196 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



eggs in the ground, a little matter of a few dollars worth of 

 fertility, which may be lost by that, does not amount to very 

 much. It is, of course, desirable to save all the fertility we 

 can ; but it is more desirable to get a perfect leaf, and thereby 

 get a dollar where otherwise we would lose ten. This is some- 

 thing we should consider. I, myself, practice covering the 

 soil with some green substance. I usually sow right on my 

 tobacco land. Not particularly as I know of to save the fer- 

 tility, yet I believe it does, but because it helps me in other 

 directions. I keep a large herd of cows, and I find it very con- 

 venient to have that for fall feeding. I really believe that it 

 would pay very well to sow some sort of feed upon the land, 

 and thus protect the land ; yet it is a question whether it pays 

 to do this rather than to do what we can to destroy the in- 

 sects, which are such a great damage and detriment to the 

 tobacco crop. 



Mr. Hale. Mr. Foote, do you have more trouble from in- 

 sects than your neighbors, or are you troubled more with the 

 insects than they are ? 



Mr. Foote. I will tell you. This last spring I aimed to 

 get our plants in as early as possible, yet, of course, the manure 

 must be gotten out and hauled onto the field. If we use stable 

 manure that must be gotten out first, because I think the 

 growth is better. I think it is altogether better to put it on 

 first and then plough ; so we must get the manure on first. 

 This spring, before we could get the manure on, some of the 

 rye that I had on that lot got too large to turn under, and we 

 had to mow that rye. The spring work was pressing, and 

 various other crops wanted our attention, and that lot lay 

 there, about an acre of it, lay there without any ploughing, 

 after the application of the manure, until the last ploughing, 

 which was along the last of May. Now, on that acre of ground 

 I had more cut worms, and I had more trouble to get rid of 

 the cut worms than I did on the eight or ten acres which I had 

 besides. I think if a man properly attends to his crop that is 



