The Tobacco Crop 229 



The Black In the mountains of the Blue Ridge in 



wT^iBi °^*^^ Virginia, especially in the county of Nelson, 

 Mountains ^^^^^ ^^ ^ hmited culture of a very dark 



wrapper tobacco that is used for Navy Plug. 

 The growers there have a blood-red soil of granitic 

 origin and have adopted a three-year rotation for 

 their tobacco, using no manure or fertilizer whatever, 

 but depending on clover to make the crop. The tobacco 

 is followed by wheat on which clover is sown. The clover 

 stands one year and is then all turned under for tobacco 

 the following season. No crop but wheat, other than 

 tobacco, is sold or used from the land devoted to tobacco. 

 This turning imder every third year of the entire clover 

 crop results, of course, in a soil abounding in humus, and 

 the crops of wheat and tobacco are, as a consequence, 

 very fine. But while the soil is rich in mineral matters, 

 especially in potash, from the decomposition of the feld- 

 spathic rocks, this practice is rapidly robbing it of the 

 phosphorus content, and ere long it will be necessary 

 to supply this especially for the wheat crop. So far, the 

 practice has resulted well, but the growers should stand 

 ready to supply any lack of phosphoric acid and with this 

 addition they have a very profitable rotation for the black 

 wrappers. 



Under the names of Seed Leaf, Broad Leaf and other 

 names, tobacco is grown in the valley of the Connecticut 



and Housatonic Rivers for cigar wrappers. 

 Tobacco '^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ valleys makes a fine thin 



wrapper of a mild flavor that is much used 

 to wrap cigars having a Havana filler. Experiments 

 have of late been made in Connecticut to grow the Su- 



