The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-24
Iobaffo Departmrnt.
The Culture Of Tobacco.
ON MANURE.

TO a soil. will increase It's Piouo.'i''
ness. In the foregoing article It ia
heen shown that land is impoverlShe'
bv the removal therefrom OF CERTAIN
minerals that have become constituent
of the plants cultivated, and also ma
| three minerals particularly. phosphorl'
acid lime and potash. are the mos
easily exhausted through u cuit1Va
ton of the tobacco plant. where arr
these materials to be obtained, ana IL
what form or quantity they o'
aDDlied to be effective are question:
of material interest to all tobacco
They admit of an easy an
swer. In barnyard manure not only
the three elements mentioned are to
be found. but all the others, combus
| tible as we'll as incombustible, aud on
that account it is pre>emlnently the
best of all manures for the restoration
of worn out fields.
On another account it should have
precedence over artificial fertili zers,
namely, because it is cheap, and be
cause after its decomposition it con
tains the ingredients of plants in an
assimilable form, as we'll as in their
proper proportions. One great diff
Guilty met with by the farmers Of this
country. is that there is never enough
Of this material made or collected to
supply the demands OF their fields, and
hence the necessity of drawing upon
other sources. The use of artificial
fertilizers, which are now manufac-
tured in all the larger cities of the
country, has been attended with great
success in very many instances-almost
invariably, when applied in a judicious
but nevertheless a great
many farmers are to be found who
will, without the least hesitancy, and
without ever having tried as much as
a spoonful, pronounce them not only as
IA humbug, gotten up for the purpose
of swindling them out of their hard
money, but besides as abso-
injurious to their hand.
That such complaints are justifiable
to a certain extent is true enough, al
though most frequently they are the
result Of both prejudice and ignorance.
is perfectly right that a farmer
should be cautious when he intends
purchasing artificial fertilizers; he
should in the first place know exactly
what he wants and then send his order
a manufacturer, if possible, or to
IN agent of some manufacturer, who
will guarantee the articles sold to
come up to the standard established
~ the chemical analysis accompanying
he same. II he is assured Of this. he
nay also rest assured that the money
expended will return to him some dav
II an increase of produce harvested OF
no field to which the manure has
'een applied.
Even If, as was for instance the case
n a portion of the tobacco-growing
district of Kentucky last summer, a
trOuth should interfere with the ac-
ION OF fertilizers, and thereby mar the
respects of an increased crop in that
eason, the farmer can still find some
onsolation in the fact that plant food
nee placed upon his land will remain S
here until 1t has been assimilated by
ne plants cultivated, unless, as is
)metlmes the case, IN of
ireless tlilage it is washed away with
re soil. Only through the mechani- I
action of water plant-food can be ]
';noved, and against this every good {
must guard. {
LIeblg, who is without doubt one of 5
le best authorities on questions Of G
lentlhc agriculture, says in regard to
le foregoing "Rain water filtered
rough field or garden sell, does not
ssoiVe out a trace of potash, silicic :
III, ammonia or phosphoric acid s
ne SOIL does not give up to the water n
le particle of the food of plants which
contains. The most continuous rain 9
mot remove from a field, except "
echanically, any of the essential con "
tuents of It's fertility "-CLetters on e
odern Far, p. 90 Il
without discussing the technical .
lnts OF this subject any further. and D
king 1t Tor granted that all tobacco !"
overs are perfectly familiar with the D
OF oarn-yard manure, will proceed D
nee 20 give my experience in regard ti
the use OF artificial fertilizers. Oh
he SOIL upon which [ conducted nv p'
st experiment is red clay. 1t had ~
en- In cultivation for a great many "
afs, and men Of considerable %exneri- p
estimated It's productive capacity IN
ABOUT 700 lbs. of tobacco per acre at W
: elme 1t was given over to me. ST
d portion Of the land / used
oerphosphate of lime at the rate of
: us. per acre !; on another portion nj
guano, containing $50 per cent w
mona, 10 per cent. potash and ora XII
cent. phosphoric acid: a third Mot be
e,seu oat guano and superphosphatc. tn
a',eI al n rate of 100 lbs. per WI
ana a fourth plot. which fortu ex
ely | had reduced to but a few rows. br
eseo no manure. The superphos ris
are, It may be necessary to state. joi