272 CROP GROWING AND CROP FEEDING 



and what there is will be small and seedless, for under glass there are no in- 

 sects to do this for us. As soon as the roots can be seen to have taken pos- 

 session of the last layer of soil we begin to use liquid fertilizer, made by dis- 

 solving one ounce of nitrate of soda in a two gallon can of water, and give 

 this once a week. Do not begin this till you see that the roots have possession 

 of the soil, for there is otherwise a tendency to sour the soil. The plants are 

 kept trained to a single stem and two feet square is allowed to each 'plant. 

 Daily attention is needed in pinching out the side shoots and keeping the 

 plants to a single stem. Pinch these out as soon as seen, so that all the 

 strength of growth will be thrown into the main stem. The stems are trained 

 to strings or wires from the roof above. When the stems have reached the 

 height of the house the ends are nipped and no further development allowed. 

 In the meantime, about the middle of December, sow seed for a succession 

 crop to replace these as the crop is gathered. These succession plants can be 

 grown on the side benches of the house until they are ready to take their 

 places in the fruiting pots. The tomato house should be kept during the fall 

 and warm weather, well ventilated, and when the nights get frosty a little 

 fire heat is given, so that the temperature does not go below 55 degrees. As 

 the plants get into bloom the temperature of the house should never be allowed 

 to go below 60 at night and should be kept, by ventilation, at 80 or less in day 

 time. The tomato under glass is subject to the attacks of fungus diseases, 

 the worst being the Cladosporium Fulvum, which attacks the leaves, begin- 

 ning on the lower leaves, and if not checked will defoliate the entire house. 

 We manage to keep clear of it by painting the hot water pipes at times with a 

 solution of the sulphide of potassium, and by keeping sulphur scattered around 

 under the leaves in the sun, so that it gradually evaporates in the air. These 

 precautions should precede any attack, for if the fungus once gets started it 

 is hard to stop. 



Some recent experiments have shown that when the tomato plants are 

 planted in pure coal ashes and supplied with the proper fertilizers the result- 

 ing crop has been better than when grown in the most carefully prepared 

 compost. Whether this will be true in all cases or not we cannot say, but 

 there seems to be a sort of affinity between coal ashes and tomato plants, for 

 the most wonderfully prolific and long lived tomato plant we ever saw grew 

 in an .old heap of coal ashes, where it started as a volunteer and was allowed 

 to remain. While coal ashes have little of what is classed as plant food in 

 them they do certainly assist in the mellowing of the soil and the retention of 

 loisture. We have greatly improved a piece of stiff clay soil by heavy dress- 

 8 gs of coal ashes, and nowadays we never throw them away, but always find 



"for them. One of the most valuable uses for coal ashes is for plunging 



poll- 



