19 



with some quickly available form of nitrogen, such as cotton-seed 

 meal. 



A study was also made of the effects of various forms of potash on 

 the quantity and quality of tobacco. The plats fertilized with some 

 form of carbonate of potash produced a smaller yield than the average 

 yield for all the potash plats, while the plats which received potash in 

 the form of sulphate yielded more than the average. Sulphate of 

 potash produced tobacco which had slightly heavier leaves, and which 

 did not hold tire quite so long as tobacco produced by the use of some 

 form of carbonate. In general the crops fertilized with pure carbonate 

 of potash, wood ashes, double carbonate of potash and magnesia, and 

 cotton-hull ashes were of better average quality than the crops fer- 

 tilized with high-grade sulphate of potash and double sulphate of 

 potash and magnesia, either with or without lime. The addition of 

 lime had little effect on the quality of the leaf. 



IRRIGATION OF TOBACCO. 



The effects of irrigation on the product of tobacco were studied by 

 the Wisconsin Station 1 during two especially dry seasons. In 1893 the 

 crop was irrigated twice and the yield, as compared with the yield of 

 unirrigated land, showed an increase of 23 per cent in the weight of 

 the uncured crop. 33 per cent in the weight of the cured stalks, and 7 

 per cent in the area per pound of cured leaf. The weight of the 

 total crop of cured leaves from the irrigated and unirrigated plats was 

 practically the same, showing that the increase in the weight of the 

 green crop was almost entirely due to the increase in the weight of 

 the stalks. One hundred cured leaves of average size selected from 

 tobacco grown under irrigation weighed about 13 per cent more than 

 the same number of leaves similarly selected from the plants grown 

 without irrigation. 



In 1894 only one irrigation was given. The increase due to irriga- 

 tion in the weight of the green crop was 7.3.3 per cent, in the weight 

 of the cured leave- 6.96 per cent, and in the area per pound of cured 

 leaf 1.7 percent. After the crop had been cured 800 sound leaves 

 were selected from the plants grown with and without irrigation 

 and weighed. The leaves from the irrigated plat weighed iV.ci per 

 cent more than those from the unirrigated plat. It was noticed that 

 the plants were more readily broken down by heavy winds on the 

 irrigated plat than on the other. A better yield of cured leaf was 

 obtained in 1894 with one irrigation than in the preceding year with 

 two irrigations. It was shown during the two seasons that irrigation 

 perceptibly increased the yield and produced a thinner leaf, as com- 



1 Wisconsin Station Rpt., 1894. 



