No. 4.] THE TOBACCO TRADE. 183 



high-grade carbonate ; others say it ruins the tobacco. Some 

 growers I find use muriate of potash. Some use lime, 500 

 pounds a year, and others use 300 pounds once in three years. 

 I think as a rule we use too little lime. I don't believe there 

 is any best formula. I don't think it^would be an advantage 

 if every farmer used the same formula in the same amount 

 for a large number of years. I think that vegetable forms 

 of nitrogen, as a rule, have proved the best, — cotton-seed 

 meal, castor pomace, linseed meal, if you can get it cheap 

 enough. The report is that cotton-seed is higher than ever, 

 and if so, it won't be any cheaper than linseed meal. Fish, 

 — we have had good success with that. There is a decided 

 prejudice against using any animal forms of nitrogen, like 

 dried blood or tankage. I myself believe that some of the 

 best forms of animal nitrogen might work very well, and, if 

 they were cheaper than cotton-seed meal, I would try it, — 

 not on a large tract at first. The green slaughter-house 

 refuse, wet and tough, and containing all sorts of animal 

 matter, which we got years ago, decayed very slowly in 

 the soil. The stuff didn't decay quickly enough, and by the 

 time our tobacco was ready to ripen off this green oflfal was 

 just beginning to get available, and pushed the crop into 

 gro\vth again at harvest time, which ruined its quality. 

 Now we are getting these things dried, and in bones quickly 

 available, so I think perhaps the prejudice against the use of 

 the animal forms of nitrogen is unfounded. Castor pomace 

 is a little slower than cotton-seed meal, and I think that is 

 one reason why it gives a darker leaf, as it doesn't become 

 available quickly enough. The high-grade carbonate is 

 being used a great deal by our growers, and some like it 

 very much. Some packers say they don't like the looks of 

 the tobacco ; it is too slick ; it hasn't the right finish. I 

 haven't any formula to recommend, only I think we should 

 get nearer together on the general character of fertilizers 

 that we use, and I think we shall all see the necessity of 

 usinw some stable manure or somethino: of that kind to 

 furnish humus in the soil. 



Mr. Wilson. What do you think of potash from hard- 

 wood ashes? 



Dr. Jenkins. I don't know anything about them as dis- 



