Tomato Notes foe 1892. 



277 



" The gain in earliness sometimes amounts to three or even foun 

 weeks." We were satisfied that in this climate it pays to start 

 tomatoes as early as the middle of March. Farther south, where 

 the seasons are longer, this may not be true. The question now 

 arises if it pays to start tomatoes earlier than March, for this 

 State. Four lots of Ignotums, twelve plants in each, were grown 

 for a test. The first lot was sown January nineteen, and the 

 plants were transplanted February one, March three, and May) 

 seventeen. The second lot was sown February twelve and trans- 

 planted March four, April four and May two. The third lot 

 was sown February twenty-four and transplanted March twenty- 

 second and May second. The fourth lot was sown March four- 

 teen and transplanted April fourteen and May nine. The plants 

 were all set in field June one, and all were thrifty and stock 

 plants. The outcome to frost was as follows: 



TABLE IX — Early and Late Seed Sowing. 



DATE OF sowing. 



January 1 9 

 February 12 

 February 24 

 March 14 



Average 



number fruits 



per plant. 



20.6 

 20.6 

 21.0 

 26.0 



Average 



weight of crop 



per plant. 



8.5 



8.4 



9.1 



11.0 



Average 

 weight of indi- 

 vidual fruits. 



6.5 

 6.5 

 7.0 



1A 



The result, as read in the second column of figures, is decid- 

 edly in favor of the latest sowing, the second best yield being in, 

 the second last sowing. The earliest two sowings give practi- 

 cally the same results. The detailed behavior of the plants durj- 

 ing the bearing season is recorded below: 



