SEED-VESSELS WE EAT 255 



and the deep, purplish ones. The Ponderosas 

 weigh two and three pounds, and measure near 

 twenty inches in circumference. Higher quality 

 is found in varieties of smaller size. Early, mid- 

 season, and late varieties cover the growing season, 

 furnishing material for the canneries, the pickle 

 factories, and the table. Besides salads, which use 

 the tomatoes raw, either whole or sliced, there are 

 soups, stews, and various made dishes that use 

 them. Stewed or baked tomatoes are delicious. 

 The small varieties are used whole in preserves 

 and marmalades. Ketchups and relishes of other 

 sorts are made for winter use from ripe tomatoes. 

 Green ones are made into similar piquant sauces to 

 serve with meats. 



The best tomato region has a long-growing 

 season, warm soil, and abundance of sunshine. 

 The soil needs not be very rich, but it must be 

 moist and well-drained. The stems are flexible, 

 and need staking as soon as they begin to bear 

 fruit. The flowers appear early, in clusters at the 

 joints, the little yellow bells soon followed by the 

 berries, that weigh the branches down, and cause 

 the whole plant to sprawl on the ground unless it 

 is tied up to a stiff support. 



Tons of tomatoes are grown in fields of the South 

 for shipment to northern markets before local 



