon lost in the warmer climes and longer sea- sons of the Southern .States, and north- ern grown seeds must be constantly introduced if these qualities are to be retained. Climate modifies plants in various ways, chiefly, however, as to form, amount of leaf surface, color of flower and fruits, fruitfulness, and composi- tion. The most evident effect of a cold climate upon plants is dwarfing. Corn grows to the height of twelve to six- teen feet in the south and gradually decreases in size until at the northern boundaries of the United States and in Canada an average height would be six feet, while some of the "squaw" corn varieties are not more than four feet. The cabbage plant in its native home the "Jersey Isles," often grown to the height of sixteen feet and is woody and tough. The different forms of cabbage, snch as the round and flat-headed the cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc., have not been produced by selection alone, but also by variaticm produced by cli- mate. Cabbage varieties are exceeding- ly sensitive to climatic conditions, and different seasons will often produce such variations that seed growers have to be very careful in their seed selec- tion to keep varieties true to type. The change in size of such fruit trees as the apple, cherry, plum and peach and of some of the conifers is also very apparent as we go northward. Corn grown at the north is disposed to suck- er more than that grown at the south, due, perhaps, to the fact that the main stem is more liable to injury than the more protected part under ground, and also to the protection which sev- eral stems afford one another. The spreading and flattening of the top is a very noticeable modification in trees removed from warm to cold climates. This is probably due to the weakening of the limbs themselves, and an effort put forth bv the pl.mt to protect its lower limbs in winter. The effects produced upon the size and form of plants by a dry soil and climate are essentially the same as those produced by cold. It is interesting to notice the different root-systems of trees in warm moist climes and in dry, cold climes. The tree which lives in a soil saturated with water and where the air is also moist, produces a great mass of fibrous surface roots, while the tree whose habitat is a dry soil, and a dry or cold climate, adapts itself to such circum- stances by producing the deep taproot which seeks the lower water levels. The amount of leaf surface is much larger in proportion to the size of the plant in northern grown plants than in southern. The size ot the leaf is also as a rule larger. Examples are fur- nished in some of our leguminosae, whose leaves are considerably larger in this State than in Tennessee and Ken- tucky. The leaves of apple trees vary considerably in size between the north and south, the largest leaves lieing on the northern grown trees. This in- crease in amount of leaf surface and m size of leaf is probably due to the fact that the growing season is much short- er at the north, and the plant develops large and numerous leaves in order to spread out as much leaf surface as possible to the summer sun, thus as- similating in a shelter time the large amount of plant food necessary to a full and well-developed fruit crop. There seems to be a general impres- sion that tropical vegetation is more brilliant in color than northern, but a scientist who has made a study of this matter states that such an idea is en- tirely erroneous, and that, con.^idering all the different species of plants, those having gaily colored flowers are more abundant in the temperate zones than in the tropics. Some authors attribute this brilliancy of the flowers to climate while others attribute it to a natural selection taking place through the agency of insects. Insects are much scarcer in the temperate zones than in the tropics, and in order to attract them and secure fertilization the plant must have brighter and nrtire showy flowers. The idea of insect selection may not be altogether true, however, for increase in color is not confined to flowers alone, hut is seen in leaves, fruits and seeds. Many of the plants most valuable to mail reach their highest develop- ment and bring forth their largest yields in our northern climates. These same plants, too, that are so highly valued, are with scarcely an exception not indigenous to these cold regions, but have been introduced from some milder climate. A good yield of corn, for instance, in the Southern States is e.stimated at twenty to twenty-five bushels per acre, while an average yield would probably be about seven- teen bushels. An average yield of corn in the upper Atlantic States may safely be put at thirty bushels per acre, while many yields of seventy-five to 100 bushels are reported every season. Canadian oats yield more and are of a better quality than any other oats grown in this country, and from tuem nearly all our best brands of oatmeal are made. Northern grown grains invari- ably weign more to the bushel than southern, and the oats of Scotland are ten to fourteen pounds heavier to the bushel than the legal weight here. The wheat of our cooler climates, while it may not yield any more to the acre than the southern winter wheats, is far more valuable from the miller s .standpoint. Climate affects the composition of plants in so many ways it will be im- possible to enumerate