GROWING AND MARKETING OF TOMATOES. 



two or three inches in height. This will 

 tend to distribute the fruit and vines 

 and by shedding rain will, to some ex- 

 tent, lessen the tendency to rot. After 

 hilling, the level surface should be culti- 

 vated as long as it is possible to do so 

 without injury to the plants. If growth 

 is unsatisfactory it may be stimulated, 

 by a light application to each plant of a 

 mixture of muriate of potash or wood 

 ashes and of nitrate of soda. Muriate 

 of potash, I CO pounds, or wood ashes, 

 I, coo pounds, and nitrate of soda, 200 

 pounds per acre may generally be used 

 •with advantage. This mixture may best 

 be applied by scattering it around each 

 plant before hilling. 



Training. — In field culture, it does 

 not pay to train tomato plants to stakes 

 or trellises This system belongs to the 

 garden of the amateur and may there be 

 practised with economy as to space and 

 satisfaction as to general results. In the 

 field, some attention should be given 

 towards securing a proper disposition of 

 the naturally sprawling branches, to pre- 

 vent too much interlacing and to secure 

 their proper distribution. 



PICKING AND PACKING. 



Packing for the Home Market. — Pick 

 the fruit when fully colored, being careful 

 to avoid bruising it. Discard all ill- 

 shapen or blemished specimens. The 

 fruit should be carried in baskets to the 

 sorting shed and then carefully packed 

 in the shipping baskets or packages. 

 Place the fruit in the basket with the 

 stem end downwards, wiping such speci- 

 mens as are soiled, finishing the package 

 with a " smooth face." Strong baskets 

 — veneer is better than the splint — 

 should be used, and these covered with 

 a stout frame like cover made of the 

 veneer trimming material, but centered 

 with leno, so that the fruit may be readily 

 inspected. 



Packing for Foreign Market. — If the 

 fruit is intended for the European mar- 

 ket, it should be picked when fully 

 grown and just beginning to change 

 color, — if it is to be forwarded in thoro- 

 ughly refrigerated compartments. Partly 

 colored specimens forwarded last year to 

 Liverpool, with imperfect ice refriger- 

 ation, arrived in an over-ripe and unsatis- 

 factory condition. If shipped by ordin- 

 ary freight, which may be successfully 

 done with moderately cool compartments 

 and good ventilation, the fruit should be 

 packed when fully developed, but when 

 yet green in color and well "glazed." 

 All fruit should be carefully graded as to 

 size and with due regard to its character- 

 istic color when mature. Scarlet and 

 purplish red varieties should not be 

 packed together in the same case. 



PACKAGES. 



Light, Strong wooden ventilated cases 

 are recommended. A case of the dimen- 

 sions given below will hold about 20 

 lbs. of medium sized tomatoes in two 

 rows — or layers — about four dozen 

 tomatoes deep. The layers should be 

 separated by a sheet of stiff cardboard, 

 — unless each specimen is wrapped in 

 tissue or light printers' paper, — even 

 with this precaution the cardboard divi- 

 sion will be found useful To prevent 

 the fruit from shaking, place a layer of 

 clean " excelsior " over the fruit before 

 nailing down the cover. 



The words " Canadian Tomatoes " 

 should be branded upon the ends of 

 each case. The name and the address 

 of the grower should appear printed on 

 a sheet within. 



Dimensions of Case Outside ■ — Length 

 22 inches ; width 10 inches ; depth 5 '4 

 inches. It should be provided with a 

 partition placed crosswise in the middle. 

 The boxes should be made of planed 

 lumber, bass-wood preferable, with bored 



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