9^ The Canadian Horticulturist. 



beds heat up as hot as the sun will heat them for a day or two ; then the beds 

 will be ready to plant. The beds will be ready to receive the plants about four 

 weeks earlier than it will do to plant in the open ground. Select the largest 

 plants in stock, fourteen plants for each bed, six en each side and one in the 

 centre at each end. Now dig six holes on each side and one in the centre at 

 each end. These holes should be dug sloping toward the outside of the bed, 

 and deep enough to receive the lump of earth at the roots of the plants. The 

 lumps should be laid on their sides and should be so that the plants will be 

 clearly flat and lean towards the frame on every side. The roots should be set 

 near enough to the centre of the bed so that the tops of the plants will be about 

 one foot inside of the frame. The four plants at the corners should lean straight 

 for the corners of frame. Do not plant too deep. The lumps should not be 

 more than an inch below the surface. 



Set the plants when the sun shines, if possible. After planting, sprinkle on 

 eight or ten gallons of water. The work should be done soon enough in the 

 day to put the sash on and let the beds get good and warm before night. If the 

 beds are watered as directed, they may be covered down close at two or three 

 o'clock in the afternoon, and they will be all right till next day. Then if the 

 weather is bright they must have some air, but they should be kept pretty close 

 for two or three days. Afterward they must have air as required. Air by mov- 

 ing the sash apart. When there is cold wind from the north, air by moving the 

 south ends of the sashes only. When the plants fill the frame and begin to 

 crowd against the glass, raise the frame and hill up with earth under the edges at 

 the bottom of the frame. Raise the frames but little at a time and often. If 

 raised too much at a time, the plants will be drawn up too fast and injured 

 more or less. As soon as all danger of frost is passed and the weather has be- 

 come settled and warm, knock the frame apart, pull out the nails and pile up 

 the lumber for another year. Have the beds between the plants perfectly clean. 

 The next work is to train the plants. To do this, begin in the centre and 

 take as many of the inside limbs of the plants as will fill up the centre and bend 

 them into it. Then with the hands separate the remaining limps of each plant 

 • carefully and press them down to the ground and train them out in every direction 

 from the bed. This process will let the sun into the base of the plants and 

 cause them to set fruit rapidly and freely. Continue to train the plants outward 

 as often as they grow together. Plants treated as above should yield at least 

 half a bushel of tomatoes to each plant. The writer has often had ten bushels 

 from each bed. The first two or three pickings has always brought in our 

 markets six dollars per bushel. Then somewhat less every week until the best 

 picked were sometimes as low as forty or thirty cents per bushel. 



The plants should be set eight feet apart each way, and the vines will nearly 

 meet together so that the vines will cover two-thirds more land than the size 

 of the beds. Do not pinch or cut off any of the vines. I am aware that in 

 giving the above directions I am going directly contrary to the directions given 



