July, 191 1 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



167 



It is wonderful what can be grown in 

 a back yard if you have proper ground. 

 I noticed one man with only a piece of 

 ground eighteen by ione hundred and 

 ten feet, on which the house stood, and 

 around it he was able to grow all the 

 tomatoes, beets, lettuce, parsley, cab- 

 bage and flowers that he could use ; this 

 all goes to show what can be done if one 



tries. I started all seeds in hot beds, 

 as well as most of the bulbs, and raised 

 about one hundred chickens . 



Around the house I have many kinds 

 of fruit trees, apple, cherry, pear, plum, 

 also black currant and raspberry bushes 

 and grape vines. 



This, too, is one of the ways to keep 

 from growing old. 



Grow^ing Tomatoes in the Greenhouse 



A. H. MacLennan, B, S. A. 



HOTHOUSP: tomatoes take four 

 months to first ripe fruit and five 

 to produce a full crop in fair wea- 

 ther, but will take longer if weather is 

 dull and unfavorable. 



For the Christmas crop we sow our 

 seed the first week in July. These plants 



Transplanting Tomatoes into 2 1 2 in. Pots 



should be ready to go into the bed the 

 third or fourth week in August. The 

 seed for our second set of plants for the 

 spring crop in March and April is sown 

 the first week in October and should be 

 ready for the bed by the end of January. 

 Many florists are using tomatoes to fill 

 in the greenhouses in summer. These 

 should be started the first week in March 

 and will be ready to transplant into the 

 house the middle of .April, giving a crop 

 in June and July. 



RENEWING THE SOIL 



We renew our soil each year from a 

 compost heap made up each October as 

 follows : Plow sod about three inches 

 deep, then haul to a well drained spot 

 near the house. Then place two layers 

 of sod, grass sides together, then a 

 layer of four inch'es of manure. Alter- 

 nate these two up to the required height 

 of pile. This gives the fertility in the 

 manure a good chance to penetrate into 

 the soil. Many, however, renew their 

 old soil with manure. This, if well rot- 

 ted, may be immediately dug in, but if 

 fresh is placed on top and kept watered 



for three or four weeks, in this way 

 washing the fertility down into the soil. 

 Then the rough manure is raked off and 

 the bed dug over. Between each crop we 

 dig in a fair quantity of well rotted 

 manure. Some growers use wood ashes 

 or muriate of potash and bone meal on 

 alternate crops. The soil should be 

 limed at least once a year to keep it 

 sweet. 



The seed is sown in flats in soil, one 

 sand and one compost. When seedlings 

 are showing the first true leaves we 

 transplant them into two-inch pots in a 

 soil made up of one of sand to three of 

 compost. The plants should be carefully 



atered and shaded when necessary if 

 the sun is shining. The plants should 

 l>e set fairly deeply. When the plant 

 has filled the two-inch pot with roots and 

 your bed is not ready you should trans- 

 fer to four or five inch pots, so as to give 

 no check. This is especially necessary 

 with the second crop since weather "con- 

 ditions may hold back the crop. Never 

 wet plants too much, as it causes them 

 to turn yellow and grow spindly. A 

 little dryness will produce a larg'ier root 

 system and sturdier plant. 



In setting plants for the Christmas 

 crop, we set them two feet apart each 

 way, diagonally. For the spring and 

 summer crops, eiehteen inches each 

 way. Set the plants at least one inch 

 lower than they were in the pots. 



METHOD OF PRUNING 



We prune the plants to one stem, 



breaking off all side shoots as soon as 

 they appear. One wire is run the length 

 of the house above each row of plants on 

 a level with the gutter. To this one up- 

 right wire is run from each plant, fasten- 

 ing to the top wire with a clip and plac- 

 ing in the soil next the plant. The plants 

 are tied to the wire with rafiia or soft 

 cord, care being taken not to tie too 

 tightly. When the first fruit begins to 

 color all leaves below them should be cut 

 from the stalks. When all fruit has set 

 that you wish to ripen, nip off the tops. 

 Tomato plants like a dry atmosphere. 

 Dampness breeds disease and hinders 

 pollination. The temperature at night 

 is best at 60 degrees, with 10 to 15 de- 

 grees higher during the day. Keep the 

 ventilators open whenever possible when 

 weather is suitable, around noon being 

 the best time. 



WATERING 



Two methods of watering are in use 

 in Ontario in tomato greenhouses — sub- 

 irrigation and surface watering. Sub- 

 'rrie-ation is simply laying tile just be- 

 low the surface of the bed two feet apart, 

 with a filling pipe coming above the soil 

 at one end. Surface watering is accom- 

 plished either with the watering-can or 

 hose. 



Sub-irrigation gives a larger yield, a 

 stronger plant, prevents much tip rot, 

 and keeps the soil open and porous like 

 a sponge. Its only disadvantage is the 

 cost of installing. Surface watering 

 causes the soil to pack, prevents much of 

 the water from getting to the bottom of 

 the bed, excludes air, and has a tendency 

 to cause fungous disease from dampness. 



Mulching with strawy manure will 

 give very similar results to sub-irriga- 

 tion. Apply as soon as plants are set 

 permanently. Its only defect is the 

 chance of disease. 



Comet, Industry, and Queux Clipper 

 are good varieties for winter use. To 

 these add Bonny Best and Earliana for 

 a spring crop. 



Hothouse Tomato Vines Pruned Below the First Fruit Stems 



