258 How to Make the Garden Pay. 



TOMATO. 



Solanum Lycopersicum. German, Liebesapfel ; French and 

 Spanish, Tomate. In many sections of this country, tomatoes are 

 a leading farm crop, and grown almost more extensively than 

 potatoes. The market garden has little use for them, except as 

 an early or a forcing crop ; for this vegetable, to do its best, requires 

 more space than high feeding and high cultivation. With good 

 plants to start with, tomatoes are one of the easiest crops to 

 grow where the climate is warm enough to bring the fruit to 

 maturity. 



GROWING THE PLANTS. It is of especial importance to start 

 the plants early (not later than in March) in hot-bed or green- 

 house, in order to get an early crop. Give the plants all the 

 space they need for full development, during every stage of 

 growth, in order to make them stocky ; then harden them off 

 thoroughly before their transfer to the open ground. 



CULTURE. To give the best results, tomatoes require the 

 soil in a. fair state of fertility ; but the richer it is, the wider 

 should the plants be set, 4 feet square usually being the very 



Dwarf Champion. Turner Hybrid. Trophy. 



least distance, except perhaps for some of the very dwarf sorts. 

 Keep the crop cultivated and hoed, same as a good farmer 

 would his corn. 



WINTER FORCING. For forcing the crop in greenhouse, 

 plants may be obtained by rooting cuttings of old plants in the 

 fall, then planting out in beds in greenhouse, or in large pots or 

 boxes, giving each plant a space of about 2 ^ or 3 feet each way. All 

 laterals are removed and the main stalks tied to stakes, or wires, 

 or strings. During the time of fruit-setting the atmosphere 

 inside of the building has to be kept dry. This is sometimes ac- 

 complished by cementing the bottom, and placing kegs or boxes 

 with pulverized dry charcoal or freshly-burned lime about the 

 house. Attention must also be paid to secure proper fertilization 

 (fecundation) by striking lightly against the wires, stakes or 

 strings, from time to time, in order to scatter the pollen-dust 



