The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-02

The growing of tobacco of the finest
quality requires Skill as well as
knowledge of it's cultivation, says the
American Farmer. North of Virginia
and Maryland the seed-leaf varieties
are grown, and the soil must be suit
able, while only certain fertilizers can
be used In the South the tobacco
grown has a thicker leaf than that
produced in Pennsylvania and Con-
necticut, and If the seed from either
section is transferred to the other the
result Will be a leaf peculiar to the
section and soil where the crop is
glown and not true to the variety, that
grown in the South being suitable for
chewing and smoking (pipe and cigar
ettes), while the tobacco grown in
Pennsylvania is used for filling and
wrapping cigars. There are many diff
ficultles met in growing tobacco. The
soil must be in just the proper condi-
ton; the plant must be protected
against the Voracious worm; the
weather must not be too wet or dry,
and the crop must be cut at, the proper
time and cured carefully, so as to pre-
serve the color of the leaf and its quail
ity. If there is an error made in The
use of fertilizers, the quality will be
impaired, not only in burning when
used, but also in the flavor. The grow
Ci 10 NOlilpGiiCNl " give Ills CIUD tlOSG
observation, and unless he has had ex-
perience, or seeks advice, his venture
in tobacco growing may prove very
Improbable. No crop is grown that ex-
GELS 1t in the care required from the
seed to the time it is marketed and
no crop gives a larger profit when the
tobacco yield is large and the quality
is first class. 1t is grown in but few
counties in Pennsylvania-Lan
Nf he,-
ing the largest producers. In Connecti-
cut the area devoted to tobacco is also
restricted.
Experiments for the purpose of learn
ing which fertilizers are most suitable
for tobacco have been conducted FOR
several years. not only by individual
growers and experiment stations, but
also by tobacco growers associations.
The Pennsylvania Experiment Station
issues annual bulletins on the subject,
and has recently issued another which
is sent free to those interested. A re-
port gives the results of experiments
made by the station and the tobacco
growers societies of Lancaster and
Bradford, giving field results at Done
gal and Rocky Spring, in Lancaster,
and Ulster and WysoX, in Bradford;
the soil of those localities being tropi-
cal of the Lancaster county limestone
tobacco soils and the alluvial soils of
the river valley of the north branch
of the Susquehanna. The results indi-
cate clearly that artificial fertilizers
into which humus- producing materials,
such as cottOnseed meal, linseed meal,
horn ShaVings, etc, enter largely are
superior to stable manure in their eff
feet upon both the quantity and quail
ty of the tobacco leaf, the results also
being more uniform than with stable
manure, which, even with the best of
care, is quite variable in its quality.
Experiments also indicate that phos-
phoric acid in a highly soluble form
should be always supplied, that present
in the form of cottonseed meal or other
vegetable matter, or in the form of
basic Stag, proving too slowly available
for the use of such a rapidly growing
crop. Phosphates for the use of to-
bacco growers should, therefore be
calculated, so as to have the phos-
phoric acid in a free condition to be at
once utilized. This is an important
point, and should not be overlooked
by growers.
Not only does tobacco require potash
and nitrogen, but those substances
must be in certain forms. The double
carbonate of potash and magnesia, a
potash salt" which is on the mar
ket. gave much better results than
sulphate of potash. 1t may be men,
IAOiiSu THAT SulpndIe OF potash is the
form that has been mostly used in the
prepared fertilizers on the market but
the forms mentioned above double
carbonate) are superior Encourage
ment may be given the experiments
from the fact that in Virginia and
North Carolina the best crops are given
where new land has been cleared and
burnt over leaving the ashes on the
surface. but it is possible that the
form of potash most suitable in Vir-
ginia may not give as good results in
pennsylvania. The form of nitrogen
used is also matter for consideration
II must be in a more soluble form than
that existing in cottonseed meal. and
for this purpose sulphate of ammonia
was found excellent. Growers are sDe-
cially warned that the application of
these fertilizer mixtures in small quan-
titles TO crop for whose chief fertil-
izing stable manure is used will not
result In the favorable product that
follows the use OF these fertillzing mix
lures alone as II has been dernon-
strated that, especially in dry seasons.
when stable manure is supposed 10 be
chiefly effective. these artificial mix
lures establish their superiority.
LibernfinE Plant Food.