TOBACCO 209 



in the production of cigar leaf tobacco than with tobacco used for other 

 purposes. The principal source of nitrogen is from cottonseed meal, 

 although where the heavy tobaccos are grown, castor pumace or ground 

 blood is used to some extent. Potash is needed in the production of all 

 tobaccos in order to improve the burning qualities of the leaf. Only 

 sulphate or carbonate of potash should be used, as the salt contained in the 

 muriate of potash is detrimental to the burning quality of the leaf. Phos- 

 phoric acid is also necessary in small amounts. 



In the tobacco-growing regions of Florida, Georgia and Texas a vast 

 amount of money is spent each season for commercial fertilizers. In 

 addition to a liberal application of stable manure, as high as 2000 pounds 

 of cottonseed meal, 400 pounds of sulphate of potash and 200 pounds of 

 acid phosphate are used to the acre in the production of cigar wrapper leaf. 

 Like amounts are used in the New England states. Smaller amounts are 

 used in the production of heavy and export tobacco, and in such states as 

 Virginia a crop rotation in which clover appears as one of the crops in the 

 rotation, reduces the amount of commercial fertilizer, especially that which 

 is used as a source of nitrogen. 



Transplanting and Cultivation. When the seedlings in the plant-bed 

 have reached a height of from four to six inche?, they are ready to be 

 transplanted to the field. Great care is necessary in taking the seedling 

 from the bed that the roots are not injured; therefore, it is necessary to 

 water the bed well before pulling up the plants. Plants should be taken 

 from the bed early in the morning and placed in a cool, shady place until 

 they are to be used. If pulled during a rainy season there is no use in 

 watering the bed and they can be used at once. Plants should be pulled 

 one at a time with the finger and the thumb taking hold of the plant close 

 to the ground. They should be shaken off or, if water is near, the soil 

 washed from the roots, and then packed with the roots down in a basket 

 or box. 



Where a machine is used for transplanting, the field is usually left flat, 

 having been previously harrowed so as to present a fresh surface. Two 

 men are required to feed the machine and one to do the driving. There 

 are several makes of transplanters, the most popular being the Beemis and 

 the Tiger. These machines open the furrow, set the plants and place 

 any amount of water desired around the roots. Tobacco transplanted by 

 means of these machines appears to recover from the shock of being trans- 

 planted, and grows off much sooner and with more uniformity than when 

 planted by hand. Another advantage of machine transplanting is that the 

 transplanting can be done just as well, if not better, during dry weather 

 as during wet, or when the soil is in favorable condition. These machines 

 have been in use in the northern tobacco states for years, and they are 

 gradually finding favor with the southern grower. The cheap negro 

 labor of the South has been the principal cause of their restricted use, 

 but as the price of labor has risen in the last few years, tobacco trans- 



