No. 4.] THE TOBACCO TRADE. 175 



deal more lime than ours, they use very little fertilizer, 

 usins: some farm manure, and the course of treatment of the 

 different farms is much more uniform than in Connecticut, 

 because there is so little fertilizer used that the difference is 

 much less ; that seems to be why it is of a more uniform 

 burn. I don't mean to say it is better than ours can ])e, but 

 it is a perfectly uniform burn all through, and it is a good 

 burn. It isn't any better than our best burn ; it is better 

 than our poorer burns, and it is all one thing, — it is uni- 

 form. They are getting higher prices now, I was told the 

 other day by a man interested in growing tobacco in Wis- 

 consin, and they think because more is being picked out for 

 wrappers. 



Mr. Cyrus M. Hubbard (of Sunderland). What do you 

 think chickweed in tobacco land indicates ? Sorrel indicates 

 it is sour ; does chickweed indicate any particular element 

 in excess, or that is deficient? 



Dr. Jenkins. As far as I can make it out, it doesn't in- 

 dicate anything, except the land has got seeded with it in 

 some way, — I don't know how. Our growers say most of 

 it is where w^e have used cotton-seed meal, but I don't think 

 chickweed is ever in cotton-seed meal ; but it is a thing that 

 blossoms all the year round, and seeds in the winter, and if 

 it ever gets in, it seeds indefinitely. It does not indicate 

 any fault in the land ; it simply has got in there in some way, 

 and is a very persistent breeder. It does no harm ; if I 

 didn't have any better cover-crop in winter, I would rather 

 have chickweed than nothing. It is not an acid-loving plant, 

 like the sorrel ; the juices of the plant itself are not acid, and 

 I should consider it a harmless thing. It goes out on cul- 

 tivation, and it does not hurt the crop in the season. Has 

 any one here tried Eussian vetch as a winter cover-crop? 

 We have tried it somewhat in Connecticut, and rather like it. 



Prof. Wm. p. Brooks (of Amherst). I have no experi- 

 ence with tobacco, but we have tried Russian vetch in 

 Amherst, in orchards for the most part, and we like it. 

 It seems in many ways the most satisfactory cover-crop. I 

 don't feel certain whether it would be entirely satisfactory 

 if sowed after tobacco is removed ; it does best if got in 



