3356 



TOMATO 



TOMATO 



four seeds deep and stir every hour or two until seed 

 is thoroughly dry. 



Larger quantities can be handled as follows: Separate 

 the pulp and seed from the flesh and skins. Seed- 

 growers usually do this by running the ripe fruit 

 through rollers about Yi inch apart. (In a small way, a 

 hand cider-mill will do this very well.) Then run the 

 pulp and seed through a slowly revolving cylinder of 

 wire netting of about J^-rnch mesh, set at a slight incline 

 so that the seed will fall through the netting, while the 

 flesh, skins, and the like will gradually work out of the 

 lower end. Allow the seed and pulp to stand and 

 ferment until the seed settles and is covered with liquid, 

 which will require from ten to forty-eight hours, accord- 

 ing to condition. Care should be taken not to add 

 water or rain while ground fruit is fermenting. Pour 

 off the liquid. Put two or three pails of seed in a 

 barrel, add four to eight pails of water, agitate, and 

 then let seed settle and carefully pour off the water, 

 carrying what pulp and bits of skin it will. Repeat 

 with fresh water till seed is clean. Spread seed not 

 over Y inch deep on cloth- or wire-bottom screens. 

 Expose to sun and every few hours stir the seed until 

 it is entirely dry, then bag. Care should be taken 

 to be sure that seed is quite dry before bagging, for 

 it will seem dry to a novice long before it is fit. 



W. W. TRACY. 



Growing of tomatoes in the South. 



The growing of tomatoes on a commercial scale in the 

 southern states began just prior to 1900 and has grad- 

 ually increased until it is now one of the most important 

 crops grown in that section. Especially is this true of 

 Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. 



The crop in Florida begins to move in December 

 and continues at intervals during the winter months. 

 The movement in Mississippi and Texas is more con- 

 centrated, beginning the latter part of May and closing 

 the last of June. During the height of the tomato 

 season, solid trainloads of tomatoes are shipped out of 

 the two last-named states daily. 



In growing the tomato for the northern markets, 

 earliness is of prime importance. For this purpose, 

 it is necessary to start the crop during the winter 



months, and, as the tomato 

 is very sensitive to cold, 

 it must be given careful 

 protection for the first 

 six weeks or two months 

 of its growth. This neces- 

 sarily means extra care 

 and expense, which, in 

 turn, means that the 

 grower, in order to suc- 

 ceed, must exercise a 

 higher degree of intelli- 

 gence than is shown in 

 the production of the aver- 

 age vegetable crop. 



It has been clearly de- 

 monstrated that it does 

 not pay to grow tomatoes 

 on a large scale, nor does 

 it pay to grow them when 

 most of the help has to 

 be hired. The best results 

 are obtained when a single 

 family plants not over two 

 or three acres and does 

 all the detail work con- 

 nected with the growing 

 and harvesting of the 

 crop. 



Tomatoes for the early 

 3821. Stake-trained tomato. market are started in hot- 



beds. Both manure and flue hotbeds are used for this 

 purpose. The soil of the hotbed should be loose and 

 porous, but not too rich. Especially should an exces- 

 sive amount of organic matter be avoided. A good 

 average soil, with 1 inch of leaf-mold added gives good 

 results. 



The seeds are sown about January 20. They are placed 

 in rows 4 inches apart, Yi inch deep, and from three to 

 four seeds to the inch. Under nor- 

 mal conditions, the seed should 

 begin germinating in six to eight 

 days. The temperature should 

 not be allowed to go over 80 

 F., during the day, nor below 

 65 at night. The heat should 

 be so regulated as to produce a 

 slow, steady growth. Too much 

 heat produces rapid, succulent 

 growth, often causing the plants 

 to become weak and spindling, 

 under which conditions they 

 are easily affected by adverse 

 weather and more subject to the 

 attacks of diseases. 



As soon as the young plants 

 begin to grow, plenty of ventila- 

 tion should be given and the 

 soil frequently stirred. The soil 

 should be kept moist, but not 

 wet. By the last week in Febru- 

 ary, the plants begin to crowd in 

 the row, at which time they 

 should be moved to the cold- 

 frame. 



The coldframe is usually 

 located in the field where the 

 crop is to be grown. The soil in 

 the coldframe should be richer 

 and should contain more organic 

 matter than that in the hotbed. 

 The rows are laid off about 3 to 

 4 inches apart, and the plants 

 set 4 inches apart in the row. 

 A board with wooden pegs set 4 

 inches apart may be used to advantage in opening the 

 holes for the plants. It is advisable to set the plants 

 deeper than they stood in the hotbed, and, as soon as 

 transplanted, they should be given a good watering. 

 Special pains should be taken to protect them from 

 sudden changes in temperature. At first they should 

 be carefully covered at night; and if the weather is 

 very threatening, an extra cover, such as cotton bag- 

 ging, Sudan grass mats, and the like, should be used. 

 Whenever the weather is clear and bright, the top 

 should be lifted during the warm part of the day. 

 During the latter part of March, when the nights are 

 warm, the cover may be left off entirely, so as gradu- 

 ally to harden the plants. By the first of April, the 

 tomatoes begin to crowd in the row, which is a good 

 indication that they are ready for moving to the open 

 field. 



Tomatoes for the early market should be planted 

 on well-drained elevated land, that has some form of 

 windbreak on the north side. The land should be well 

 broken with a turning plow, then disked, harrowed, and 

 laid off in 4-foot rows. A furrow should be run down 

 each row and fertilizer applied and mixed in with the 

 soil. Just before taking the plants from the coldframe, 

 the soil should be given a thorough wetting. Then one 

 end of the coldframe should be knocked out and the 

 soil should be removed to a depth of 2 inches, up to 

 within a few inches of the first row of plants. A sharp 

 spade or mason's trowel is then used and a 4-inch 

 square is cut around each plant, after which the block 

 of soil containing the tomato is carefully lifted and 

 placed in a flat box or on a wide board, which is then 



3822. A strand of win- 

 ter tomato, the clusters 

 supported by slings. 