many of them here. It may be stated as a general rule that northern climates are more favorable to the production of a larger per cent of sugar in the plant than southern climates. Good examples ot this tiuth may be had in the sugar beet, and in sorghum, both of which contain larger percentages of sugar at the northren limits of their growth than they do in the south. While the finest flavors in fruits are not always produced in the cooler, more northerly climates, because flavor is to a certain extent dependent upon the season and he amount of sunshine, yet the fruits THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER 15 -Dm 5 LUTHRR M. CASE., WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, Packer and Dealer in Connecticut Leaf Tobacco. Shade Grown j^j^ Sumatra in Bales. Main Warehouse and Office, Pine Meadow, Conn. BRJIMCH WJtREHOUSES. Souihvvick, Mas.s.,-F-'renHni, H. L- MUler. Kasi CHii;ian. Conn..— For.'niaii, L- F- (irons. »ii llarkharnsiod. Conn ,— Foreman, L. A. T,ee Norlli H.illiL'l.l. Mass.,-Fori'nian. Willis HnUlcn, New Hartford. Conn ., — Fori-inan, Janu's. Stewan . SUMATRA^ PLANTATIONS: Pine Meadow, Conn., 25 Acres Barkhamsted, Conn., ''20 Acres Southwick, Mass., 3 • • • • zu Acres Kji'iiJ'' -15 Acres W§,1 Always in the market for old Tobacco if well assorted and packed. ^ Havana Seed Wrap- pers a specialty, assorted and sized^'into ihirtv-two g'rades. ...... f^^mmmmmm^^m^imm fm mw mm m of the northeast, north, and northwest sections of this country, and of the fruit growing districts of Canada are, as a rule, more delicatelj- flavored than the larger, coarser fruits of the South- ern States. The composition of wheat is affected very markedly bv climate. Chailfes Darwin stated years ago that the nitrogen content of wheat was in- creased the farther north it was grown, and we know today that nowhere" in the world is wheat grown with a com- position so nearly perfect for bread- making as in the Ked Riv^r and Sas- katchewan valleys. The new Durum wheats recently introduced into this country from the districts about the Mediterranean are very hard wheats, containing a high percentage of gluten and j'et their uread-making qualities are not as good as our native wheats. due, probably to the fact that the or- ganic compounds are not mixed in the proper jffoportions to mase good bread. It will be well, however, to notice what eilect our climate has upon these wheats in the future. One of the most remarkable instan- ces known of the effect of climate upon plants is that exemplified in spring and winter wheat. Linnaeus, the great botanist, clas.sified these as two dis- tinct species, but experiments have proven that the difference is only tem- porary. A French experimenter plant- ed lUO seeds of winter wheat in the spring, and out of this number four matured and produced seeds. These seed were sown and re-sown, and in the .short space of three years nearly all the plants matured. He also plant- ed spring wheat in the fall, and as was expected, the frost killed nearly all the plants. Enough seeds were secured, however, to plant again, and in the course of a few years a permanent va- riety of winter wheat was established. From the above experiment it may be seen that the habits of growth can not be very firmly fixed in wheat, and we can infer that spring and winter wheats trace back to the same parent variety, seeds of which became scat- tered into different climes, causing the progeny to assume new habits of growth in order to survive. That characteristics and modifica- tions produced in plants hy climate become fixed and hereditary is un(iues- tionably true, providing the progeny be kept in the same environment. Accli- matization is of necessity a rather slow process, and during the process some of the progeny may tend to revert to original forms and habits.— Edward C. Parker, in Farm Life. Tariff in Panama Zone A recent order of the War Depart- ment relative to tariffs in Panama zone is of interest. It is as follows: "The territory of the canal zone of the Isthmus of Pana- ma is hereby declared open to com- merce of all nations friendly. All articles, goods and wares, not included in the prohibited list, entering at the establishel customs ports, will be ad- mitted upon payment of such customs duties and other chaiges as are in force at the time and place of their importa- tion. Goods or merchandise entering the canal zone from ports of the United States or insular possessions of the United States shall be admitted on the same terms as at the ports of the states of this Union.'' This rule opens up a territory that will be prosperous, as soon as the digging of the canal is actually under way. Many thousand men will be employed, and there will be a large consumption of tobacco. American made goods will be ad- mitted free, while other goods will be required to pay the rates imposed by the Dinglev tariff'. HEJtDQUJtRTERS FOR TOBHGGO mSDRflllGE F. F. SMALL & CO. 95 Pearl St., HERTFORD, COKK. II Fort St., SPRINGFIELD, MMSS. (6 THE NEW ENGLAND TOBACCO GROWER ^^■ ^° Interriational Tobacco Cloth ^' ^ ^ ts ^ ^ ^ €S ^ ^^^^HE superiority of The International ^ 1 M Tobacco Cloth has been fully dem- ^■^^^ onstrated in the field 4^ High-grade material and skilful construction, combined with long experience in manufacturing this class of fabric, accounts for the superiority of The International Tobacco Cloth ?