Tomatoes. 337 



providing the hottest part of the summer is utilized more for 

 ripening the fruit and less for growing the plant. 



Tomato plants in the open-air, when well grown and properly 

 managed, bear far heavier crops for the time they occupy the 

 ground than they do under glass. The growth is sturdier, 

 healthier, and shorter-jointed; the bunches of flowers are 

 closer together, and owing to the better natural conditions 

 almost every flower gets fertilized and produces a fruit ; the 

 individual fruits are larger and more solid and, providing they 

 are ripened on the plant, they are of better flavour, although 

 there is the slight drawback of the skin being somewhat tougher 

 through exposure. Whether they begin to bear early or late 

 they continue cropping in profusion until their abundance is 

 brought to a sudden end by the autumn frosts. 



But at the same time it must be remembered that the Tomato 

 is a sub-tropical plant, arid needs, for its healthy growth a 

 moderately high temperature, a dry atmosphere, abundance of 

 air, and full exposure to sunlight. The climate of Great 

 Britain, from its humidity, changeableness, and frequent lack 

 of sunshine is a very unreliable one for this crop ; under the 

 best circumstances very little more than four months is the 

 whole extent of the season when it can be grown in the open-air, 

 and this limited period is frequently shortened by cold cutting 

 winds at the beginning and rain or mists, which encourage 

 disease, at the end. 



Under such conditions Tomato growing in the open-air is 

 undoubtedly a speculative business. In a warm dry season it 

 yields good profits, even though the ripe fruit has to be put on 

 markets more or less glutted, when prices rule extremely low, 

 but if the summer is cold or the autumn should prove to be 

 wet the chances of profit are small indeed. And yet a little 

 consideration should make it clear that the element of uncer- 

 tainty may be considerably reduced, although not eliminated. 

 The grower's efforts are naturally concentrated upon securing 

 the utmost return for his expenditure of capital and labour, 

 but he makes a mistake by supposing that this object is best 

 attained by setting out the largest possible number of plants 

 his limited conveniences will allow him to raise and find 

 accommodation for. As a result of this proceeding the plants 



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