The Tobacco Crop 219 



sashes down. The full exposure to the light results in 

 stout and stocky plants that Hve far better when trans- 

 planted than the weakly and slender plants that are often 

 the result of keeping the cloth over the beds too closely. 



Another advantage in the sash-covered frames is that 

 the sowing need not be done so early, for with the aid of 

 the glass the plants can be brought on as soon as it is 

 safe to set them out by sowing the seed the middle of 

 March or even later. 



The same care should be taken in the sowing of the seed 

 not to get them too thick so that the plants will be crowded. 

 Our practice has been to sow in rows crosswise the frames 

 about six inches apart, making very shallow furrows for 

 the purpose, and beating the soil down smooth with the 

 back of a shovel. In the rows it can soon be seen whether 

 the plants are coming too thickly, and they can be thinned 

 at an early stage of growth as soon as a fair stand is se- 

 cured. We usually thinned to about two or three inches 

 apart and always had fine stocky plants at an earlier date 

 than those who used the old method. 



After long and careful experimentation 



FertUizers ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^j^j^j manurial needs 



for Tobacco . - 



of the tobacco crop are for nitrogen and 



potash, and phosphoric acid in smaller percentage than 

 manufacturers of fertilizers usually use. The source from 

 which the fertilizing elements are secured is also of more 

 importance to tobacco than any other crop grown. While 

 the crop demands a Hberal amount of potash to be avail- 

 able in the soil its quality is very much impaired if the 

 potash is applied in the form of a muriate or chloride. 

 Hence, in compounding a fertihzer for tobacco the potash 



