464 TOBACCO PRODUCTION 



Form of Potash to Use. Sulfate of potash is generally used in 

 tobacco fertilizers because the chlorine of muriate of potash has an 

 injurious effect on the quality of the leaf. A good deal of muriate of 

 potash is used in some sections, but recent results in Pennsylvania 

 confirm the conviction that its use is hazardous, especially where 

 fine quality is being produced. 



Source of Nitrogen. The growers of white Burley tobacco 

 supply the nitrogen by clearing up new land or plowing up pastures 

 that have never been broken or that have lain in white clover and 

 blue-grass for many years, and by plowing under red clover sod. 

 The legumes are used to take nitrogen from the air. This is the 

 cheapest way, and as vegetable matter is also thus applied it is 

 generally the best way. An exception might be in growing one of 

 the light tobaccos that does best on soils low in vegetable matter. In 

 the South cottonseed meal is used extensively as a source of nitrogen. 

 Nitrate of soda is used more or less wherever fertilization is gen- 

 erally practised with tobacco. It is usually applied after the plants 

 are set and have started to grow. A light application may be made 

 before setting the plants to help start them off. Blood meal is used 

 in many of the mixtures and tankage is employed in some sections 

 in the tobacco fertilizer. 



Source of Phosphoric Acid. Acid phosphate is the common 

 source of phosphoric acid for tobacco fertilizers. When tankage or 

 bone meal is used to supply nitrogen it furnishes at least a part 

 of the phosphoric acid. 



Stalks and Stems. Tobacco stalks and leaf stems are very rich 

 manures. An application of one ton to two tons per acre makes a 

 pretty liberal fertilization. A good way to apply where the season 

 is long enough is in the fall on a crimson clover or rye and vetch 

 crop that is to be plowed under for the tobacco the following year. 

 As plant food is set free from the stalks the growing crop makes 

 use of it and stores it for the tobacco. This should be plowed under 

 some weeks before time to set the plants. 



Breeding and Selecting Tobacco. Some work has been done 

 and is being done at crossing and hybridizing tobacco for improve- 

 ment. This work, of course, belongs to the plant breeders and not the 

 farmers. 



