162 TOMATO. 
the atmosphere must be kept moist, and in bad attacks 
the foliage should be syringed. Every care should be 
taken to keep the plants free from the spider, for the pest 
cannot well be overcome after the fruit begins to set, at 
which time the house should be kept dry. If fungi begin 
to attack the plants, however, the atmosphere will need to 
be kept drier. 
Pollination. — When the flowers begin to appear, the 
atmosphere must be kept dry during the brighter part of 
the day in order to facilitate pollination. The pollen is 
discharged most profusely in dry, sunny days. In the 
short, dull days of midwinter, some artificial aid must be 
given the flowers to enable them to set. The common 
practice is to tap the plants sharply several times during 
the middle of the day with a padded stick. This practice 
is perhaps better than nothing, although tests which we 
once made upon the value of this operation as compared 
with no attention were entirely indifferent in results. 
During the past winter (1895-6) we tested the value of 
this jarring with the transfer of pollen by hand, and ob- 
tained more fruits from the jarring method, but their total 
weight was much less. I am strongly of the opinion that 
it will pay the commercial grower to transfer the pollen 
by hand during midwinter. At this season the flowers 
are most likely to fail and the product is the most valu- 
able; and the tests which I am about to report concerning 
the influences of different quantities of pollen strengthen 
this advice. There are various methods of pollinating the 
flowers. The most expeditious and satisfactory method 
which I know is to knock the pollen from the flowers, 
catchin g 
it: “ins ica 
spoon, 
watch- 
glass, or 
other receptacle, and then dipping the stigmas of the 
Same or other flowers into it. A good implement is 
53. Ladle for pollinating house tomatoes. 
