S3 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



^ The after culture is very easy and simple. About 

 one ploufrhiug and hoeing is all that will generally 

 ho ncetlt'd. Some recommend cutting the tops ott" 

 to cause them to riiwn early. I do not ; I have 

 tried it over and over and never saw any advantage; 

 but let each person try it to satisfy himself. If all 

 Las thus far been well managed, byjune 1st the plants 

 will liavc on from one to nine tomatoes on each 

 hill, from the size of a large pin-head to ahazlenut. 

 By this course of management I have succeeded in 

 picking tliree l)asket-s for market on the 4th day of 

 July ; and as it has often been my aim in what I 

 undertook to go ahead of all competitors, so in this 

 I succeeded in beating any thing north of Virginia 

 two weeks. One season I took my first ones in New 

 York market on the same day that the first lot of 

 any size arrived from Norfcjlk, Va. From one hun- 

 dred and fifty to two hundred and fifty dollars per 

 acre is a good yield. Your pots and sash will last 

 with care many years, but neglect and carelessness 

 must not once be thought of. Any person wishing 

 to raise market tomatoes with less expense, may 

 easil}' do so, but must be satisfied with less profit. 

 Remember " any thing worth doing at all is worth 

 doing well " J. o. tatlok. 



Solnidel, 2^. J., Jiifi^y, 1S5S. 



CULTIVATION OF CABBAGE. 



CDXTIVATION OF TOMATOES. 



Start in a hot-bed in March or April. When 

 the plants are three to four inches high, transplant 

 into other frames, (under glass or cotton,) from 

 tliree inches to a foot apart. Be governed as to 

 distance by the length of time they are to remain 

 in the frame, and the size of plant you wisli to 

 grow ; but avoid crowding. Give air freely, when- 

 ever the weather will admit, to harden the plants 

 previous to their removal to the open ground. — 

 About the first of June, in this locality, transplant 

 in rows five feet apart each way. 



My method is as follows: Cut with a long- 

 bladed knife the dirt between the rows of plants 

 each way, to the depth of six or eight inches. Th€7i, 

 with a troicel or sluirp spade., carefully take xip each 

 plant with as large a ball of earth as 2^ossible. Do 

 not trust their remo^'al to careless hands. With a 

 Loe, dig Iioles three inches deep ; set in the plants 

 witli earth attached, and finish by hilling up, 

 making large hills. If the work has been well done, 

 the plants will scarcely wilt under a hot sun. By 

 this method, the roots are brought near the surface, 

 to receive the influence of the sun. The fruit is 

 also well exposed to the sun, and my little mounds 

 of tomatoes are not "forever and the day after" in 

 ripening. No watering is necessary, except a little 

 in the holes before transplanting, and then only in 

 a dry time. 



Tomato plants may be grown very well in crocks 

 or boxes in the kitchen window; and inverted sods, 

 nicely cut into squares, and then jdaced in a shallow 

 box, make an excellent sxihstitute for crocls, especially 

 in these hard times. The plants thus grown should 

 be set out of doors a few days to harden, previous 

 to transplanting, taking care to cover cold nights. 



Triming ofi" a portion of the side branches close 

 to main st^m, will produce larger and finer fruit. 



Tomatoes give the greatest yield on a rich soil, 

 but do not ripeu fruit so soon as when grown on a 

 poorer one. w c p 



S'-ie Co., 2r. v., Feb% 1658. 



The Cabbage is a plant that requires rich and 

 well cultivated ground. There is no vegetable 

 which is more influenced by careful and thorough 

 cultivation and plentiful manuring, than the Cab- 

 bage. In fact, the success of the crop depends 

 almost entirely upon the treatment it receives. It 

 is a frequent complaint, among farmers, that their 

 Cabbages will not head, but grow with long stalks 

 and small heads, or none at all. The failure is 

 generally thought to be produced by the season 

 being too wet or too dry, or else the seed was poor; 

 but in almost every instance, want of care in prepar- 

 ing the ground, and in after culture, was the main 

 cause of the failure. 



The two following methods have generally pro- 

 duced good crops, either are good : 



Early in spring, sow your seed in a warm border, 

 after thoroughly mixing some well-rotted manure 

 with the soil, and making it smooth and fine. _ If 

 insect depredators attack them, sift ashes or lima 

 over the young plants ; for, besides keeping away 

 the insects, the ashes wiU make the plants grow 

 nicely. 



Having got the ground ready where the plants 

 a!-e to stand, it must be well manured and niellow ; 

 dig as many holes as you wish to set plants ; in each 

 hole place a shovel full of manure, and cover it 

 with soil, thereby filling the hole even with the 

 surface of the ground ; then remove the plants from 

 their bed, be careful to remove as much earth aa 

 convenient with the roots. It is best to remove 

 them on a cloudy day, or just at night. Pressing 

 the soil firnily around the roots, after they are 

 transplanted, and water for a few days if the 

 weather is warm and dry. The plants should be 

 set in rows, three feet apart, and two feet apart in 

 the rows. After the plants are firmly rooted, and 

 commence growing finely, the soil should be kept 

 clean of weeds, and frequently stirred around the 

 plants. Some farmers even make it a practice to 

 hoe their cabbages every other day during the com- 

 mencement of their growth ; and when time will 

 permit, it is none too often. 



The other method is to carefully prepare thd 

 ground as early in spring as possible ; dig holes as 

 before, in rows three feet apart, and two feet apart 

 in the row; fill the hole with manure; cover with 

 soil, and plant on the surface, three seeds in a hill, 

 and cover an inch in depth. Let them grow until 

 the [jlants are three inches in height, then remove 

 the smallest to some other place, or they may be 

 wanted to fill vacancies. The cultivation should be 

 the same as in the other method. By sowing the 

 seed where the "plants are to stand, it saves trans- 

 planting, which of a necessity checks the growth 

 of the young plants. 



Liquid manure is excellent for cabbages, and 

 aslics tend to make them grow thriftily ; and when 

 the plants are small, it is an object to force them 

 forward as fast as possible beyond the reach of 

 insects, that sometimes destroy the best efforts of the 

 farmer, and the crop proves a failure; but with 

 liberal manuring, good cultivation, and proper soil, 

 and a watchful eye on the young plants, a good 

 crop is almost certain. For the farmer who culti- 

 vates only for the use of his family, the above 



