TOBACCO. 197 



you must have your land in fine condition ; it must be kept 

 perfectly free from weeds, and land that has been cultivated 

 in that way for five years, kept perfectly free from weeds, and 

 the soil in such condition as is necessary to raise a crop of to- 

 bacco, is in fine condition for anything. I have never seen 

 anything refuse to grow on such land. Any crop will grow, 

 and grow luxuriantly, and the land will grow better all the 

 time. 



I think the theory is all wrong that tobacco is such an ex- 

 hausting crop. I know the peculiarity of it is tliat the rapid- 

 ity of its growtli is such tiiat it needs to have the best ingre- 

 dients in the soil in such a soluble condition that they can be 

 taken up readily, that the plant may grow right along without 

 any check. That is the condition in which land must be in 

 order to raise a good crop of tobacco. It does take up its 

 food from the soil very rapidly, but I do not think it takes 

 such a large quantity. I would rather raise a crop of tobacco 

 than a crop of corn. I think corn will exhaust the soil faster 

 than tobacco. 



Dr. Riggs. The practical value of your manure you con- 

 sider to be the ammonia and vegetable matter ? If you had 

 the ammonia and the vegetable matter from any source, 

 would you not be likely to get good crops of tobacco ? 



Mr. Allen. I suppose so. 1 have never gone into these 

 things much. I keep a large stock of cattle and make a 

 large quantity of manure, and I use that with such things as 

 will make the tobacco start — super-phosphate and Peruvian 

 guano. I use these for the purpose of starting the tobacco, 

 but the barnyard manure is the staple thing, after all. I have 

 never failed to get a crop. My crops have averaged over a 

 ton to the acre. The price has varied a good deal. ■ Very 

 early in the season some gentlemen came up from New York 

 city and bought a few crops at what we call a low price, from 

 twenty-five to thirty cents a pound ; but pretty soon the 

 farmers began to see the crop was. sought for, and they held 

 on to it, and within the last two weeks tobacco has been sold 

 for from thirty-five to .sixty cents a pound all round, and in 

 one instance a gentleman sold his crop for ninety cents. 

 That is the highest price that I have heard paid. 



