No. 4.] TOBACCO GROWING. 2\ 



Our Connecticut and Massachusetts " meadow lands," to 

 which I referred as producing a darker leaf, are not really 

 clay soils, but contain a large amount of fine silt, the next 

 thing to clay, and are retentive of moisture. 



A soil expert, by determining the fineness of the soil in 

 his laboratory, can say positively whether a soil will grow 

 a light-colored leaf or not, just as the experienced grower 

 may judge of the same thing pretty accurately by the feel- 

 ing of the soil. 



The important thing for the practical farmer is to remem- 

 ber that his success in tobacco growing — as in any other 

 kind of farming — is settled for him by the kind of soil he 

 selects for the crop. He can't gather figs off thistles, nor 

 kick against the pricks. On loams he may raise a good 

 mahogany-colored wrapper, on clayey soil he may raise 

 fine filler tobacco, but on neither can he raise the lightest- 

 colored, fine-textured wrapper leaf. 



Again, connected with this matter of soil texture is the 

 water content of tobacco soils. It is quite possible that the 

 water supply is the thing which regulates this matter of 

 color and texture of leaf, the water supply being in turn 

 regulated largely by the soil texture. Our best tobacco 

 soils seldom contain more than 7 or 8 per cent of moisture, 

 to a depth of 8 inches, during the summer. I have seen it 

 drop to nearly 6 per cent for a time, without hurting the 

 crop. But the " meadow lands," which yield heavier, 

 darker tobacco, contain from 20 to 28 per cent. The best 

 Pennsylvania soils carry 18 per cent, and the limestone clay 

 soils, suitable only for growing filler leaf, have from 22 to 

 23 per cent of moisture. 



Note this low percentage of moisture in our best tobacco 

 soils, — only 7 per cent. It is strange that such a large, 

 leafy plant as tobacco can do well in a soil too dry for pota- 

 toes, sometimes too dry for corn. 



But it is clear that tobacco has only a small " margin of 

 safety" as regards moisture. Only a slight drop in the 

 water content of the soil will damage or ruin the crop. A 

 drought which does not seriously hurt corn will injure 

 tobacco. The crop depends on frequent rains, evenly dis- 

 tributed through the season, and on skilful cultivation to 



