1 68 



Commercial Gardening 



plants at, or very near, the fruiting condition at the time of planting at 

 the end of May or very early in June. If a bunch of fruit be " set " on 

 each plant at this time, failure is as far removed as it can possibly be under 



this system. [ J> U '] 



Cultivation. The Tomato is not a difficult plant to grow. It will 

 flourish in any good garden soil that is sweet and clean, and contains a 



fair amount of well-decayed or- 

 ganic material. It is a mistake 

 to have the soil too rich for 

 Tomatoes either in the open air 

 or under glass, as this induces 

 them to develop gross sappy 

 shoots and comparatively little 

 blossom. A sandy loam will 

 give the best results as a general 

 rule. Indeed, the finest crop of 

 Tomatoes I ever saw were grown 

 in a mixture of old potting soil 

 and sifted ashes, which formed 

 the stage in a long greenhouse. 

 From twelve to twenty -four 

 fruits were borne on each truss, 

 each fruit weighing from 3 to 

 4 oz. just about the best weight 

 for market purposes. 



Sowing 1 the Seed. Perhaps 

 the most convenient method of 

 raising Tomato plants for mar- 

 ket work is to sow the seeds in 

 shallow wooden trays those 

 generally used for cuttings, and 

 measuring about 15 in. long, 9 

 in. wide, and 2 in. deep. A little 

 rough fibre and half -decayed 

 leaves should be spread over the 

 bottom for drainage and to pre- 

 vent the finer soil falling through 

 the slit in the bottom. The com- 

 post used should be a sandy loam and leaf mould. It should be pressed into 

 the boxes firmly with the fingers to within -J- in. of the top. After levelling 

 with a piece of flat board, the seeds should be sown carefully at least 1 in. 

 apart every way, so that each box will hold about one hundred seeds. It 

 is better to sow this way than haphazard, so that when germination takes 

 place each little seedling will have plenty of air and light. The seeds 

 should be covered with about - in. of soil, which should be pressed down 

 firmly, and levelled with the board. When as many seeds have been sown 



Fig. 494.- Seedling Tomato Plant 



