TOMATOES 277 



holding a spoon directly under each flower and gently tapping the upper part 

 of the blossom with a pencil or small stick. Pollen is thus shaken into the 

 spoon and at the same time the stigma is driven into the mass of loose pollen 

 in the bottom of the spoon. The stigmatic surface which is on the end of the 

 style is thus coated with pollen, and as flower after flower is visited on many 

 different plants, cross fertilization is insured. Flowers were pollenated about 

 every other day throughout the blossoming period/ 7 



All the plants grew finely for a while, though as early as the 8th of Janu- 

 nry there was observed a slight difference in the color of the plants in the plat 

 which had received no nitrate of soda, and this difference of a lighter color 

 increased during the season. First ripe fruit was on the 27th of February, 

 being three Ignotums in one plat and one in another, both of the artificial soil, 

 and two Ignotums and three Acmes from the natural soil. Temperature 

 ranged from 60 to (>f> degrees at night and often on warm sunny days 85 to 

 90 degrees Fahrenheit. 



The following summary is given of the results: 



1. A forcing-house tomato crop yielding about two pounds of fruit for 

 each square foot of bench room, takes in the vines and fruit, for every hun- 

 dred square feet of bench space, not less than: 



Grams. Lbs. Ozs. 



Nitrogen 168 ^ /- Nitrate of soda 2 5 



Phosphoric ac-id 65 V equivalent to ^ Dissolved bone black. . 13 



Potash 362 ) I Muriate of potash 1 9 



Of this from a fourth to a fifth only is in the vines. 



2. To enable the plants to get these fertilizer elements as required, there 

 should be a large excess of them in the soil, perhaps double the quantity given 

 above. 



3. Every 100 pounds of tomato fruit takes from the soil approximately: 



Ounces Ounces 



Nitrogen 2.2 ^ /- Nitrate of soda 14 



Phosphoric acid 9 > equivalent to I Dissolved bone black. .. 5 



Potash 4.6 J I Muriate of potash 10 



4. It is possible to grow a crop of forcing-house tomatoes, amounting to 

 two or more pounds per square foot of bench space, perfectly normal in size 

 color, taste and chemical composition, by the aid of commercial fertilizers 

 alone, and in soil composed of coal ashes and peat. 



In a further discussion of the subject the Connecticut report says that 

 they are not ready from one experiment to recommend a departure from 



