TOBACCO INVESTIGATIONS. 



15 



Table II. — Classijicatmi of Certain Soils according to " Lime Require- 

 ments," together icith Data on Crop Condition, etc. — Concluded. 



Group in. 



The results are significant, and indicate that tobacco is making a better 

 growth on soils which, with our method of acidity measurement, would 

 be classed as rather acid. Until further investigation is made it would 

 be unwise to emphasize this point unduly. Apropos of this, the general 

 observ^ations of Beals^ on limed and unlimed areas substantiate, in a 

 measure, these experimental findings. He found that out of 58 growers 

 who made reports 43 had used lime more or less continuously, and most of 

 these reported soil "sickness," while among those not using lime, only one 

 case of .soil "sickness" was reported. 



A Study of the Reaction of Normal and "Sick" Soils as indicated by the 

 "Lime Requirement." 



In the past three years over 300 determinations of the so-called "lime 

 requirement" of soils of all types used for tobacco have been made, as well 

 as some of virgin soil broken for the first time for tobacco. The samples 

 collected in different years were taken at approximately the same week 

 or month, as the case might be, and as nearly as possible under similar 

 conditions. In Table III there are arranged in groups the values obtained, 

 together with brief notes on the condition of the crop during the season in 

 which the samples were taken. It has not been attempted to include in 

 this table, individually, all the soils examined, as this would be too cumber- 

 some. The theoretical "lime requirement" is given in terms of CaO, and 

 not as limestone or other commercial forms of lime. 



' Beals, C. In report of thirty-third annual meeting of New England Tobacco Growers' Asso- 

 ciation. Feb. 16, 1916, p. 25. 



