INDOOR AND OUTDOOR TOMATOES 155 



ling in position and fill up the sides with more of the 

 compost. Press the earth down tightly and well water* 

 When next the grower has a little spare time it will be 

 worth while attending to the stakes. Push one in the 

 ground for each plant ; place it near enough to prove a 

 good support but not so near that it may spear the root 

 stock. Tie the stems with raffia, not by binding stem 

 and stick together, but by making a loop round the 

 stem and then joining this to the stake. 



The amount of water required by tomatoes is not an 

 easy thing to decide, but a good rule is to give too little 

 rather than too much. In hot weather, a watering 

 morning and evening may be necessary but on other 

 occasions a single spraying will prove ample. On no 

 account may the air of the conservatory become damp 

 this is imperative when the flowers make themselves 

 apparent or disease will quickly attack the crop. 

 Throughout the day keep doors and windows open to 

 provide ventilation, but draughts are dangerous. 



As the plants shoot upwards, a mass of roots will show 

 themselves on the surface of the soil. These need 

 covering over with a top dressing of ordinary compost, 

 or, when the fruit is forming, with a rich compost of 

 superphosphate, good rotted manure and loam. If the 

 plant begins to outgrow the pot transfer the whole to a 

 larger receptacle, or, better still, put a collar made of 

 metal on the top of the crowded pot and fill it up with 

 compost. Another good hint is to stand the pot on a 

 thick piece of upturned turf ; the roots will work 

 through the drainage hole and make themselves com- 

 fortable in the turf beneath. 



Tomato plants, if left to themselves, have a tendency 



