SOME NOTES ON TOMATOES. 143 



I am aware that some of the best cultivators combat the idea that 

 frequent haudling is of advantage in securing strong stocky 

 plants, but in our own experience the practice has always been 

 found beneficial. 



Each 3'ear but strengthens our conviction that, if properly 

 handled iu the house, tomatoes may, with good results, be set in 

 the field much earlier than is commonly supposed. The notion 

 often expressed that the tomato is specially susceptible to a chill 

 early in the spring, seems to be without foundation. The check 

 frequently observed is more often due to lack of available plant 

 food than to the " shock" of transplanting. 



Trimming the plants in midsummer has usually resulted in 

 hastening the maturity of fruit already set, and as only a 

 relatively small portion of the crop will ripen in any case, the 

 practice may be regarded as a good one for amateurs. It is 

 questionable, however, whether there is sufficient advantage to 

 warrant the practice in commercial plantations. 



The old notion that tomatoes do best on relatively poor soil, 

 was long ago exploded, ^ but comparatively little accurate work 

 has been done toward determining the specific element or 

 combination of elements which will produce the best results. 

 Deductions from work conducted in Maryland^ indicate that 

 potash has a tendency to produce a relatively large percentage of 

 acid iu the fruit, while phosphoric acid seems to have a similar 

 effect on the sugar content. Voorhees^ has found that nitrate of 

 soda, while increasing the yield, does not do so at the expense of 

 earliness of maturity, if used in small quantities or iu two or 

 more applications ; but if large quantities of nitrate were used in 

 one application, maturity was retarded. Moreover it was con- 

 cluded that nitrogen is the ruling element in the growth of the 

 tomato, though its effect is dependent on the presence of a full 

 supply of other elements. 



In general, we may conclude that while heavy fertilizing does 

 not lessen productiveness, the best fertilizers are those which act 

 quickly, or hasten growth early in the season. 



iCf. Bailey c*t Munson, Bui. 21, Cornell Expt. Sta. 

 ^Patterson, Bui. 11, Md. Expt. Sta. 

 3Bul. 63, N. J. Expt. Sta. 



