The Hillsborough recorder., 1878-07-24
T0BAC, D NOT A SOIL ExHAUS.
TER.

+ Col. j. b. Killebrew, Commissioner of
Agriculture for Tennessee, writes as follows
upon the above subject s
The Mupresslon - general that tobacco is
= great exhaustsr Of the soll. especially ~
lnong those who knoS nothing d its culture
OF ali crops gsvwR 40 our latitude We know
u home that lmpails the fertility u The soil
50 little aud the reason Is plain. The pro-
cess 81 reproducusa in plants, A. ~ ANIMALS,
Is most exhaustive one. IUe craugnt
upon the soil i, always greatest when the
seeds OF plants are allowed TO mature.
Corn fodder may be grown loI succession
of years upon tue SHINE land without any
apparent luss IN fertility. but If the ears
are allowed ~ form anu coine TO maturity
the effect Willie quickly sees IN the grada.
al reductiua Of the yleld. The same may
be said Oi wheat, hay, cotton, and any oh.
er crop The seeds Ui which are allowed 10
mature. Nov, tobacco rIpens no seed !;
the seed>bud Is pInched out Lelore il eyeG
blooms. and every effort made By the plant
to reproduce Hs checked. Moreover, the
amount Of mineral and organic matter re,
moved from the soil Is small when cuinpar-
ed with the potato crop, or even wi.h .
good wheat or corn crup. One thousand
pounds Of tobacco, after being cured aud
stripped, IRON each acre, would be con-
sidersd an, excellent eroy. Tie stalks are
afterwards returned TO the su:l An acre
in poiato.s would yield ten tboasand pounds
Three fuurtAs of this is water, leaving twsn.
ty.iye hundred pounds dry and mineral
matter. Aa acre Of land that would make
one thousand pounds Of tobacco ought to
make twenty-five bushels OF wheat, which
/ would sb<trsct fif cen hundred pounds. VI
obe-balf more Orgau'c aud mineral m,tter
than lobsccv. Ths same land ought 70
make forty bushels u cvtn, or 2.2lO
pounds more than twice the amount re-
luuyed BY . tobacco crop. III
/ Besides these reasons. there is no crop
that - compieiely shades the land IS tubae,
co. During the hottest months. when the
power Of the sun parches up vegetation. and
exposes the surface 20 is isjuTious eirtts
the broad leaves u tobseco SET like an i'm
penetrabIe shield and sersen the s,il from
the blisesing heats. The soil is alulos,
always moist under . solaeeo.plsni, and
the thorough working necessary to secure
! the slsrse,f crop puts she kDi il lsood,iion
10 absorb al the fertilizing gases Of the Al.
nioshere. g,5 Il
Tie following remarks On this subject.
taken IRON . communication 10 the Bris-
toI. are true 70 the letter:
4 The general idea that Il II exhan tive
70 ID. ~il il false 10 theory. false in fact.
and utterly DnieHable IN every point d
view. We lay down four proposition,
shich defy competition:
Il II Iis cultivation puts the soil in bet.
ter eundiii0B for succeeding crop than ans
o,her plant. ss is proven by the fact thai
you make liner yield Of wheat and get i
more perfect stand Of grass after tobacco.
crop than any other.
| Z. II feeds more from The stmospheis
after il has attained certain growth thar
any plant ordinarily cultivated.
! 5. lis close cultivation more efeetaaliJ
sradicaies weeds and foul vegetation thar
. any other crop.
4. To cnniipned cultivation tif jndici.
ous) year after yesr. 10 the sams lots. hai
Car lefs tendency 20 exhaust the sDil thar
Indian ezra. ~h-st. sorFham. buckwheat
. harley. % tanipr. caltivated in the sam,
manner.