126 THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES 



oil, suitable for culinary purposes. Only one capability has been 

 actually demonstrated, and that is the value of the seeds in fattening 

 poultry. The best way to use the heads is to hang them up, so that 

 the birds can pick the seeds out without otherwise touching them. 

 As regards cultivation, sow in pans in April, and put on a gentle 

 hot-bed, or shut up close in a sunny frame. The plants will soon 

 appear. Give them light and air, and plant out when they are two 

 or three inches high. But Sunflowers can be grown without any 

 kind of artificial aid. A simple and effectual method is to make the 

 spot intended for them very rich, and dibble the seed an inch deep 

 on the first day of May. 



TOMATO 



(Lycopersicum esculentum} 



THE taste for Tomatoes, like certain engagements, often begins with a 

 little antipathy, but it is soon acquired and not infrequently develops 

 into passionate love for the fruit both cooked and in its natural con- 

 dition. Within memory of those who would feel insulted were they 

 called middle-aged, the consumption of Tomatoes in this country 

 was limited to a select circle of epicures. In the United States the 

 fruit has long been recognised as a necessary article of food, and as 

 a matter of fact our transatlantic cousins have taught us the value of 

 its refreshing, appetising, and corrective qualities. Still the advance 

 in public favour has been accelerated by the improved quality, 

 enhanced beauty, and increased variety, effected by several of our 

 own talented specialists in horticulture. 



The Tomato is a tender, but not a tropical plant, and it requires 

 a moderately high temperature, free access of air, and above all a 

 full flood of solar light to bring it to perfection. The necessary heat 

 is easily managed in any garden equipped with ordinary forcing 

 appliances ; so also is a current of air in properly constructed 

 buildings ; but the deficiency of light during the darker months 

 renders it almost impossible to ripen fruit in mid-winter ; otherwise 

 no trouble would be experienced in sending Tomatoes to table every 

 day throughout the year. Our long nights and murky atmosphere 

 afford the growers of sunnier lands an opportunity of consigning 

 vast quantities to this country, under the serious disadvantage, how- 

 ever, of being compelled to cut the fruit prematurely. Hence the 

 ripening is completed during the voyage instead of on the plant, to 



