TO Feb.. 1911-] T oh ace Culture. 81 



As there are many difficulties in the way of obtaining a fair and repre- 

 sentative sample, it is always best to seek the ad\'ice of the Chemist for 

 Agriculture as to the manner in which the sample should be taken. 



Purchasers who happen to be taking delivery of manure from an agent 

 at the time of inspection repeatedly ask if the result of the analysis will 

 be forwarded to them. As a matter of fact, he is powerless, even if the 

 manure should analyse low or prove to be adulterated. 



The samples collected are all marked with a definite number and are 

 afterwards published in the Journal under this number, so the farmer, by 

 taking the number on the agent's duplicate bottle, will have no difficulty 

 in finding out the quality of the manure purchased. 



TOBACCO CULTURE. 



T. A.. J . Smith, Tobacco Expert. 



{Continued from page 5./.) 



Manures and Fertilizers. 



Another question often asked is. "Does tobacco e.xhaust the soil?" 

 To this the reply is " No, not more so than potatoes."' A crop of 1875 

 lbs. of cured leaf and stalk takes from the soil per acre the following 

 •f]uantities of the three main plant foods, viz., nitrogen, 65 lbs. ; pota.sh, 

 89 lbs. ; phosphoric acid, 8 lbs. A 6-ton crop of potatoes takes, nitrogen, 

 58 lbs. ; potash, loi lbs., and phosphoric acid, 32 lbs. The average crop 

 ■of cured leaf is 1,000 lbs per acre. Therefore, the average crop of tobacco 

 ^akes only about half the i)otash, om-sixth of the phosphoric acid and 

 slightly less nitrogen than a 6-ton crop of potatoes. As compared with 

 a wheat crop of 30 bushels, the average crop of tobacco takes about the 

 same amount of nitrogen, about four times as much potash, and only one- 

 third as much phosphoric acid. 



Our soils are generally fairly rich in nitrogen, rich in potash, but low 

 in phosphoric acid; consequently, they are, as regards these three foods 

 concerned, naturally suited to the growth of tobacco. But there are 

 other influences to consider, as previously stated. Tobacco dislikes a sour 

 .soil, and is a fairly large lime leeder. Nearly all the tobacco so far grown 

 in Victoria has been grown in .soils somewhat deficient in lime ; a great 

 part of the North-Eastern District, where the rainfall is heavy, is inclined 

 to be acid and is known by analysis t<> be short of lime. 



The amount of lime reciuired by tf>b.icco as a fooil is about 50 ll)s. per 

 acre for an average crop, but the application of lime would have a bene- 

 ficial effect in many other respects. An application of from 400 lbs. to 

 500 lbs. per acre would tend to release a large amount of the potash that 

 wo know to be in the soil ; the .soil temperature would he increa.sed ; an 

 alkaline instead of an acid condition would be brought alxnit in whi<h 

 nitrifying bacteria would develop and perform their duties at a greater 

 rate, thus giving a larger quantity of Milrog(>n in the form of nitrates to 

 the crop. Otlier benefici.d results from the a])]>lieation of lime are the 



