158 



TOMATO. 



in a smaller space, and therefore to hasten fruitfulness 

 perhaps an imaginary advantage but more particularly 

 to allow of an additional stimulus to be given the plant 

 at fruiting time by the addition of fresh soil. 



On the whole, however, we prefer to grow tomatoes 

 on benches, with about 7 or 8 inches of soil. Fig. 14 

 shows tomatoes growing upon a floor which lies directly 

 over the heater, a place which gives most excellent re- 

 sults. In this bed we set the plants in rows 24 inches 

 apart, and 18 inches apart in the row. This house is 



. Forcing house J or tomalots, heated with water. 



very light. In darker houses the plants cannot be set so 

 close. Fig. 50 (page 156) shows a bed 3 feet wide (and 

 only 4 inches deep) in which but a single row of plants is 

 grown. We have grown an excellent crop of tomatoes 

 on a bean bench, from which three crops of beans had 

 been taken during the winter. After each crop of beans, 

 the soil was loosened up and manure or manure water 

 added if needed. The soil was again manured before 

 the tomatoes were set. The bed is 6 inches deep. Upon 

 this bed the plants were set 2 feet apart each way, and 

 each plant was trained to two shoots. We sometimes 

 carry a late crop of tomatoes upon benches which grow 

 peas and lettuce during the winter. Such houses are not 



