FERTILIZERS, 499 
follow. Tobacco of good body, color, and texture, cannot be 
grown on land devoid of fertility. The field selected for 
tobacco, if heavy sward, should be plowed early in the spring 
or the fall before, and later in the season if the turf is well 
rotted. After spreading on the manure, the field may be 
plowed again and harrowed frequently until all the lumps 
are made fine, and the surface mellow. 
In the use of fertilizers select, if a light colored leaf is 
desired, either horse manure or tobacco stems. In the Con- 
necticut valley nearly all kinds of Domestic, Commercial, and 
Special fertilizers are used. Of domestic fertilizers, horse 
manure is considered the best, as it produces the finest and 
lightest colored leaf of any known fertilizer. Of commercial 
fertilizers, Peruvian guano is doubtless one of the best— 
imparting both color and fineness to the leaf. Of special 
manures, tobacco stems are perhaps the best, at least the most 
frequently used. Of the other special fertilizers, such as 
cotton seed meal, castor pomace, ground bone, damaged 
grain, tobacco waste and saltpetre waste, much may be said’ 
both in praise and dispraise. Cotton seed meal, when used 
with domestic manure is an excellent and powerful manure. 
If domestic manures are applied, use about twelve cords to 
the acre, composting before plowing under. As soon as 
spread, plow the field and see that all of the manure is 
covered. If tobacco stems are used, plow in from three to 
five tons to the acre, all of them at once, or a part in the fall 
and the remainder in the spring. If Peruvian guano is 
applied, sow on about three hundred pounds to the acre in. 
connection with the domestic manure. Fish guano should be’ 
composted before sowing, either with loam or manure, and 
when used on light soil is a very good ‘fertilizer, producing a 
light, thin leaf. After the tobacco field is harrowed it is 
ready for the ridger, which makes the hills and gathers 
together all of the loose manure on the surface, and collects 
it in the ridges. Where a ridger is not used, work off the 
rows from three and one half to four feet apart, or even wider 
than this. In the Connecticut valley the field is marked and 
