272 VEGETABLE FORCING 



that any soil suitable for agricultural purposes will, when 

 properly prepared and cultivated, produce a satisfactory 

 crop of greenhouse tomatoes. 



Fertilizing. Experienced growers agree on the ne- 

 cessity of liberal feeding in order to obtain satisfactory 

 yields of greenhouse tomatoes. Impoverished soils in- 

 variably produce weak, spindling plants which fail to 

 bear profitable crops. On such plants the number of 

 fruits is limited and the individual specimens are small 

 in size and inferior in quality. High fertility is essential 

 from every standpoint. 



While liberal feeding is necessary, it is important to 

 maintain a proper balance in the elements applied. An 

 excessive amount of nitrogen and a deficiency of potash 

 and phosphoric acid will be certain to result in a rank 

 growth of low production plants. On the other hand, a 

 superabundance of the mineral elements and very little 

 nitrogen will result in light stems and small leaves and 

 solid but undersized fruit. There can be no shortage in 

 any of the elements without affecting the yield as well 

 as the quality of the crop. 



Jenkins and Briton, of the Connecticut Experiment 

 Station, found that tomato plants on 100 square feet of 

 bench space assimilated, from February 1 to July 1, 226 

 grams of nitrogen, 74 grams of phosphoric acid and 391 

 grams of potash. To meet these requirements it would 

 be necessary to apply 3 pounds 10 ounces of nitrate 

 of soda, 1 pound of boneblack and 1 pound 12 ounces 

 of muriate of potash. It is customary, however, to apply 

 more than enough food to merely meet the needs of the 

 plants because all of it is not accessible to the roots. Any 

 surplus at the close of any one harvest will remain for 

 succeeding crops, except that there is constant loss of 

 nitrogen by volatilization. 



Comparatively few gardeners use commercial fertilizers 

 at all in the growing of the greenhouse crop. They claim 

 that when stable manure is used in sufficient quantity to 



