The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-23
TOBACCO DRESSING
RETURNS PROFITS
Report On Demonstrations
Prepared By Extension
Specialist Weeks

which may be worth from $44 to SIS
ner acre of tobacco to the farmer
who hasn't been t~op-dressing his
r,e.cured crop. He has summarized
the results of demonstrations con.
ducted in 1910 by farmers testing
the value of t~op-dressing tobacco
and the difference in the net value
of the crop where no t~op-dressine
was used, and where 100 pounds OF
= complete fertilizer was applied tt
the acre as a top-dressing ranged
from S44 to sos.
The state college specialist ar.
RANGED tobacco demonstrations dur.
ing the past season with scores OF
rner In addition to ~top-dressing,
tests were made of eight varieties OF
tobacco, of several fertilizer mix,
lures. and of plant spacing and Gull
tural methods.
Ten farmers submitted complete
records through their county agents
ON top-dressing demonstrations: sew.
en- we're in the Coastal Plain and
three in the Piedmont. Five Coastal
Plain farmers and three Piedmont
farmers completed variety tests.
Fertilizers were tested by four farm.
ers in the Piedmont and three in
the Coastal Plain. Two farmers in
y~estieated various spacinss of plants,
and the ridge VS.. the flat method of
cultivation.
Weeks has compiled the composite
results by sections. For the Coastal
Plain. he reports that a top-dressing
Of 100 pounds per acre of a complete
6.0-l5 fertilizer returned a net value
Of S246.9S per acre as compared with
S17S.99 per acre for a plot which was
not top-dressed. In the Piedmont
the check plot (where no top-dressing
was used) gave a value for the crop,
less the cost of fertilizer, of $164.S7
per acre as compared with a high
net value OF S214.S9 per acr when
a complete fertilizer was applied as
a top-dressin2.
How Mixtures Were Made Up
In the Coastal Plain the nitrogen
was derived from 2.5 percent nitrate
Of potash, rs percent Cal-Nitro, and
percent blood; the potash from 2
percent muriate, 4 percent sulphate
of potash magnesia. SIS percent sui
rhate, and 2.5 percent nitrate of pot
ash. In the Piedmont, the best COM
plete fertilizer included all nitrate
If soda for the nitrogen, and all sui.
plate of potash for the potash in the
mixture.
4. summary Of the variety demon
STATIONS in the Coastal Plain shows
the following per acre values, less
the cost of fertilizers: Virginia
Bright Leaf. s263.99 per acre; Yellow
Mammoth, $259.91: Bonanza, s253.72
Gold Dollar, s252.28; Improved Gold
Dollar s249.23: 400" variety, $249.O6
Mammoth Gold, s244.55; and White
Stem Orinoco, s230.97.
In the Piedmont section, the net
values per acre of the eight varieties
were as follows: 400" variety
S140.3S; Mammoth Gold, $13S.90; Vir
sinia Bright Leaf, s133.6o; Yellow
Mammoth, $127.4s: Improved Colo
Dollar, $126.72; Bonanza. $124.73
Cash, s111.34; and Gold Dollar
1921.
The tobacco specialist explained
the fertilizer demonstrations as pr1
marily a comparison of mixtures de
irving all nitrogen from water solu
be sources as compared with mix
lures where at least one-third OF the
nitrogen is of plant or animal origin
The latter formula IS recommended
by the Agronomy Tobacco Work con
ference, composed of agronomists
and other agricultural scientists Of
North and South Carolina, Virginia
Florida Georgia, and the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Results Are Favorable
Weeks reported that, in two out
OF three cases a 3-10-6 fertilizer con
tanning cottonseed meal and blooo
as sources of nitrogen produced to
oacco of a higher value. per acre in
te Coastal Plain than 3-10-6 mix
lures deriving all nitrogen from
water solubles. The practice alse
proved good economy in the Pied
mont section, but the results were
not as favorable as IN the Coastal
Plain.
One of the tobacco spacing and cul
lure demonstrations was conducted
by NJ. B. Pate of Fayetteville, Route
t. IN Cumberland County, and the
other by B. F. Pollock of Trenton II
zones county. Mr.. Pate received MS
highest net return per acre ($lS1.o1
rom the use of the ridge method Of
euitlvation and spacing the planls
~ inches in the drill. Mr.. Pollock
also reported that the ridge cultlva
non produced the highest net re
turns, but he found that a spacing
u "A inches in the drill was pest
Ills net return per acre from THIS
~'olnblnation was $239.76.
Farmers who c~ooperated in the
undressing demonstrations
y Irving Hodges of Washington
route 8, Beaufort county; J. nj
oavis of Carthage, Route 8, Moore
eouhty; A. w. Bell of Richards, On
''oW county; L. G. Simmons OF sew
I'll Springs, Duplin county; M. "
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