116 TOBACCO LEAF. 



more difficult to preserve. Other things being equal, 

 the richer the food, the richer the manure. It is calcu- 

 lated from Table IV of fertilizer analyses, that a ton of 

 average manure contains about 1350 pounds of water, 

 475 pounds of organic matter and 175 pounds of ash. 

 The latter contains, of potash eleven pounds, phosphoric 

 acid eight pounds, lime six pounds, magnesia four 

 pounds and the rest is sand, carbonic and sulphuric 

 acids, iron, alumina and soda. The organic matter con- 

 tains about ten pounds of nitrogen. Manure from 

 poorly fed stock, especially if absorbents are not used on 

 the manure pile, if exposed to the weather, may not con- 

 tain half these quantities. On the other hand, richly fed 

 stock, carefully bedded, may yield manure twice as rich 

 in plant food as the average just stated. This shows the 

 wide variety that may exist in manure. 



Comparing the actual requirements of a crop of to- 

 bacco of 1800 pounds cured leaf and stalks, with the 

 amount of plant food contained in barn manure, it ap- 

 pears that 15 tons (or about four cords) of average ma- 

 nure contain the 154 pounds of nitrogen required ; 60 

 tons, or 15 cords, contain the 488 pounds of potash, 

 and four tons, or one cord, contain the 26 pounds of 

 phosphoric acid. This comparison is for the total crop 

 of tobacco, both leaves and stalks, but if the stalks are 

 returned to the land on which they were grown, the ap- 

 parent amount of manure is much less. To supply the 

 80 pounds of nitrogen removed in the leaves only, 10 

 tons, or two and one-half cords, of manure appear to be 

 all that is necessary; 34 tons, or eight and one-half 

 cords, contain the 291 pounds of potash required, while 

 two tons, or half a cord, contain the 12 pounds of 

 phosphoric acid that is necessary. 



But every tobacco grower knows it is simply impos- 

 sible to obtain a crop of 1800 pounds of cured leaf from 

 a dressing of only eight and one-half cords of manure, 



