154 PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE 



sometimes tears the leaves or makes them rot, and 

 always gives them a coarse texture with prominent ribs. 

 Too dry air causes the pores of the leaves to become 

 permanently shut, and it is then impossible to cure the 

 tobacco well. 



The parts of the Philippines with a dry season which 

 is moderately dry, and during which there may be 

 showers but no long rains, have an excellent climate 

 for tobacco. The air is rarely dry enough to be injuri- 

 ous, and never is so if the fields are irrigated. Except 

 so close to the shore that the winds are salt, sea air is 

 very favorable to tobacco. In islands no larger than the 

 Philippines the air in most places carries the moisture 

 from the sea. 



Soil. There is no other Philippine crop whose quality 

 depends so much on the soil as tobacco. Its soil must 

 never be a very heavy clay ; and, unless well drained, it 

 must be rather light. The color of the leaves depends 

 largely on the color of the soil ; so that on light-colored, 

 sandy soils light tobacco is raised, and dark tobacco 

 grows on dark loam or mold soils. 



Tobacco leaves contain more ash than is found in any 

 other of our crops. Therefore they make poor the 

 ground where they grow more -rapidly than any other 

 crop does. Like all plants, tobacco must have lime and 

 nitrogen, but a soil very rich in either of these is bad for 

 it. Lime keeps the leaves from burning well, and much 

 nitrogen makes the leaves too rich in nicotine. A good 

 sugar soil is the worst soil for tobacco. Potash has the 



