The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-04-11
Correspondence Progressive Farmer.

sesSes more individual pecullarltleS
than any other plant under general
cultivation; and because Of its pecu-
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
ognized at 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 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 tobaccos for different pur-
poses are graded upon very different
scales; bua the bulk of the crop is
used for smoking and it is smoking to-
bacco that rules and sets the prices in
the market. In smoking tobacco the
favor and aroma may be said to be
the primary essentials and if for
cigar making the texture, fineness of
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 combustibility,
that is having poor burning quality
and, ill 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 one
tobacco to burn and sell the other.
A good burning tobacco is one that
will continue to glow for some consid-
erable time after being ignited, leav-
ing 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 one or all of these
essential qualities by fertilization and
cultivation than the tobacco plant, and
particularly is this true in regard to
combustibility. Experiments have
shown that the combustibility of to-
bacco is chiefly dependent upon the
compositian of the ash; that is, upon
the proportions and combinations of
the mineral constituents of the plant.
In applying fertilizers or manure of
course 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 find ourselves confronted
with a 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, its total value much
less than it would have been without
fertilization. Again, fertilizers will
often show little if any increase in
yield, but cause a decided imbyove-
ment tn quality, and thus 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 tertilizing elements upon the
feeding habits ofthe tobacco plant and
their ultimate effect upon its 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.
! The experiments show the potash salts
to be the most potent factors in chang
ing the composition and quality Of the
tobacco produced. 1t was shown very
plainly that muriate of potash, kaint
and Iozo gyade sulphate of potash were
unfit for use as 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
always produces a tobacco with bad
burning qualities. On the other hand
high g>aae sulphate of potash always
impr00ed the burning qualities. Car
bon,e OF potash ashes produces to-
bacco with the best combustibili,y
The application of potash was in most
cases accompanied by an increase in
yield, but in many cases the increase
was small.
Phosphorc acid proved to have bu,
little direct bearing upon the combus-
tibility but generally produces very
decided increase in the yield. Lime
and magnesia compounds in small
quantities seemed to produce little
effect PRO or con, but in large quanti-
ties produced a tobacco that cured
badly and had an inferior texture; the
duration Of glow was considerably
larger with lime and magnesia tobacco,
but in many cases the ash was of a
bad .olor. On the whole, while lime
and magnesia will often very ma,eri-
ally increase the yield, yet their quail
ty is such tina, their application can
not DC recommended.
TIE salitnt principles in the use oi
tertllizers for the tobacco crop may be
| summarized IS follows:
Ist. Apply fertilizers with refer.
ence to the improvement ofthe quality