268 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



press the soil firmly around the can, then by spreading the top of 

 the can a trifle, it can be drawn out over the plants without dis- 

 turbing the roots. If the weather is dry and warm, water may be 

 used at transplanting drawing loose soil around the plant after 

 the water soaks away. 



It is also practicable to use small containers in the hot-bed, 

 such as small pasteboard folders, berry baskets, etc., as described in 

 Chapter XL In such case the seed is planted in the container and 

 the plants thinned to one and set out later without removing the 

 container, which will soon decay in moist soil. 



Growing Plants for Field Planting. The above methods will 

 produce plants of great size and vigor to delight the amateur. For 

 a field crop it is hardly practicable to grow and handle plants in 

 such an expensive way, and satisfactory results can be attained with 

 much less labor. For late planting they may be grown in quantity 

 in a cold frame with cloth cover or in a raised bed with slight pro- 

 tection from frost and sheltered from cold winds, or even on the 

 open ground in frostless places. Large quantities are ften grown 

 from the seed by simply thinning the seedlings as they stand, though 

 the transplanted seedlings are always more thrifty and stocky. They 

 have a much better root-system, and grow more thriftily after trans-' 

 planting. Take the seedlings ' when they have come in the rough 

 leaf, and with a small hardwood stick, made pointed at one end, 

 take up the young plants and dibble them in clear down to the seed 

 leaf. Place them about three inches apart each way, water them 

 well, and in a few days they will begin to grow, and in this way 

 fine, stocky plants can be grown almost ready to blossom when 

 they are set out in the open ground where they are to remain. 

 There is nothing gained by setting out tomatoes in the open ground 

 when they are too small ; if anything, time is lost by doing so, while 

 a large, stocky plant has plenty of fine fibrous roots, and is rapidly 

 established in its new place. 



A detailed account of growing tomato plants in open seed-beds 

 for field planting is given by Prof. S. S. Rogers* as follows : 



The customary method for raising the plants in the seed-beds is by 

 sowing the seed in drills from three to six inches apart or by broadcasting. 

 The former method is preferable for the grower who has had a limited ex- 

 perience or for purposes of producing rapidly growing plants. Soil which 

 is used for this purpose should be light and worked to a very fine condi- 

 tion of tilth before seeding. It is desirable also to spade under a heavy 

 coating of stable manure long enough in advance of seeding to insure 

 thorough rotting. It will aid in germinating the seed if burlap or muslin 

 be placed on the surface of the ground until the plants have appeared, at 

 which time it should be removed. The seed should be covered with from 

 one-quarter to one-half inch, and sand is found desirable, especially if the 

 soil in the bed is of a heavy nature. Beds should be located on a well- 

 drained spot, preferably on the south side of a fence or building. Water 

 should be piped to the beds so that they may be easily sprinkled. The beds 

 should be sprinkled often enough to keep the surface moist, watering fre- 

 quently rather than in large amounts at longer intervals. Many growers 



*In Circular 147 of University Experiment Station, Berkeley. 



