REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST 



123 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



beds had six strong leaves on them, which was on May 2 in 1905, the tops were nipped 

 off and the plants given more room, being placed 5^ inches apart. The object of 

 pinching off the tops of the plant was to cause new shoots to develop at the axils of the 

 leaves in order to have six branches bearing tomatoes instead of the one cluster usually 

 found at the top of the plant. These were planted out on June 7 alongside other plants 

 unipruned. On July 4 half of the pruned plants were again pruned, all laterals being 

 taken out, and the six main branches only being left. This left 20 plants for each 

 system. The further advanced the axillary shoots are when the plants are set out the 

 larger the early crop is likely to be. In the following table will be found the results 

 of the experiment with Sparks' Earliana for the years 1904 and 1905, and of Chalk's 

 Early Jewel for 1905. It will be seen that there is considerable advantage in pruning 

 by this method. 



Name of Variety. 



Sparks' Earliana : 



Un pruned 



Pinned once. . . . 



Pruned twice. . . 

 Chalk's Early Jewel 



Unpruned 



Pruned once .. 



Pruned twice . . . 



Date of 



First Ripe 



Fruit, 



1904. 



July 23 

 Aug. 13. 

 Aug. 12. 



Date of 



First Ripe 



Fruit, 



190;",. 



. July 18. 

 July 25. 

 July 25. 



July 16. 

 July 29. 

 July 29. 



Ripe Fruit 



First Three 



Pickings, 



1904. 



Lbs. Ozs. 



9 



6 



18 



Total Yield 



of 



Ripe Fruit, 



1904. 



Lbs. Ozs. 



84 

 137 

 132 



10 

 13 



Total Yield 



of 



Ripe Fruit, 



1905. 



Lbs. Ozs. 



182 4 



212 



134 8 



240 ii 



256 



173 12 



While the unpruned plants produced the earliest fruit, in the case of the Sparks' 

 Earliana, the yield from the pruned plants for the first three pickings in 1904 was, from 

 the plants pruned twice, double the crop from those not pruned; and in 1905 more than 

 three times from those pruned once (merely nipped off at top) than from those not 

 pruned. The Chalk's Early Jewel, which is not quite so early, did not show such an 

 advantage. The first three pickings represented the crop up to August 4. On August 

 10 the crop of ripe fruit up to that date from the unpruned Sparks' Earliana was 17 

 lbs. 4 ounces; from plants pruned once, 56 lbs., and from plants pruned twice, 64 lbs. 

 8 ounces, showing nearly four times as great a yield from the pruned as from the un- 

 pruned. The difference in the Chalk's Early Jewel was even greater. On August 10 

 the crop of ripe fruit from the unpruned up to that date was 13 lbs. 3 ounces; from 

 plants pruned once, or simply headed back, 41 lbs., from plants pruned twice, 58 lbs. 

 4 ounces. This year the price of tomatoes was still high on August 10, and hence good 

 returns would have been had from pruning. From the experience of 1904 and 1905 it 

 would appear that the most early fruit is obtained when the plants are headed back 

 before planting out and pruned once after planting. 



TOBACCO. 



The variety test of tobacco was continued this year and 49 varieties were grown. 

 A few of the kinds which had done well in previous years were grown in larger areas, 

 and following will be found a table giving the names of the varieties' and the yields 

 obtained from each. The tobacco seed was sown in a hotbed on April 8, the young 

 plants transplanted to a cold frame on May 18, and set out in the open 3 by 3^ feet 

 apart on June 8. The soil was sandy loam which had been well manured with rotted 

 barnyard manure. There was a hailstorm during the growing season which did much 

 injury to the leaves and lessened the quantity of first grade tobacco. The plants were 

 cut on September 14 and taken to the curing house. The tobacco was stripped during 



