FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 31 



Two very important things slionld be kept in mind in connection with 

 the selection and preparation of the soil for tomatoes. First, that it 

 must contain an abundant supply of available plant food which should 

 be present in the right proportion and second, that there should be at 

 all times an abundance but not an oversupply of water. The tomato 

 is a rank feeder and to one case of overfeeding, there are hundreds of 

 examples of underfeeding. About 96 per cent of the tomato fruit is 

 water. If the available supply of water in the soil is insufficient the 

 result will be a reduction in yield. There is no law against properly 

 watering the tomato stock. The result of failure to properly feed and 

 water the plants is diminished return. 



VARIETIES. 



Earliana. A very commonly grown early red tomato. Some strains 

 are much smoother and better than others. 



Bonnji Best. A newer but popular red sort. The fruit is solid and the 

 plants productive. 



ChaWs Jewel. Similar to Bonny Best but a few days later. Fruits 

 red, very smooth and uniform in shape. 



June Pink. Often used in the place of Earliana where the market de- 

 mands a pink sort. 



Glote. A medium early sort which is popular with some growers. 

 Tt is purple in color and globular in shape. 



Beauty. An old standard purple variety. While not considered an 

 early sort, it is so used by a number of growers. 



Sttone. The standard iate red sort. Very prolific, smooth and solid. 

 Grown more than any other variety. 



Matchless. A fine late tomato just a few days earlier than kStone. 

 Is often used in the ])lace of Stone where the season is short. 



Pnnderosa. An old, very large, purple variety. Grown by many home 

 gardeners because of its very large size and meaty flesh. Of very good 

 quality. 



SEED SELECTION. 



Tomato seed is not expensive and the best obtainable is none too good. 

 ^\:\\\\ gardeners have been saving their own seed from fruits taken from 

 the most prolific and otherwise most desirable individual plants. The 

 grower should keep in mind the fact, when making his selections, that 

 he must take the entire plant into consideration. Seed saved from a 

 tomato fruit which grew on a vine that had only a comparatively few 

 fruits on it would not l)e desirable even though that particular tomato 

 was the finest specimen in the patch. 



GROWING THE PLANTS. 



For the early crop, it is most satisfactory to grow the plants in a 

 greenhouse until nearly time to set them in the field. The seeds should 

 be sown thickly in rows in flats or benches. The sowing should be done 

 early enough so that seedlings will be large and stocky by the time they 

 are to be set in the field. The exact time the seed should be sown must 

 be determined by each grower for himself. Be sure to get the plants 

 started early enough. As soon as the plants are large enough to handle. 



