224 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



shallow boxes placed in windows. A pinch of seed sown in 

 March will give all the early plants a large family can use. 

 When the plants have reached the height of two or three 

 inches they should be transplanted into 3 -inch flower pots, 

 old berry boxes or other receptacles, and allowed to 

 grow slow and stocky until time to set them out, which is 

 from May 15 on ( in New York) . They should be set in rows 

 four or five feet apart, the plants being the same distance in 

 the rows. Some support should be given to keep the fruits 

 off the ground and to hasten the ripening. A trellis of 

 chicken -wire makes an excellent support, as does the light 

 lath fencing that may be bought or made at home. Stout 

 stakes, with wire strung the length of the 

 rows, afford an excellent support. A very 

 showy method is that of a frame made like 

 an inverted V, which allows the fruits to 

 hang free; with a little attention to trim- 

 ming, the light reaches the fruits and ripens 

 them perfectly. This support is made by 

 Tomato ""^ leaning together two lath frames. The late 

 fruits may be picked green and ripened on 

 a shelf in the sun; or they will ripen if placed in a drawer. 

 One ounce of seed will be enough for from twelve to 

 fifteen hundred plants. A little fertilizer in the hill will 

 start the plants off quickly. The rot is less serious when 

 the vines are kept off the ground and the rampant suckers 

 are cut out. 



Tools of many kinds, and well chosen, are 

 one of the joys of a garden. There is great satisfaction in 

 a well-made, clean tool which does its work well. Keep 

 the tools bright. They should be under cover, and in place, 

 when not in use. A cupboard may be built by the rear 

 porch, or in the barn or carriage house. See that the cup- 

 board is in a dry place. Various Tools have been men- 

 tioned in the preceding pages, and other useful kinds are 

 shown in the article on Weeds. 



