262 VEGETABLE FORCING 



Pots and boxes. In the early years of tomato forcing, 

 the plants were finally shifted to 8 to 10-inch pots, in 

 which they were grown until all the fruits had ripened. 

 Large pots are still used to some extent in conservatories. 

 The potted plants, laden with beautiful pink or red fruits, 

 are fully as attractive as many plants grown solely for 

 ornamental purposes. It is more difficult, however, to 

 grow good tomatoes in pots than in beds. There is in- 

 sufficient soil, even in 12-inch pots, for the best results. 

 The soil dries out rapidly and there is great danger of 

 the plants being stunted or checked in growth, which 

 invariably reduces the yield. Pots are convenient for 

 shifting about the house in private establishments, and 

 they may be separated as much as necessary in order to 

 provide ample room for each plant. 



Boxes were often used by the agricultural experiment 

 stations from 1890 to 1900. They were a decided ad- 

 vantage over pots in providing more soil for the plants, 

 and they could also be conveniently moved from place 

 to place. Ordinarily, they were 10 inches to a foot deep. 

 Cornell University used boxes that were 18 inches 

 square, and set four plants in each box. The Tennessee 

 station obtained fairly satisfactory yields by setting 

 three plants in a box 1 by 1 by 3 feet in size. It is 

 possible to get better results in boxes than in pots, but 

 they are not practicable on a large commercial scale 

 because of the increased cost of production and the 

 smaller yields than those obtained in properly prepared 

 beds. 



Benches vs. ground beds. It was soon discovered by 

 the experiment stations as well as by practical growers 

 that tomatoes produced larger and better crops on 

 benches than in pots and boxes. In the first place, it is 

 much cheaper to construct benches than to make indi- 

 vidual boxes or to buy the required number of large pots. 

 Furthermore, the soil does not dry out so rapidly in beds 

 as in boxes. 



