leads to a method of culture which differs somewhiit 

 from that usually recommended. We plant the seed in 

 flats placed in a greenhouse or hotbed, some forty to fifty 

 days before we thmk the i lant can be set in the field 



bad 



of the s 

 f^ame'^ 

 the sp 



e han lied 

 he sowmg 

 mto cold- 

 ordmg to 

 the plants 



led 



get 



t ansplanted 



1 1 been kept 



1 were started 



t r etting in the 



in ng 



light heat water, 

 ns a to secure a 

 g stocky vigorous 



2519 A prol f c Tomato 



I field that has been made 

 us years b it if manure is 

 it,hly worked into the soil. 

 1 s 1 of greater impoitai ce 

 have to depen 1 upon oo u- 

 t those comparatnelv ri h in 

 1 work m two thir Is of it i ist 

 and the balance some fo ii or 

 ei are the field by plowing as 

 It can be worked and repeated replowmg or 



There 



than w 



mercial t 



nitrogen 1 | t 1 



before sett i g the plan 



five weeks later We ] 



deep working until, at 

 a deep bed of Tucllniv, 1 

 ing the day aft. r \U,- i 

 vator as dec-|. .i- |i.i,-ii, 



but we aim tu iiuilio uuc 

 preceding one until it 

 surface soil. 



When quantity and qual 

 compared with earliiiess. t\ 

 by a method almost tin "i' 

 The seed is sown vii > 

 kept in check by cr.i.-, 

 plants have set the lir-i m 

 times nearly full grown In 

 freezing is past, and ilo- pi: 



much earlier than n iniin 



setting, furrows are <]|i.ii.-.l 

 the plants set in slanting to 

 is just above the surface, w 

 north side, and the roots are 

 So treated, the pi 



Ml- ::i. 'I.. , . ■ I, ihe field 

 '■' ' '■■' -■ ' ' ''"V- In 

 riHiiinij •■.,-. .ni,i »i-st and 

 iliL- »._.uih, .,„ ib.ii the fruit 

 th a bank of earth on the 

 10 more than normal depth, 

 ipen the fruit already set 

 very early, but the subsequent crop is of very little 



When quality is of first importance, staking and 

 pruning is essential, as in this way much better fruit 

 can be grown than can be produced on unpruned vinos 

 allowed to trail on the ground, particularly if the soil 

 be at all cold. When the plants are to be staked and 

 pruned they may be set as close as 30-40 inches apart. 

 We have obtained the best results from the use of a 

 single stake, some 2 iiK-lii's ^iqunrc nrul .t or G feet long, 

 to each plant. As soon :i^ flo- |ihint ^hows its first clus- 

 ter of flowers it divi.ii •<. :iiiii iln two branches are 

 allowed to grow, beiiiLC inil i^ iln -take as necessary; 

 all branches starting 1m low iIh^ division are cut or 

 pulled off, and any above are cut off just beyond the 

 first leaf or cluster of blossoms. Most of the fruit pro- 

 duced in the Gulf states for shipment north is grown in 

 this way. 



gathi-nng of tliu crop is one great element of its cost, 

 we have found it profitable to set 15 to 20 rows and 

 then omit one to form a driveway, at the same time 

 omitting every sixth or eighth plant in the row to form 

 a cross-walk. This facilitates the distribution of the 

 empty, and the collection of the full crates, and enables 

 one to gather the fruit with less injury to the vines; 

 consequently one secures nearly as much marketable 

 fruit, p.articularly if it-is gathered green for pickling, 

 ns if the entire space was covered. 



Although the Tomato has been in cultivation a much 

 shorter time than most of our garden vegetables, there 

 have Im'i'ii developeil a great nianv varii-tii-s. differing 



llialrri ,]]^ I,, InMl .-f ^;^.^ -1,. . T.nr :.;nl ,-. .i, ,,■ of fruit 

 ,'iiv-i".' . Ml ,:,, . , .I'l , ■. , . ,..:,. M,|s of dif- 



The extra-early sorts ari- "i i i . .m- repre- 



sented by Early Minnesota, wii ii , I ';r produc- 



ing in abundance large clustor- • ,;, i,:, ; iinl, smooth 

 fruits which ripen early but an. I ■ i:iaii Iji- market; 

 the other represented by the Atlantic Prize, in which 

 the vine is short-lived, "lacking in vigor, and produces 

 very early-ripening fruit, too rough to be salable after 

 the smoother sorts reach the market. 



Of varieties for a general crop there- are quite a num- 

 ber, varying greatly in type and quality, from the Opti- 

 mus of medium size, perfect form, fine flavor and bril- 

 liant vermilion-red color, through the larger Favorite 

 and Matchless, to the perfect-shaped, large-sized, late- 

 ripening Stone; or if one prefers the purple-red, from 

 the Acme through the Beauty to the later Buckeye 

 State. 



If one profers the dwarf-growing plants, we have the 

 pnrpl. fniii.d 1 iwaif I 'lianipion or the fine-flavored and 

 beam il III Till .^MiiiM f (■. ntury. For special purposes 



and I. i I t iihIi\ hlual la^ic. we have the immense and 



solid I'oudi-rosa and tin- Honor Bright, which can be 



