68 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, 1913 



Growing Tomatoes Under Glass 



Archibald H. Walker, Macdonald College, Quebec 



POSSIBLY the gre.iter number of 

 the readers of The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist have more or less know- 

 ledge of how the crop is grown under 

 glass. This article is intended more for 

 those who are not so well versed 'and 

 just feeling their way. At the same 

 time there may be some phase of this 

 subject of interest to all. 



During the past five years a large 

 numl>er of experiments have been con- 

 ducted here with tomatoes. Those which 

 I deal with are jjerhaps of more value 

 to the grower than any other. 



Experiments were conducted for three 

 years to determine whether it were pos- 

 sible to have tomatoes from October 

 until July without a break, and, if it 

 were possible, whether fruit would be 

 had in sufficient quantity to make it pay. 

 We found, however, that while we had 

 excellent fall and early winter and 

 spring crops, our plantations intended 

 for a winter crop were failures from a 

 paying standpoint, therefore I have no 

 hesitation in saying, to those interested 

 in tomato growing never to attempt 

 planting with a view to commence pick- 

 ing fruit say by the middle of January, 

 because you will surely be disappointed. 

 The weather conditions during Novem- 

 ber and December are such that it is 

 next to impossible to get any fruit as 

 all growth is weak and drawn through 

 lack of sunlight or even good daylight 

 at times. Consequently the flower 

 trusses, or rather what would have been 

 flower trusses at a different season, were 

 weak and the flowers, if any, imperfect, 

 the result being a crop of foliage which 

 so far there is no demand for on the 

 market. 



GROWING TWO CROPS 



Experience has shown me that two 

 crops can easily be taken from the same 

 house in the year when handled in the 

 following way. Seeds sown not later 

 than July ist will give plants fit to bench 

 up from 3'X inch pots by August ist, 

 setting the plants i8 inches apart each 

 way. "Nothing is gained by closer or 

 wid^r planting." The first fruits are 

 ripe by the second week in October, and 

 the crop lasts until the middle of Jan- 

 uary. In the meantime another sowing 

 has been made on October 25th, and the 

 niants carried over in 3'/^ inch pots, and 

 r,y the time you have the house cleaned 

 ►ut and benches in shape for replanting 

 ihese plants are just the right size, aver- 

 .-iging one foot in height. Ripe fruits 

 are obtained from this planting by the 

 third week in April, the crop lasting al- 

 most until fruit is obtainable from out- 

 doors. Handled in this way the house 

 is under crop almost the full twelve 



months. The spring crop finishing up 

 in July sometimes gives time to clear 

 out the old soil and bring in the new. 



Too rich a soil is not desirable as too 

 rank a growth will be made. On the 

 other hand good results are not obtain- 

 ed from a poor soil, especially when you 

 intend to take both fall and spring crops 

 from the same soil. What I would con- 

 sider the best possible soil would be 

 rotted sod, "loamy." Add to this a 

 good sprinkling of bone meal. Such a 

 soil will carry the crop through in ex- 

 cellent shape. For the spring crop sim- 

 ply dig in a fairly heavy dressing of 

 well-rotted manure and another sprink- 

 ling of bone meal. Such a soil will 

 carry your second crop nicely. 



The question is often asked me : Does 

 it pay to grow tomatoes under glass? I 

 am not prepared to say at this juncture 

 just what money there is in this crop per 



square foot of bench area, as there arc 

 so many items to be considered, such as 

 express charges, commission, crates, 

 boxes, etc., but I will give the accurate 

 weight of fruit taken from one house, 

 the crop being just finished, the bench 

 area of which is 725 square feet. The 

 fruit weighs close to 1,900 lbs., being a 

 little better than 25-^ lbs. per square 

 foot. The wholesale prices obtained 

 were from 20 to 25 cents a pound. The 

 spring crop from the same house should 

 be just as heavy, with prices much 

 about the same. This should give a 

 total weight per square fot of some- 

 thing like five and a quarter pounds. I 

 leave the reader to judge how this com- 

 pares with other greenhouse crops. 



In conclusion, I may say that I did 

 not consider it necessary to explain all 

 the details in conection with the hand- 

 ling of this crop. Should any one de- 

 sire fuller information I will be glad to 

 give such privately or through The Can- 

 adian Horticulturist. 



How to Make and Handle a Hotbed 



John Gall, Weston, Ont. 



N making a hotbed, the first step is 



I to choose a good situation on the 



south side of a building, wall or close 

 board fence, where the cold winds from 

 the north will be broken and all the sun- 

 shine possible will be obtained. After 

 deciding on the site, the frame should 

 be made. A simple frame may be made 

 out of two-inch planks. It should be 

 constructed in such a manner that it can 

 be raised if necessary should the plants 

 get too close to the glass. The frame 

 should at least be six inches higher at 

 the back than at the front, in order that 

 the rain will run off readily and that the 

 plants get more sunshine. The sashes 

 generally used are three feet by six. 

 The most satisfactory material for use 

 in hotbed sash is double thick, second 

 quality glass ; sashes composed of this 

 material suffer comparatively little break- 

 age. 



A hotbed may be made either above or 

 below ground. If above ground, it may 

 be made in any situation where the water 

 is not likely to lie. The one below ground 

 is usually preferable if it can be made 

 where the land is high and well drained. 

 To make the latter, the soil should be 

 taken out to the depth of about two feet 

 and about three feet wider than the frame 

 so that there will be room for banking. 



The banking is a very important part 

 of the construction of a hotbed, as the 

 conservation of-heat in the bed depends 

 very much upon it. Much labor will be 

 saved where the necessary excavation 

 for the frame has been dug in the fall 

 when there is no frost in the ground. 



Horse manure is the best to use in 

 making the hotbed, and it should be 

 quite fresh, not cold and rotten, and not 



already heated. It should be piled near 

 where the hotbed is to be, and when it 

 begins to heat it should be turned to 

 make it of more uniform consistency. 

 Five or six days after turning it should 

 be quite hot and ready for use. 



The bed is started from one end and 

 the manure shaken in from a fork so that 

 the long and short manure may be well 

 mixed. When one layer is made it 

 should be tramped well and then another 

 layer started, and so on, tramping each 

 layer well until the manure is the re- 

 quired depth. After the manure has 

 been put in, the frame should be placed 

 on, and then from four to about six inches 

 more manure put in and banked well 

 around the sides of the frame, both in- 

 side and out. Outside, the manure 

 should be banked to the top of the frame 

 and from twelve to fifteen inches in 

 width. The bed is now ready for the 

 lights. The frame should be so con- 

 structed that they will fit snugly. Shel- 

 ters made of one-inch lumber, the same 

 size as the sashes, are useful for cover- 

 ing them, as they help to conserve the 

 heat in cold weather. 



THE SOIL TO USE 



In two or three days the sash should 

 be removed, the manure given a tramp 

 all over, making it level where neces- 

 sary, and then the soil put on. To get 

 the best results, the soil should be of a 

 rich character so that it will not bake. 

 The soil should be from five to six inches 

 in depth over the manure, and it is bet- 

 ter to have it a little deep than too 

 shallow. The soil when it is put in 

 should come near the top of the frame 

 at the lower side, as the manure will 

 sink considerably, and the nearer the 



