356 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



porated with the soil so much the better ; while if the soil be at 

 all heavy it will be found advantageous to add a quantity of clean 

 road scrapings. 



The prepared compost should be placed firmly hi the boxes to a 

 depth of seven inches, leaving five inches of space at the top. The 

 object of this is to allow for several top-dressings of soil as the plants 

 grow taller. If they are watched carefully it will be seen that 

 from the stem just above the surface of the soil new roots are 

 thrown out. These it should be the aim of the cultivator to 

 encourage, since they help in feeding and strengthening the plant 

 at a time when fruiting is near, and when every bit of nutriment 

 is required. Two or three tunes during the season fresh layers 

 of loamy soil should therefore be supplied until the box is filled 

 almost to the top. 



Three, or at most four, plants will be enough for each box, As 

 the plant grows taller it should be tied to a stout bamboo cane, 

 and then trained along wire or stout cord upwards towards the 

 apex of the slanting roof of the greenhouse. The wire should be 

 fixed at a distance of not less than nine inches from the glass. 



If pots are used for fruiting they ought to be at least ten inches 

 across the top. They may be placed on the benches a foot apart. 



When a fairly large number of flowers have developed a very 

 necessary point of culture must be attended to Once every day, 

 about noon, if possible, the stem of each plant must be gently 

 tapped with the finger with the object of liberating the pollen 

 and assisting fertilisation. 



There are several methods of training the tomato plant, but, 

 taking everything into consideration, nothing can excel the single- 

 stem system. This involves from a comparatively early stage the 

 rubbing off or pinching out as they appear of all the laterals or 

 side growths. Immediately a full crop of fruit is set the top of the 

 stem is stopped, either by pinching it out or cutting off the ex- 

 tremity. The removal of superfluous leaves, defoliation as it is 

 called, will also require attention as the plants gain strength. 

 Care must be taken, however, not to remove too many of the leaf 

 shoots, since the untimely stripping off of all the leaves will cer- 



