10 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 355 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY 



Walter S. Eisenmenger in Charge 

 Tobacco Projects. (Walter S. Eisenmenger and Karol J. Kucinski.) 



Spacing Experiment. The experiment to determine the comparative effects 

 of different spacing of plants upon the yields and quality of tobacco produced 

 by a large growing strain (211) and by a smaller growing strain of Havana seed 

 tobacco was continued. Planting distances between rows of 36, 39, and 42 

 inches were used in combination with 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, and 27 inches between 

 plants. Trials for the past three years show that the larger growing strain (211) 

 yielded considerably more per acre than the common Havana seed tobacco and 

 the crop index has been consistently better. 



Because of the abnormal rainfall this year, tobacco yields in general have 

 been much less than in the previous years. Because the tobacco has been smaller 

 than usual, 15" x 36" seemed the most favorable spacing for yield and crop 

 index for the larger growing tobacco (211). The lowest yields for this tobacco 

 occurred when the spacing was 27 x 39 , and the lowest crop index with the 

 24' x 36" combination. For the common Havana seed tobacco, the highest 

 yield for 1938 occurred when the spacing was 12 x 42 and the highest crop 

 index when the spacing was 21 x 39 . The lowest yields for the same tobacco 

 were obtained when the spacing was 27 x 39 and the lowest crop index occurred 

 with the 21 x 36 spacing. Since the past growing season was not typical, 

 in general it can only be said that the larger strain of tobacco (211) should be 

 planted a slightly greater distance apart than common Havana seed tobacco. 



Tobacco Grown on Old Sod. Attempts were made to overcome the bad effects 

 from so-called brown root-rot usually witnessed when old hay sod is plowed 

 under preceding a crop of tobacco. 



A crop of tobacco was grown on an old timothy sod area which had been pre- 

 viously treated as explained in the following table. 



Yield and Quality of Tobacco 



Treatment 



Pounds Grade Crop 



per Acre Index Index 



Plot No. 1, sod plowed in mid-summer 



of 1937 and 200 lbs. of nitrogen added 



in 1937 1678 .3556 596.7 



Plot No. 2, sod plowed in mid-summer 



of 1937 1552 .3696 573.6 



Plot No. 3, 200 lbs. of nitrogen added to 



sod in 1937 and plowed in spring of 



1938 1392 .2986 415.7 



Plot No. 4, sod plowed in spring of 1938 1520 .3291 500.2 



It was found that the plowing of old timothy sod in the summer previous to 

 the one in which the tobacco was planted was advantageous from the standpoint 

 of yields and crop indexes. The yield and crop index were best where the sod 

 was plowed in midsummer of 1937 and 200 pounds of nitrogen added to aid the 

 decomposition of the sod material. The added growth of hay produced by the 

 addition of 200 pounds of nitrogen on Plot No. 3 in the summer of 1937 may 

 account for the low yield, grade index and crop index of the tobacco grown on 

 that plot. 



Brown Root-Rot of Tobacco. It has been observed that tobacco, perhaps 



