Raising Vegetables for Canning 1579 



They should be ready to set in the field from ten to twelve weeks from 

 the time the seed is sown. The plants at that time should be about one 

 foot tall and as broad as they are tall. 



If early varieties are grown on very thin soils, the young plants should 

 be set three feet apart in rows that are three feet apart ; on heavier, richer 

 soils, the distance between the rows should be increased to from three and 

 one-half to four feet. The late varieties need more room, for the plants 

 are larger than those of the early varieties; therefore they should be set 

 four feet apart in rows four or five feet apart. If early tomatoes are 

 grown by the stake method, the plants may be set as close as eighteen 

 inches apart in rows that are three feet apart. The stake method is 

 particularly adapted to the production of early tomatoes on a limited 

 scale. 



The rows should be marked out either with a homemade marker drawn 

 by horse power or man power, or with stakes and line. In some cases the 

 rows may be marked off by plowing furrows the proper distance apart. 

 If the rows are to be cultivated crosswise as well as lengthwise, it will be 

 necessary to mark off the field in both these directions so that the plants 

 may be correctly placed. 



The tomato plants may be set either by hand or by horse-power planters. 

 If the former method is used, the plants may be set in the following ways : 

 A small hole should be dug with a trowel, a spade, or some other implement, 

 the plant should be placed in the hole, and the soil should be firmed rather 

 tightly against the roots. Or if a furrow has been opened with a plow, 

 all that is necessary is to place the plant in this furrow and to pack the 

 soil about the roots. Plants grown in paper pots or veneer bands have 

 to be set by hand, for the plants are taken to the field in these receptacles 

 and the paper pots or the bands removed from around the roots, leaving 

 them as undisturbed as possible. There are several good planters operated 

 by horse power on the market. If tomatoes are to be planted on a large 

 scale, one of these machines will be found of great value. They open 

 the furrow, place the plant in position, water the soil around the roots 

 of the plant, press the soil against the roots, and leave the surface of the 

 soil smooth. With skilled labor, five or six acres can be planted in a day 

 with one of these machines. 



Cultivation. — Careful attention to cultivation throughout the season 

 insures conservation of soil moisture. No weeds should be allowed to 

 grow in the tomato patch, as they rob the plant of sunlight above the 

 ground and of moisture and plant-food below the ground. Cultivation 

 should be shallow, for the roots of the plants come rather close to the sur- 

 face. A nine- or eleven-tooth cultivator, having small teeth, is preferred 

 for this work, and if the plants are staked and grown close together, a 



