2 THE CULTURE OE TOBACCO. 



To-ilav, as uerer before, it in\-itKS students of nature, friends 

 of connnen-e, and If.vers of pleasure to examine its ways, test;^ its 

 merits, and afford it a,n opiiortuuity to pr(.ve itself the friend of 

 man. 



TOBACCO SOILS. 



The tobaeei. plant readilv adapts itself to a great variet}' of 

 soils. It ran, in fact, lie ].rodurcd on any soil where other agri- 

 cultural crops will thrive; and yet there is no other plant so easily 

 attected h\- the .-heniical and ni'ec-haiii.-al conditions of the soil, for 

 while the' tobacco plant will adant itself to diverse coudinoiis of 



Soil and of climate, still each distinct type requires ceitaiii con- 

 ditions to gi\'e to It those iiualiiies of colour, textuie, and aroma 

 for which it is |iri/.ed. 



The lelatioii of the jihysical conditii'ii of the soil to the texture 

 and (pialit\- of the leaf has been so well establtsheil that soil 

 experts are iio\\- able to go into a non-tobacco proibicing section of 

 the coiiiitr\", and, by a meehaiiical analysis of the sciil and a deter- 

 mination of its moisture-holding capacity, slate vci'\ nearl\ the 

 adaptability of the se<'tioii to any paiticulai' class or type of 

 tobacco. The .diemical conditiciii of the s.al has largi-b" to di, with 

 the buiniiig (pialities of the leaf as well as \\ ith the lapidity of 

 gi-owth of the clevelopiiig pl.nit. 



The Colour of a soil is largely indicative of its mechani-al and, 

 to some extent, its chemical i-onditioii. Light coloureil soils 

 gcnerall\' |aoducc bright coloured tobaccos, and dark soils d.ark 

 coloured tobaccos. Soils containing .a large pro|ioi tion ,.f cla\", or 

 which ha\c a large moistuiv-lKilding eapacit\ , |iroducc liea\"\ 

 tobacco which lines to a dark broMii or red; wlnle soils consisting 

 largely of sand prodiiee tobacco that cures out a. \ cllow or bri"'h't 

 colour. (_)fleii the clay subsoil will be ex|„,s,.,l j,, smne portion of 



