CHAPTER IV 



Essentials for Development 



Sunlight. — Abundant and unobstructed sunlight is 

 the most essential condition for the healthy growth of 

 the tomato. It is a native of the sunny South and will 

 not thrive except in full and abundant sunlight. I 

 have never been able to grow good tomatoes in the 

 shade even where it is only partial. The entire plant 

 needs the sunlight. The blossoms often fail to set 

 and the fruit is lacking in flavor because of shade, 

 from excessive leaf growth, or other obstruction. 



The great difficulty in winter forcing tomatoes under 

 glass in the North comes from the want of sunlight 

 during the short days of the winter months. Were it 

 not for the short winter days of the higher latitudes 

 limiting the hours of sunshine, tomatoes could be 

 grown under glass in the northern states to compete 

 in price, when the better quality of vine-ripened fruits 

 is considered, with those from the Gulf states. Grow- 

 ers are learning that tomatoes can be profitably grown 

 under glass during the longer spring days, and con- 

 sumers are beginning to appreciate the superior qual- 

 ity of fruit ripened on the vine over that picked green 

 and ripened in transit. At no time is this need of 

 abundance of light of greater importance than when 

 the plants are young and, if they fail to receive it, no 

 subsequent favorable conditions will enable them to 

 recover fully from its ill effects. It is not so much 



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