TOMATO 



129 



and of the two the former is the more exacting. So quickly does this 

 crop exhaust the soil, that in small houses it is usual to take out the 

 earth to a depth of fifteen or eighteen inches every second or third 

 year, and replace it with virgin loam. On a small scale this is rather 

 a serious matter, and for an extensive range of houses with limited 

 resources the exchange of soil becomes an impossibility. Some of 

 the Guernsey growers meet the difficulty by constructing vast houses 

 upon flanged wheels, resting on iron rails to facilitate removal to 

 fresh ground. Others grow the Tomatoes alternately in the bed and 

 in pots, but this is only a partial remedy. Constant dressings of 

 manure result in the formation of humus, which, as it becomes sour, 

 has to be sweetened by the solvent influence of lime. Even this 

 treatment will only extend the fertility of the soil for a limited 

 number of years. Sooner or later the crop ceases to make a return 

 for the labour and expense lavished upon it. The most enduring 

 method is that which is based on chemical knowledge of the con- 

 stituents of the soil, and the relation which the plant bears to it. 

 One of the most successful growers for the London market almost 

 entirely avoids the use of stable manure, and he is able, by appli- 

 cations of nitrate of potash, crushed dissolved bones, and the occa- 

 sional use of lime, to grow splendid crops in the same houses year 

 after year. 



Another method of dealing with the soil under glass deserves 

 mention. There may be a difficulty in securing sufficient loam of a 

 suitable character for the entire border. In such a case break the 

 existing surface, whatever the nature of it may be, and upon this 

 make a ridge of sandy loam about eighteen inches or two feet wide, 

 and deep enough to cover the balls of earth when the plants are 

 turned out of the pots. As the roots show on the surface, more soil 

 must be added, and finally they can be fed with a mulch or with 

 liquid manure. It is important that the liquid should be weak, 

 and then it may be alternated with pure water, either for borders or 

 pots. 



All the conditions which answer for border work are applicable to 

 pots, and a limited number of plants brought forward in succession 

 will supply the requirements of a small household from early spring 

 until near Christmas. The pot system is conducive to free setting 

 and to early ripening, and for these reasons it is worth attention. 

 The plants should be kept short in the joint by frequent shifts until 

 the twelve-inch pot is reached, and this size will accommodate two 

 cordons or one plant having two branches, each of which will require 



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