in the North- West of Europe. 
745 
ments can only be reconciled by the hypothesis that the soils in either case 
are radically different in chemical constitution. Says one schedule : ' Fish- 
guano makes tobacco heavy, rough, and scaly, with bad burning qualities.' 
Others claim that fish-scraj) is an excellent manure. The first statement 
accords fully with that made by Professor Johnson as to the widespread 
prejudice existing among tobacco-growers to the use of fish or fish-guano on 
tobacco-fields. Of the beneficial effects of Peruvian guano on tobacco soils 
there is no discordance of views. 
" In the Housatonic Valley the land, whether sod or cultivated in a pre- 
vious crop of tobacco, is treated to a heavy application of stable manure, 
running as high as thirty or forty cart-loads to the acre, at a cost of from. 
$50 to $60. Cow-dung is said to have the best effect upon colour, horse- 
dung, though making a good quality of tobacco, inducing lighter colours. 
Saltpetre also is applied to improve the quality. All fertilizers, except 
special manures, are spread broadcast over the land, and are ploughed or 
harrowed in ; and without their use it would be considered folly to plant a 
crop of tobacco, as the small size of the leaf, and the deficiency in gum and 
other qualities, would make the crop exceedingly unprofitable." 
To discover the rationale of the manuring of land for tobacco, 
was one of the objects of numerous experiments made by 
M. Schloesing in the years 1861-G5. M. Grandeau published 
an abstract of M. Schloesing's reports in 1868, and from that 
little work it appears that the chief conclusion arrived at under 
this head may be stated as follows * : — Tobacco often needs a 
very strong manuring, in order to acquire one of its essential 
qualities, viz., combustibility ; if it follows in the rotation 
either beetroots, peas, clover, or any crop which requires much 
potash, a sufficient quantity of that material will not be left in 
the soil to render it combustible. Therefore it is not nitrogen, 
as is generally believed, that is necessary in the manure, but 
potash. Finally, M. Schloesing believes that he is authorised, 
as the result of his experiments, to state simply that tobacco 
absorbs much more nitrogen from the air than has hitherto 
been allowed, and therefore does not require, for its successful 
cultivation, a heavy nitrogenous manuring of the soil. As a 
matter of ordinary farm-practice, I have myself found that 
potash is largely used to increase the " combustibility " of tobacco 
grown on land which will produce a leaf fit for smoking pur- 
poses, but not on land suited only for snuff-tobacco. 
In the years 1878-80 further experiments as to the influence 
of potash upon the tobacco-plant were made by M. Blot,t with 
a view to check the results at which M. Schloesing had arrived 
nearly 20 years previously. He came to the conclusion that 
* ' Le Tabac, sa culture,' &c., par Th. Schloesing, precede d'une introduction 
par L. Grandeau. Paris, Maison Eustiquc, 2G Rue .Jacob. Unfortunately, this 
work is out of print, and I am indebted to the publishers for lending me their 
single remaining copy. 
t ' Me'morial des Manufactures de I'Etat.' Tabacs, livr. I. December 1881, 
pp. 5, et seq. 
VOL. XXII. — S. S. 3 0 
