172 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



sort, would be beneficial. These things always favor the 

 growth of clover. 



Mr. Low. I have found the results of the application of 

 commercial fertilizers so variable, under different circum- 

 stances, that I would like to have the Professor give us some 

 information on the question whether, if we should incorpo- 

 rate with any litter or straw we have about our farm yards 

 some chemicals that would act upon the soil something like 

 barnyard manure that would not be better than the chemi- 

 cals alone. 



Prof. Johnson. I do not know of any chemicals, except, 

 perhaps, plaster, that can be advantageously mixed with the 

 yard litter. 



Afternoon Session. 



The Board reassembled at two o'clock, Vice-President 

 Hyde in the chair, 



The subject upon the programme was 



TOBACCO, •* 



and the discussion was opened by Dr. Riggs, of Hartford. 



Dr. Riggs. I presume there are many men in the conven- 

 tion who know more about raising tobacco than I do ; still, I 

 will give what little information I have in regard to it if you will 

 accept it. I shall have to confine myself to tobacco as raised in 

 Connecticut — to the wrapper, rather than the general subject. 



The soil best adapted to it, so far as my observation ex- 

 tends, is a light, sandy loam, well pulverized. Even our 

 sand-blows in East Hartford liave been converted into good to- 

 bacco fields. Our next best land is what I shall- call, not al- 

 luvial soil, such as our river bottoms, where the water over- 

 flows and sometimes destroys the crop upon them, but like the 



