Vegetable Growing 



By Various Authorities. 



GROWING TOMATOES. 



By r. W . K'XG. 



There is probably not another vegetable that has so 

 quickly gained in popularity as the tomato. Hardly fifty 

 years ago the fruit was supposed or believed to be poison- 

 ous while today it is one of the most widely grown 

 vegetables we have. Although it has not been in cultiva- 

 tion anywhere near as long as most of our other garden 

 plants, the tomato is one of the finest bred of all vege- 

 tables : this is due to the fact that there is very keen 

 competition among the seedsmen to have the best strains 

 of seed. 



The first step to success with this crop is to get the 

 very best seed obtainable, and right here I will mention 

 one point on which I have been experimenting many 

 years to ascertain whether I was correct or not. I have 

 found that the farther north your seed is grown the 

 earlier your fruits will ripen and the less seed they will 

 have. 



The soil will also have a great influence on the crop. 

 Light sand soil will not grow as heavy vines or as large 

 a crop as the heavier clay soils, but will ripen the crop 

 somewhat earlier ; therefore, where you grow^ throughout 

 the season, I would recommend that for the earliest crop 

 you plant on the lighter soil and for the later crop plant 

 on heavier ground. 



Tomatoes are rank feeders, and for this reason put a 

 shovelful of well rotted manure under each plant at the 

 time they are set out. 



Too rich a soil is also to be guarded against as much 

 as one that is too poor, as it would grow an immense 

 crop of vines at the expense of fruit. 



For main crop the seed can be started in a hotbed or 

 cold frame about April 1. When the plants are starting 

 the second pair of leaves, they should be transplanted 

 into other frames to stand from five to six inches apart 

 each w"ay. As the weather grows warmer and danger 

 from frost is over, they will not need any covering dur- 

 ing the night. F"or about one week before the plants are 

 set out into the field the co\ering should be left off en- 

 tirely if possible, This is to harden oft' the plants so they 

 will not suffer any relapse from the change of the frames 

 to the open ; this applies to tlie early plants as well as 

 the later ones. 



The ground on w-hich you wish to grow your tomatoes 

 should be plowed as soon as the ground will work up 

 nicely : it can then be worked up several times before 

 setting out the plants, as by doing this you will not only 

 kill the greater part of a crop of w^eds, but will also 

 help preserve the moisture. 



When the plants are ready to set out into the field, 

 work up the ground deeply and mark out rows four to 

 five feet apart each way, dc])ending on the variety, then 

 have one man make the holes, another can lay the plants 

 and a third one can set them into place. By this method 

 there is not much chance for the soil to dry out and 

 the plants will not remain long out of the ground. 



About one hour before taking up the plants the beds 

 where the plants are growing should be given a good 

 soaking; plenty of soil can then be taken up with each 

 plant and they will suffer but very little from trans- 

 planting. 



As soon as the plants arc out in the fields cultivating 

 should commence, and should be continued at frequent 

 intervals until the vines make it inconvenient. Hy keep- 



ing the ground fine and loose the plants will make a 

 steady growth, and this is another point of success with 

 this crop. 



Staking or training the vines to a trellis is advisable 

 where anyone has the time, as it will keep the fruit clean, 

 and also is a preventive against rot in very wet weather. 



However, where anyone has the time to provide a 

 trellis, a good method is to cover the ground with straw 

 or marsh hay; this not only helps keep the fruit off the 

 ground, but will also keep in the moisture and thus 

 greatly check the blossom-end rot, as this disease is gen- 

 erally caused by a lack of moisture. 



\^'here the vines make too rank a growth it is a good 

 plan to cut back the vines; this will make them set fruit 

 and ripen the crop earlier instead of growing only vines. 



Before frost pick all of the nice fruits that have just 

 commenced to turn color, place these in a cool cellar or 

 shelves, or better yet \vrap each fruit in paper, and pack 

 about two layers in flat boxes ; by doing this they will 

 continue to ripen until the winter. By this method I have 

 had ripe tomatoes until Christmas. 



RHUBARB. 



One of the most wholesome foods to place upon the 

 family table is rhubarb. It comes so early in the 

 spring that it is particularly palatable. A few hills or 

 plants will furnish the average family with all it needs 

 and leave some for canning. 



Plant the roots just as early in the spring as possi- 

 ble. Plant them deep enough for the tops of the 

 crowns to be about 2 inches below the ground when 

 the earth has been leveled and settled, and about 3 

 feet apart. Cultivate them well by hoeing or raking 

 the soil once or twice a week to keep them mellow and 

 free from weeds. In the fall, after the ground freezes, 

 get some stable manure and sprinkle half a bushel of 

 it over and around each hill. Early the next spring 

 scrape the manure away from the centre of the hills, 

 leaving 6-inch circles through which the crowns may 

 start. Leave the manure round the hills, for it will 

 protect the rhubarb from cold and make it grow. Soon 

 you will have great thick leaf-stalks, of which you can 

 pull a mess every two or three days for 6 weeks. When 

 pulling take hold of the stalk selected low down and 

 give it a quick jerk away from the crown. It is a trick 

 to do it without breaking the leaf-stem or the crown. 



A plantation will last about five years before it be- 

 gins to deteriorate. Select a sunny piece of land of 

 good sandy loam which slopes to the south. Here 

 plants will come up early. — Exchange, 



THE QUINCE, A MUCH NEGLECTED FRUIT. 



The quince is a much neglected fruit. It seems to be 

 less grown now than a century ago. \'arieties have 

 changed but little in a generation. Methods of culture 

 have not been studied, and such trees as exist usually 

 suffer from ill treatment in some neglected corner of the 

 orchard, saxs Pennsylvania Farmer. But few^ fruit 

 growers have given the marketing of quinces attention, 

 and the fruit is therefore not well received in the markets. 

 The fact that the fruit cannot be eaten raw, though de- 

 licious when cooked, greatly impedes the progress of its 

 culture. When the plant breeder has given the quince 

 the texture of the apple, decreased the number of seeds, 



