14 



beforehand, at least as long as the preceding antumo, 

 in order that the grass roots and other organic mat- 

 ter might have come into a soluble state in lime to 

 supply the plant at its rapidly growing period. One 

 might almost infer, also, from the nature and habits of 

 the plant alone, that, in high latitudes, a lightish, rather 

 sandy soil w»uld be preferable, because suited to bring' 

 the crop forward earlier than any other, but that in lower 

 latitudes, with long summers, a heavy loam, or even a 

 clay soil might do well. 



OPINIONS OF PRACTICAL MEN. 



But we prefer to turn from what may be censured as 

 mere speculation and theory, to the testimonies of acute 

 observation and practical experience. Thaer, in his 

 Principles of Pr^actical Agriculture, says : 



" Tobacco prefers a light soil ; it thrives better on a 

 sandy, than on an argillaceous soil. Sandy clays agree 

 witlf it best ; but it is also successful on soft clays, 

 which contain a large quantity of humus. But to pro- 

 duce a perfect and plentiful crop, the land must be rich 

 in ancient humus ; and must, besides, have been recent- 

 ly fertilized with some sort of manure. The best tobacco 

 is that which grows on clearings, especially if the turf 

 which covered the surface has been burned upon them ; 

 and still better if the wood which grew upon ttiem, or 

 wood brought for the purpose, has also been consumed 

 on the spot and reduced to ashes. It is certainly, to 

 this treatment, rather than to difference of climate, that 

 we must attribute the great superiority of the American 

 tobacco, which is grown not on land recently dunged, 

 but on the contrary, after ten or twelve crops, all 

 obtained without the use of dung, on the rich a.'jd burnt 

 cleariui'-s.'' 



