12O WE FARM FOR A HOBBY 



we were down to two products: tomatoes and 

 peaches. We still find it good policy to can as large 

 a quantity as possible. You never know what may 

 happen. One year a shortage of water, not enough 

 to affect the crops, was yet sufficient to put a bad 

 dent in the canning program. But we had a big 

 carry-over from the year before that carried us 

 well through the following winter. 



Year in and year out tomatoes are the backbone 

 of the canned-food supply. Their food value is 

 equal that of the raw fruit; their flavor, in my 

 opinion, superior. The crop is prolific, and of all 

 the garden truck tomatoes are quickest and easiest 

 to put up. As an instance of just how well it can 

 pay you to grow your own food, last year, after two 

 comparatively lean tomato years, I plunged on to- 

 mato seed. Instead of the usual ten-cent packet I 

 bought three of three varieties for the staggering 

 total of thirty-five cents. We sold some of the young 

 plants more than enough to pay for the seed. Of 

 what were left we set out four rows totaling eight 

 hundred feet. Once the vines reach a certain size 

 they need practically no attention; within the 

 memory of men now living they were esteemed 

 but a weed; they still grow that way. Including 

 harvesting time we did not dedicate, all together, 

 eight hours' work to last summer's tomato crop. 

 Yet we harvested, as nearly as I can calculate, 

 something more than three-quarters of a ton. 



