162 TOMATO. 



the atmosphere must be kept moist, and in bad attacks 

 the foliage should be syringed. Every care should be 

 taken to keep the plants free from the spider, for the pest 

 cannot well be overcome after the fruit begins to set, at 

 which time the house should be kept dry. If fungi begin 

 to attack the plants, however, the atmosphere will need to 

 be kept drier. 



Pollination. When the flowers begin to appear, the 

 atmosphere must be kept dry during the brighter part of 

 the day in order to facilitate pollination. The pollen is 

 discharged most profusely in dry, sunny days. In the 

 short, dull days of midwinter, some artificial aid must be 

 given the flowers to enable them to set. The common 

 practice is to tap the plants sharply several times during 

 the middle of the day with a padded stick. This practice 

 is perhaps better than nothing, although tests which we 

 once made upon the value of this operation as compared 

 with no attention were entirely indifferent in results. 

 During the past winter (1895-6) we tested the value of 

 this jarring with the transfer of pollen by hand, and ob- 

 tained more fruits from the jarring method, but their total 

 weight was much less. I am strongly of the opinion that 

 it will pay the commercial grower to transfer the pollen 

 by hand during midwinter. At this season the flowers 

 are most likely to fail and the product is the most valu- 

 able ; and the tests which I am about to report concerning 

 the influences of different quantities of pollen strengthen 

 this advice. There are various methods of pollinating the 

 flowers. The most expeditious and satisfactory method 

 which I know is to knock the pollen from the flowers, 



catching 

 it in a 

 spoo n, 



SJ. Ladle for pollinating house tomatoes wa tc h- 



glass, or 



other receptacle, and then dipping the stigmas of the 

 same or other flowers into it. A good implement is 



