138 TOBACCO LEAF. 



per cent actual potash), and lately the further guarantee 

 "less than two and one-half percent chlorine " is also 

 given. 



The high grade sulphate now imported is more 

 desirable, since it contains no chlorine at all, is more 

 concentrated and, moreover, comes in a fine, mealy con- 

 dition. It is guaranteed to contain from 96 to 98 per 

 cent sulphate of potash. This is equivalent to 50 or 51 

 per cent actual potash, or just about the same as is 

 found in muriate of potash of 80 per cent muriate. 

 The two to four per cent of other matter in this high 

 grade sulphate is mainly composed of water. This is 

 an admirable salt for the tobacco crop and should be 

 used extensively. 



How to Apply Potash Salts. In Germany the usual 

 custom is to apply potash salts in the fall upon all but 

 very light land. In this country, spring applications are 

 exclusively followed, and as no great additional benefit 

 can be expected from fall applications, the present cus- 

 tom will probably continue. To raise a first-class crop 

 of tobacco there should be at least 300 pounds of actual 

 potash in the soil available for plant use. To furnish 

 this it is necessary to apply 500 pounds of high grade 

 sulphate, or 1000 pounds of double sulphate, per acre. 

 In addition to this is the potash obtained from cotton- 

 seed meal, manure, stems or other articles. The same 

 rule advanced in applying nitrogen, the necessity of a 

 much larger supply than the plant actually requires, 

 holds good in furnishing potash, though in a less degree. 

 Potash does not leach, and what is applied remains 

 permanently in the soil, but the trouble is that it is 

 often too permanent. It has a tendency to form insol- 

 uble compounds, and when these are formed a certain 

 per cent of potash becomes locked up and lost to the 

 plant. Potash, however, has no forcing effect, and the 

 only reason for an excess is to avoid the possibility of a 



