46 The Bulletin. 



The corn is made to follow tobacco rather than precede it, for the reason 

 that it is a clean-cultivated and exhaustive crop and does not leave the land 

 in good condition for tobacco. 



By allowing the grass to remain on the land for two years will, perhaps, 

 give better results, thus making the rotation five years instead of four. We 

 regard the growing of grass especially important and valuable, for it furnishes 

 excellent hay at small cost and is one of the best methods of obtaining the 

 right sort of humus for tobacco. 



A three-year rotation, which is followed in some sections, is : First year, 

 tobacco, followed by wheat or oats in the fall ; second year, wheat or oats 

 followed by cowpeas turned under and crimson clover seeded in the fall ; third 

 year, corn planted after crimson clover is turned under, cowpeas sown at last 

 cultivation of corn and rye seede<l in the fall. We regard as the weak feature 

 of this rotation the fact that tobacco follows corn. 



In any system of rotation tobacco, being the money crop, ought to be the 

 most heavily fertilized. Of course, the quantity of fertilizer to be applied will 

 depend a great deal on the condition of the land ; but for the average land as 

 it stands to-day, and containing but little humus, we would recommend a 

 fertilizer supplying about 40 pounds to 00 pounds of ammonia, GO pounds to 

 S4 pounds phosphoric acid, 75 pounds to 100 pounds potash. So far we have 

 obtained best results from dried blood and cotton-seed meal as the source of 

 ammonia, although nitrate of soda will give good results, except, possibly, in 

 unusually wet years or on very leachy soils. We think acid phosphate is the 

 best source of phosphoric acid. For potash, we recommend only the high- 

 grade sulphate. 



In no case do we advocate an increase in acreage, but to the contrary, as it 

 is very rare that an increase in acreage results in a proportionate increase in 

 profit. But by a well-regulated system of rotation and judicious application of 

 fertilizers the profits from the tobacco crop may be increased with a corre- 

 sponding increase of other crops and an improvement of the soil. 



Mr. Parker: I am sure there are a great many people here who 

 would like to ask questions, and suggest that a discussion just now, so 

 that these people can ask Mr. Moss questions, will be one of the most 

 helpful parts of this meeting. 



Mr. Shufokd: I think the point is well taken. We would like to 

 have a free and open discussion of these papers. We would like to 

 hear from every person present interested in tobacco culture. 



Mr. Parker: I notice that Mr, Moss recommended, in his rotation, 

 grass to be composed of timothy, red-top, and sapling clover. I would 

 like to ask if he has experimented with that mixture on the sandy soils 

 in the eastern part of the State, and does timothy do as well there ? 



Mr. Moss : I think the timothy does not do as well, as a rule. In 

 fact, you may be able to get one good cutting of hay, but after that, 

 to a large extent, it dies out during the summer. Of course, you have 

 the roots there, just the same, and a large amount of humus added 

 with the roots. We have found in the last two or three years that the 

 timothy will live sufficiently long to give one crop of hay, but we do 

 not usually get the second cutting. 



A Delegate : We have just a little tobacco land, and we have been 

 making crops on it seven years. I have stuck to my business. Ammo- 

 niated fertilizer is what we are using. My farm is in the eastern part 

 of the State. The soil is sandy, but on clay foundation. We have 

 forty acres in tobacco this year. We plant tobacco one year; peanuts 



