FERTILIZERS. 429 



follow. Tobacco of good body, color, and texture, cannot be 

 grown on land devoid of fertility. The field selected for 

 tobacco, if heavy sward, should be plowed early in the spring 

 or the fall before, and later in the season if the turf is well 

 rotted. After spreading on the manure, the field may be 

 plowed again and harrowed frequently until all the lumps 

 are made fine, and the surface mellow. 



In the use of fertilizers select, if a light colored leaf is 

 desired, either horse manure or tobacco stems. In the Con- 

 necticut valley nearly all kinds of Domestic, Commercial, and 

 Special fertilizers are used. Of domestic fertilizers, horse 

 manure is considered the best, as it produces the finest and 

 lightest colored leaf of any known fertilizer. Of commercial 

 fertilizers, Peruvian guano is doubtless one of the best 

 imparting both color and fineness to the leaf. Of special 

 manures, tobacco stems are perhaps the best, at least the most 

 frequently used. Of the other special fertilizers, such as 

 cotton seed meal, castor pomace, ground bone, damaged 

 grain, tobacco waste and saltpetre waste, much may be said 

 both in praise and dispraise. Cotton seed meal, when used 

 with domestic manure is an excellent and powerful manure. 



If domestic manures are applied, use about twelve cords to 

 the acre, composting before plowing under. As soon as 

 spread, plow the field and see that all of the manure is 

 covered. If tobacco stems are used, plow in from three to 

 five tons to the acre, all of them at once, or a part in the fall 

 and the remainder in the spring. If Peruvian guano is 

 applied, sow on about three hundred pounds to the acre in 

 connection with the domestic manure. Fish guano should be 

 composted before sowing, either with loam or manure, and 

 when used on light soil is a very good fertilizer, producing a 

 light, thin leaf. After the tobacco field is harrowed it is 

 ready for the ridger, which makes the hills and gathers 

 together all of the loose manure on the surface, and collects 

 it in the ridges. Where a ridger is not iised, work off the 

 rows from three and one half to four feet apart, or even wider 

 than this. In the Connecticut valley the field is marked and 



