32 TOBACCO CULTURE IN THE WEST INDIES 
turers as it settles that much disputed question of sulphate 
versus carbonate. 
These experiments referred to, although conducted in 
(Germany, are directly applicable to the West Indies or 
any other country, because they show that the quality of 
tobacco, especially the burning quality, is depedent mainly 
on the mineral content of the leaf. 
CHLORINE 
Chlorine is the ‘‘bug bear’’ of the tobacco planter and 
everybody is afraid of it, which is quite right, but as the 
average planter’s knowledge seems to be defective in re- 
gard to where chlorine comes from and how it acts, this 
paragraph may be of general interest. 
Chlorine is usually found in combination with soda as 
in common salt, or with potash as in muriate of potash, or 
with lime as in chloride of lime and any soil or fertilizer 
containing high percentages of these combinations is unfit 
for tobacco. This is one reason why a good grade of tobac- 
co cannot be produced close to the ocean, the sea water con- 
taining salt, (sodium chloride). Stable manure contains 
more or less chlorine and much damage is undoubtedly 
caused by large amounts of stable manure being applied 
immediately before planting. 
Chlorine is not necessary for the tobacco plant, but if 
it is present in the soil in combination with plant foods, 
the plant will absorb it, having no other choice, and the 
result is always a lowering in the burning quality. Profesor 
Wagner showed that one half percent or less of Chlorine 
in the dried leaf caused no great damage, provided the pot- 
ash content was high, but with a low potash content a very 
small increase of chlorine caused the tobacco to burn worse. 
