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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, 1908 



Growing E-arly Tomatoes 



Frank F. Reeves, Humber Bay, Ontario 



TO produce early tomatoes for mar- 

 ket, the seed should be sown about 

 the last week in February or the 

 first week in March. The varieties will 

 depend largely on what your market de- 

 mands. We use for early: Earliana, 

 Mclnnes Plentiful, Dwarf Stone and 

 Chalk's Jewel, to be followed by Perfec- 

 tion and Imperial. 



The seed should be sown thickly in 

 flats. As soon as the plants are about 

 an inch high, they should be pricked out 

 in flats, giving each plant about an inch 

 of space. This transplanting should 

 be done three or four times, each time 

 giving the plants more room. The 

 oftener they are moved the stouter will 

 the plants be and more abundant the 

 small roots ; this enables us to move the 

 plants without checking them. For the 

 last move, I like to use strawberry boxes, 

 as when planting out, these can be 

 broken easily. 



One great thing to avoid with toma- 

 toes when in the greenhouse is too much 

 water. If the plants are watered fre- 

 quently they grow too rapidly and are 

 soft. The best way is to let them get 

 thoroughly dry and then give them a 

 good soaking. 



Care should be taken to have the 

 plants thoroughly hardened before plant- 

 ing out. The best way to do this is with 



canvas lights, removing the canvas every 

 day, only covering when there is danger 

 of frost. 



To get the first early tomatoes, all 

 the side shoots should be pinched out as 

 they appear. These can then be planted 

 out close together, two by two feet, and 

 staked. The best ground for early to- 

 matoes is a sandy loam, with a gravel 

 subsoil. 



The majority of growers who ^o in for 

 mixed gardening make a mistake in hav- 

 ing the land too heavily manured for 

 tomatoes; the consequence is that they 

 have all vine and no fruit. 



To allow room for picking, they should 

 be planted at least four feet apart each 

 way. This will allow of their being 

 scuffled close both ways, and will save 

 hand labor. 



In the vicinity of Toronto, planting is 

 usually done during the last week in 

 May or the first week in June, or as 

 soon as danger from frost is over. The 

 ground should be scuffled every two 

 weeks to keep down weeds and to keep 

 the plants growing. 



The worst pest that attacks the to- 

 mato is the leaf blight. This can be con- 

 trolled largely by using Bordeaux mix- 

 ture, starting with the plants when in 

 the seed-bed and giving two or three 

 applications after planting out. 



Late Cauliflo"wer 



John N. Watts, Portsmouth, Ontario 



THE success of cauliflower growing 

 depends largely on four things, 

 namely, the season, the condition 

 of the soil, the condition of the plants, 

 and on procuring a first-class strain of 

 seed. In Ontario, where summer 

 droughts are frequently a feature of 

 the climate, the time of the year during 

 which cauliflower may head successfully 

 is limited to an indefinite period. Often 

 there are only a few weeks between the 

 beginning of the fall rains and the 

 setting in of winter. It becomes, there- 

 fore, a matter of first importance to set 

 the plants at such a time that the 

 heads shall mature during this favor- 

 able season. 



It is easy to grow cauliflowers, but to 

 get them to head at a time when the 

 heads will be of the best quality, requires 

 an amount of judgment and experience 

 which, particularly in the western part 

 of the province, have thus far prevented 

 the general and successful cultivation 

 •f this vegetable. In fact, the growing 

 •f cauliflower in this country has at- 

 tained but temporary and local success, 

 •wing to the generally unfavorable soil 

 and climate or seasons. Within the 

 limits of almost every province, or even 



neighborhood, these conditions vary so 

 much as to render it necessary for a 

 grower of cauliflower to make a careful 

 study of local conditions. 



Cauliflowers will not grow in soil 

 unless it is properly underd rained, unless 

 the soil is naturally loose and free from 

 all waxy nature. The land must be 

 well manured with well-rotted manure, 

 thoroughly mixed with the soil before 

 the plants are set out. Fall plowing is 

 best followed by good, deep cultivation 

 in spring. 



ADVANTAGES OF A LATE CROP 



Growers should plan to have the 

 cauliflower crop head late in the season. 

 The advantages of this should impress 

 growers who want profit. They are as 

 follows : 



1 . The heads do not mature so rapidly 

 as in warm weather, but come along a 

 few at a time, giving better opportunity 

 to get them to market. 



2. They can be kept longer after being 

 cut, and thus may be shipped to a dis- 

 tant market without wilting or heating. 



3. The heads are of better quality, 

 firmer in texture, milder in flavor, and, 

 owing to the cool and often cloudy 

 weather which prevails at that season 



of the year, retain their clear white color, 

 with little or no artificial blanching. 



4. Late cauliflower is less subject to 

 insect enemies. Cabbage worms and 

 plant lice are much less troublesome 

 late in the season than early, while cut- 

 worms do not attack plants that are 

 set after the first of July. 



Tomato Culture* 



R. H. Lewis, Hamilton, Ont. 



For early tomatoes start the seed in 

 March. The date will depend upoa 

 the locality. In the Hamilton district, j 

 it is from March 1 to 15. Sow in drills, 

 four inches apart, in hotbeds. Earliana 

 is the best variety. The yoimg plants 

 should be transplanted twice, the first 

 time to four inches apart, and the second 

 to six inches. Keep the plants growing 

 without a check. Spray with Bordeaux 

 mixture to prevent injury from fungi. 



Plant early varieties outdoors about '] 

 May 15 to 20. Before removing from 

 the hotbeds, soak the soil well with 

 water, then remove in boxes and plant 

 with a spade. Place the plants about 

 four to five feet apart. The land should 

 be fairly rich for the early varieties. 

 For best results, it should be prepared 

 and manured during the fall previotxs. 

 When planting, it is necessary to use 

 a marker. This may be done by hand 

 or with a horse, depending upon the 

 area to be planted. 



The seed for late tomatoes should be 

 sown about two weeks later than 

 recommended for the early ones. These 

 should be transplanted once to four 

 inches apart. The land for late toma- 

 toes should not be too rich or vine will 

 be produced at the expense of fruit. 

 The leading varieties are Stone and 

 Success. The former is the better for 

 long distance shipping but is not s« 

 productive. 



Sixty Tomatoes From a Plant 



Editor, The Canadian Hortictji.- 

 TURIST: I had, last summer, an extra- 

 ordinary crop of tomatoes. I was given 

 one tomato plant by a friend, the seed 

 of which came from California. I 

 planted it in my garden along with 

 other tomato plants. The products of 

 the one plant were about as follows: 

 The largest tomato weighed one pound, 

 thirteen ounces, and the sixteen largest 

 tomatoes weighed seventeen pounds. Six- | 

 teen others would average half a pound 

 each. The balance were ordinary siae. 

 There were scarcely any that would be 

 called small. The one plant produced 

 about sixty fruits all told. 



I saved the seed from the earliest and 

 best of the fruit, and shall try again this 

 year. I would like to hear from any 

 one who can beat this from one single 

 plant. — J. N. CoHcr, Hespler, Ont. 



• A portion of an address delivered at a recent mceV 

 ing of the Toronto branch of the Ontario VcffetaMe 

 Growers' Association. 



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