TOMATOES 



281 



able to withstand a light frost, should one occur after they are 

 transplanted. 



The soil should be of good quality and in a fine state of cultiva- 

 tion. A cloudy day should be chosen for setting out, or the work 

 should be done toward nightfall, so that the plants will not wilt. 

 In a small family garden they 

 may be shaded through the hot 

 part of the first few days to 

 their advantage. 



One of the most modern 

 ways of growing tomatoes is to 

 plant them rather closely to- 

 gether in rows, and tie them to 

 wires whch are stretched along 

 the row. The vines are pruned 

 considerably. This makes the 

 fruit larger, and allows it to 

 ripen better. 



In whatever way they are 

 planted, they should be well 

 cultivated and kept free from 

 weeds. 



Unless dwarf varieties are 

 used, the plants are commonly 

 staked (Fig. 186). The stakes 

 should be stout and about five 

 feet long. One is driven beside 

 each plant, and the plant tied 

 to it with soft cord or strips of 

 cloth. The fruit is thus given 

 every advantage for growth and 

 maturity, and the vines may be 

 cultivated longer if they are 

 tied up out of the way. 



Pruning the vines may re- 1 

 duce the yield somewhat, and is not practiced to any extent in 

 gardens where very few vines are grown. But late in the season 

 when there are still many tomatoes on the vines which it is desired 

 to have ripen, if the vines are well shorn of the many extra and 

 straggling branches and tips of other branches, the sunlight will 

 do much toward maturing the best of the fruit still left. 



FIG. 186. Tomato plants are sometimes 

 pruned to a single stem and supported by 

 tying to a stake. (Productive Vegetable 

 Growing.) 



