﻿THE CULTURE OF FLUE-CURED TOBACCO. 7 



a good yield of splendid hay, which may be utilized as a secondary 

 source of money income on the tobacco farm, either through direct 

 sale or indirectly through live-stock products. 



For the best results with herd's-grass, the seed should be sowed 

 from the middle to the last of August in the Old Belt and not later 

 than September 20 in the New Belt Coastal Plain section. The prepa- 

 ration of the seed bed is a matter of prime importance in securing a 

 good stand of grass. This is best accomplished without the turning 

 plow, unless it be used some weeks or months before the grass is to 

 be seeded. Instead, the field should be gone over with the disk har- 

 row in July or August, followed by the smoothing or drag harrow 

 just before sowing the seed. What is needed is a fine but shallow seed 

 bed (preferably not more than 1 or 2 inches deep) with a firm under 

 soil, and this condition can best be secured if the turning plow is not 

 used. The place of the grass in the rotation, particularly in the 

 Old Belt section, generally will be after wheat or oats, one of which 

 has, in turn, probably succeeded the tobacco; that is, the grass will 

 be seeded on wheat or oat stubble after the soil has been fitted during 

 July and August, as mentioned. The disk should be started at the 

 first opportunity after the grain is removed, so as to prevent the 

 weeds from getting so large as to interfere with a satisfactory and 

 economical fitting with the disk harrow. 



Before seeding the grass, from 400 to 800 pounds of 3-8-3 ferti- 

 lizer 1 or its equivalent should be broadcasted per acre. On the 

 stiffer soils, if already in a fairly good state of fertility, the smaller 

 quantity might suffice, but on the sandier soils, especially if run 

 down in fertility, the larger quantity would be likely to give more 

 satisfactory results. To insure an even stand of grass, the field 

 should be gone over both ways in sowing, using a total of about 15 

 pounds of seed to the acre. After seeding, the field should be again 

 gone over with the smoothing harrow, to lightly cover the seed, and 

 then thoroughly rolled. Early in the spring, when the young grass 

 begins to start, top-dress the field with about 200 pounds of nitrate 

 of soda per acre, distributed in two applications about two weeks 

 apart. The nitrate is best applied just before or during a rain, so 

 that it will be dissolved, soak into the ground, and begin to feed the 

 grass at once without any danger of injury by burning. After the 

 lumps are crushed, the nitrate can be easily distributed directly by 

 hand without increasing the bulk by mixing with sand or other 

 filler. When making the second application of the nitrate, special 

 attention should be given to any spots which, from the appearance 

 of the grass, seem to have been missed in going over the field the first 

 time. From this procedure a valuable hay crop of 1\ to 2 tons or more 



1 The formula " 3—8—3 " refers to the percentage of ammonia, phosphoric acid, and 

 potash, respectively. 



