284 THE SOILS AND CROPS OF THE FA.RM. 



be used. It may be set up in shocks something after 

 the manner of corn- fodder and thrashed as soon as 

 dry. 



TOBACCO. 



Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum) is an American 

 plant, native of Ecuador and neighboring countries. 

 Its cultivation is very ancient. The use of tobacco 

 for smoking, chewing and snuff- taking was diffused 

 over the greater part of the American continent at 

 the time of its discovery. 



The crop of the United States has a greater com- 

 mercial value than that of rye or barley, although the 

 acreage is but one-fourth to one-third as great. The 

 average annual production during the past decade has 

 been about one -sixth that of cotton. The average 

 yield per acre has been about 725 pounds, worth 

 eight and one-half cents per pound. This makes by 

 far the largest value per acre (161.50) of any of our 

 important crops, potatoes standing next. 



Kentucky raises about one-half this crop. The 

 states bordering on Kentucky raise about two-thirds 

 of the rest. Tobacco of high quality is raised in 

 Connecticut and Massachusetts. 



Judging by the distribution, the climate affects the 

 tobacco much less than does the soil. Tobacco needs a 

 fertile soil, a rather sandy loam being best. It is con- 

 sidered a particularly exhaustive crop. In some lo- 

 calities all the manure of the farm goes to the tobacco 

 "patch," much to the injury of the rest of the farm, 

 the same land remaining in tobacco for many years. 

 Tobacco followed by wheat, with which clover is sown, 

 and this allowed to remain a couple of years is gener- 

 ally conceded to be a good rotation. In Kentucky 



