654 EXI'ERIMEXTAL FARMS 



7 GEORGE V, A. 1917 



than most of the English ^forcing varieties. On this account many of the most prolific 

 and smoothest tomatoes are not grown by Canadian growers. ~ From the experience of 

 tihis Farm, taking everything into consideration, Bonny Best and Livingston Globe 

 are two of the best varieties for forcing purposes. 



With good care a grower of greenhouse tomatoes may expect a crop ranging from 

 two to two and one-half pounds per square foot. As tomatoes out of seilson have 

 averaged, at least, 20 cents a pound for the past two years, this means a return of 40 

 to 50 cents per square foot of bench space. A crop of tomatoes, planted during the 

 latter part of summer, will give fruit for the Christmas and holiday market. The crop 

 at this season of the year generally occupies the house for about fifteen weeks, so that 

 40 to 50 cents per square foot for a fifteen or sixteen-week period would be considered 

 a profitable return. 



The seed is sown in flats and the young plants pricked off into pots as soon as 

 they are large enough to handle. They should not be left in the seed flat for too long 

 a period, otherwise they will become too leggy and soft. To have first-class results, 

 stocky, strong plants must be grown from the start. The young plants are generally 

 left in the second flats for about a month, after which they should be potted in four- 

 inch pots and held there for about two or three weeks. The length of time the 

 plants are held in any one stage depends very largely upon the weather conditions. 

 During dark, muggy weather, the young plants are liable to get soft and leggy, so will 

 necessarily have to be held back a little longer until they become more stock-y in 

 growth. From the four-inch pots they are transplanted directly to the beds or 

 benches, being planted in rows two feet apart, with the plants eighteen inches apart 

 in the rows. 



The soil for tomato culture should not be made too rich in nitrogenous materials. 

 If too large a supply of nitrogen is present, soft and too rapid growth will result. A 

 moderately light, loamy soil is best suited for this crop and should be mixed with about 

 one-fourth the amount of well rotted manure, to which is added a small quantity of 

 either bone meal or acid phosphate. About one part of bone meal or phosphate to one 

 hundred parts of soil is sufiicient. ■ ' 



Whether or not feeding will be necessary will depend very largely upon the 

 condition of the plants. In some cases feeding Will be necessary, but in this respect 

 care must be exercised. Liberal feeding with liquid manure is not recommended, as 

 it produces too soft a growth. If feeding is found necessary, use bone meal or acid 

 phosphate with a moderate quantity of potash or wood ashes. Feedings should be 

 light and frequent, rather than heavy and seldom. If plants are being grown on 

 raised benches widi only a few inches of soil, feeding will need to be far more frequent 

 than if the plants are in a solid bed. 



Although a tomato crop will require considerable water, the watering must not 

 be too frequent. Too frequent watering, which tends to keep the house damp, induces 

 disease and soft growth. The top inch or two of soil may be allowed to appear dry, 

 so long as the roots are in moist condition. The watering of tomatoes is done at long 

 intervals, a good heavy watering being given each time, after which the plants are let 

 go until they really are in need of another watering. 



The best method of training in the greenhouse is to train to a single stem. 

 Tomatoes grown to a single stem have proved greater yielders per square foot than 

 plants grown to two or three stems. All laterals, therefore, are pinched off as soon 

 as they appear, and the single stem tied to wires or bamboos, themselves tied or 

 supported by parallel wires running over the bed at a height of five feet. 



One of the most important operations in connection with tomato culture is the 

 maintenance of a proper temperature and proper ventilation. Few crops are quite 

 so exacting in their demands along these lines as the tomato. A night temperature 

 of 58 to 62 degrees F., accompanied by a day temperatuTC of 70 degrees to over 80 

 degrees when the sun is up, is about correct. This temperature, though, must be 



Ottawa. 



