The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1853-04-27

euBsGfiDtfs SAWS tNt hftHthbuu FWIui-
rcr. furnishes us with the following in
teresfing letter. relative to the impor>
tance Of guano in raising heavy crops
Of tobacco. Theletter. al this season,
particularly. cannot be otherwise than
interesting to all growers Of tobacco:
Cumberland. Feb.s 1853.
nv DEAR SIR :-Yaurs oi the 10Th
ult. did not reach me till last Saturday.
in consequence Of having been direct
cd to FarmsiIIe. instead of Stony Point
Mills; and ! take the earliest oppor-
tunity to reply TO II.
My experiment in growing snch a
heavy crop of tobacco last year, has at
tracted a great deal OF attention, and
| take pleasure in detailing it for the
benefit Of the planting interest of the
State. The ground was pretty LIBERAL
ly dressed with homemade manures,
from mytstables, farm-pens and pits,
as | think ought always to be done. il
we would grow tobacco proftably.
When was going to bed the land for
hilling or rubbing down, which | per-
fer, sowed on each acre the following
mixture: Q bushels sifted Peruvian
Guano, weighing, | judge, about one
hundred pounds, intimately mixed with
one bushel ground alum salt. then mix
ed 81 bushels Mexican Guano-wigh-
ling. | suppose, one hundred and sixty
or one hundred and seventy pounds,-
and 1 bushels Of Kettlewell's Mixtur,
of Potash and Plaster, or about ont
hundred and fifty or one hundred ant
sixty pounds; and shovelled them al
well together, and sowed the mixtur,
broadcast. The cost Of the whole wa
about Sc 25 per acre. The. crop tina
was planted in good time-I was scare
of plants, and the seasons very difficul
II am sure gave me two thousan,
pounds per acre. The tobacco wa
topped from eighteen to twenty-five
leaves, and ripened remarkably well t
the top leaf. without firing. The to
bacco was cultivated for the manufac
turers, and is of very fine quality, ant
remarkably sweet.
1 Myreasons for his mode Of cultiva
Ition are few and simple. Our old land
in this region, and. | doubt not gene
rally in middle Virginia, are more de
ficient in phusphats and potash tina
: any other OF the mineral manures; an,
the sobacco plant must have these ele
Lments in order to ripen it we'll. TIL
Peruvian Guano has but small pal
of its value in phosphats--only abou
/. one-sixth, and FIVE -sixths Of its none
. value, or near $40 to- the ton, in am
) monia, which powerfully stimulates III
growth Of tobacco, without causing
, to ripen. or without giving it the hea
/ thy growth which will secure it again.
I: firing. The Mexican Guano is I'll
) richest that has been brought to IL
h country in phosphates, containing :
to 60 per cent, and only one or tw
f Der cent. of ammonia. Consequent
' about FIVE. sixths of its money value
!. in the phosphates, and about one-sixt
4 in the ammonia. This suggested Il
J. idea Of mixing the two! The salt W;
. nut with the Peruvian to fix the an
o imonia, and tofurnish the muriates az
# the soda. But the tobacco plant sp
' cially needs potash. especially in
S ripening process : the outer cast OF Il
! stems being formed principally of |
) leciate Of potash.s Thus you see. at
; glance, what | aimed to accomplish
: nv mixture. !.
n The success was beyond my expe
! tations. 1t was the heaviest crop
a tobacco ever'saw-and SO said eve
n one who saw it..
rs The Mexican Guano can be had
to Baltimore, at S25 per ton, of %
m pounds. Sterling & Ahrens deal in
n.sirhe potash and Plaster, Mr.. Kittlew
of Baltimore prepares, and sells at
n. so cts per barrel, of about S2O.poun'
We | lost, | may say, no tobacco by fl
of while every one of my neighbors h
he to cut their crops for fire.
r. With high regard, yours very tru
xt ]. s.. ARMISTEAD
of + k -o4c.-,s.
4 The Car of Russia owns TWEEN