MANURES AND FERTILIZERS. 127 



tion are such that this meal is now largely employed for 

 tobacco. About a ton per acre is used, with potash salts 

 or ashes. To what extent the increased oil or fat in old 

 process meal would injure or benefit leaf tobacco has not 

 yet been determined. 



Other Meals rich in nitrogen might be used on to- 

 bacco when their price permitted, but in the absence of 

 experiments to show their effect, they should first be 

 tried on a small scale. Gluten meal contains five per 

 cent of nitrogen, pea meal three per cent, wheat bran 

 two to three per cent. 



Castor Pomace. This article is used to some extent 

 as a tobacco fertilizer, although a prejudice exists 

 against it among some cigar manufacturers, as the claim 

 is made that the tobacco does not come out of the sweat 

 in good shape. This trouble arises from carelessness in 

 application, and not from any inherent peculiarity of the 

 pomace. The castor bean is grown quite extensively in 

 this country. The oil is expressed by pressure and the 

 crushed beans are known as castor pomace. It is a 

 coarse, lumpy material, poisonous as a food, and having 

 an offensive odor. Because of its coarse condition, it is 

 difficult to spread evenly, and it should always be ap- 

 plied in the fall and gently harrowed in. By spring it 

 will be brought into a suitable condition for tobacco 

 growing. If its application is delayed until spring, this 

 process of reduction cannot be accomplished before the 

 plants are demanding the food. It is, however, used 

 with excellent results applied in spring. Its use in a 

 fresh, raw state produces bad results, but when applied 

 at the proper season very favorable results are derived 

 from it. 



Castor pomace is much more difficult to manage 

 than cottonseed meal and the latter is rightfully much 

 more popular. Castor pomace is liable to vary in compo- 

 sition, and should be bought on a guarantee of five or five 



