TOBACCO CULTURE. 37 



years, before the sod is turned up for a second crop of to- 

 bacco. Commercial fertilizers are as yet practically un- 

 known on this crop (the soil being very rich), while barn, 

 yard manure is used only in exceptional cases. In time 

 though, fertilizers will have to be used to return the plant 

 food removed from the soil by even this method of culture 

 of White Burley and Perique tobaccos. 



In growing Bright Leaf Tobacco, fertilizing with both 

 barn-yard manure and commercial fertilizers is practised. 

 The manure is generally plowed under at the second plow- 

 ing. It usually contains large quantities of litter and pine 

 straw, which is believed to aid in yellowing the leaf. The 

 rcws are later on laid off by a "scooter" and 600 to 1000 

 Ibs. per acre of some standard commercial fertilizer, which 

 should contain about 2 per cent Ammonia, 6 per cent Potash 

 and 4 per cent Phosphoric Acid are sowed in the hill, and 

 covered by the turn-plow. The plants are then set on the 

 ridge thus formed. 



"Shipping Tobacco" is a product of heavy, manuring, 

 heavy soils and slow ripening. All kinds of manures, and 

 large quantities thereof, are used by its growers. These are 

 applied to the land, and turned under in Autumn, as a pre- 

 caution against "firing" or blasting." Hog manure was 

 once a favorite for manuring tobacco, but the leaf grown on 

 such manure is not of good quality, and is not as highly 

 prized as formerly. Commercial fertilizers are more and 

 more being used, especially on old lands, in conjunction 



