Mgo ... ... 1-04 % 



Fe 2 O 3 and A1 2 O 3 ... ... '46 



K 2 O ... ... ... 2-60 



Na 2 O ... ... -13 



636. Potash should occur chiefly as carbonate v or ordi- 

 nary wood-ash) in the soil, and the richness of a soil for 

 tobacco is chiefly due to the abundant presence of nitrogen, 

 potash and lime, as nitrates, carbonates, sulphates and phos- 

 phates. From this it will appear that the most appropriate 

 manures for the tobacco crop art; ashes (or crude potassium 

 carbonate), saltpetre, gypsum and lime. But as manuring is 

 expensive, soils naturally rich in nitrogenous and ash consti- 

 tuents, that is, very fertile soils, should be chosen for growing 

 this crop. 



637. Rotation. Tobacco is sometimes grown after jute 

 or Indian corn has been harvested, but very often it forms 

 the only crop of the year. Properly manured, it can be grown 

 for three or four years successively on the same ground, and 

 it can be grown nearly all the year round. 



638. Seed-bed. The soil of the seed-bed is dug up with 

 spade and manured with rotten cowdung and ashes and then 

 raised about 6 inches. When the ground has been well pul- 

 verised and levelled, seed is sown thin, so that each seedling 

 may have about one inch of space around it. After sowing, 

 the seed is lightly covered up with earth. The seed-bed is 

 kept covered with mats until germination takes place, ft is 

 necessary also to keep the seedlings protected from rain and 

 heat of the sun. They may require to be watered at intervals 

 of two or three days. Seed is generally sown in the first 

 week of September. In dry laterite soil it is best to do the 

 sovving early, /. ., about the second or third week of August. 

 Half an ounce (i^tola) of seed is to be sown to produce plants 

 required for one acre ; but loss invariably occurs owing to 

 patches of seedlings growing too thick. It is therefore advi- 

 sable to grow seedlings from one ounce of seed for one acre 



