The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-04-02
FERTILIZERS FOR TOBACCO.

S0A0AN CAS4OA9 6Au OSCduS0 Oh lGS D0Cu-
liarities its culture cannot be engaged
in with any measure Of success by
farmers unskIlled and inexperienced in
handling the crop. The difference in
grade and quality in tobacco was rec
ognizad at q very early period in the
history of its cultivation and our
earliest records of sales show very
different prices depending almost en-
tirely upon quality. Notwithstanding
the early and general recognition of
difference in qualities of tobacco, we
find that there is a very decided lack
of information upon the subject of
what constitutes quality, and what are
the requisites Of soil, of fertilization,
and of growth which go to make up
the desired quality.
OF course Uobaccos for different pur-
poses r graded upon very different
scales; but the bulk of the crop is
used for smoking and it is smoking TO
bacco that rules and sets the prices IN
the market. To smoking tobacco the
flavor and aroma may be SAID 10 De
the primary essentials and IL Tor
cigar making the texture, hneness or
leaf with small veins and ribs are
equally important factors yet a to-
bacco may be produced possessing IN
the main all those characteristics and
yet be very deficient in comoustibillty,
that is having a poor, burning quality
and, in consequence thereof, be very
nearly worthless and in order to be
used to any advantage at all must be
mixed with tobacco possessing a very
good combustibility, thus causing n
tobacco to burn and sell the other.
A good burning tobacco is one that
will continue to glow for some consid
cradle time after being ignited, leaV-
ing a pale gray or white ash and in
cigars the ash should hold together.
There is no plant under general cul-
tivation that can be modified to a
greater extent in n or all of these
essential qualities by fertilization and
cultivation than the tobacco plant, and
particularly is this true in regard to
combustibility. Expet iments have
shown that the combustibility of to.
bacco is chiefly dependent upon the
composition Of the ash that is, upon
the proportions and combinations Of
the mineral constituents of the plant.
In applying fertilizers CT manure of
-ees4Fse it is always desirable to produce
an increase in the yield and in general
that is the primary object of fertili,
cation and it is only in the increase Of
yield that we commonly book the profit
from the application of manure With
tobacco we fDd ourselves confronted
with q very different condition of
affairs, it often being easy to produce
an increase in the field, but the prod
uct will be of an inferior quality, and,
in consequence, it's total value much
less than it would have been without
fertilization. Again, fertilizers will
often show little if any increase in
yield, but cause q decided improve
ment in quality, and thus give return
by bringing more per pound than it
would have otherwise. The Maryland
Agricultural Experiment Station has
been making experiments along this
line and studying the effect Of our
chief fertilizing elements upon the
feeding habits of the tobacco plant and
their ultimate effect upon it's quality,
particularly the burning quality.
These experiments, though conducted
on Maryland soils. yet have brought
out many facts that are equally appli
cable to the crop wherever grown.
Tae experiments show the potash salts
ID be the most potent factors in chang
ing the composition and quality of the
tobacco produced. 1t vas shown very
plainly that muriate of potash, kainit
and lou grade sulphate of potash were
unfit for use as a tobacco fertilizer and
should never be applied to lands that
were ever to be cultivated in tobacco;
because the chlorine which these potash
salts contain is taken up very freely
by the tobacco plant and chlorine a.
ways produces a tobacco with bad
burning qualities. On the other hand,
high grade sulphate of potash always
improved the burning qualities. Car
bonite of potash (ashes) produces to-
bacco with the best combustibility.
The application of potash was in most
cases accompanied by an increase in
yield, but in many cases the increase
was small.
Phosphoric acid proved to have but
little direct bearing upon the combus