220 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



The first requisite to be considered is a suitable iiouse. The Tomato re- 

 quires an abundance of sunlight, and any attempt to produce a satisfactory 

 Winter crop without this will be but a partial success. Tomatoes may be grown 

 successfully in any house during the Winter, if situated so as to get full benefit 

 of the sun. It may be either a leanto, three-quarter span or span roof. Most 

 of the houses erected now, however, are of the even span type, and, taking every- 

 thing into consideration, this is the best for both Winter and Summer Tomatoes. 

 The house may run either east and west or north and south; if the former, the 

 plants are best set in rows crosswise north and south, thus allowing the sun to 

 penetrate between the rows. Raised benches give the best results during the 

 \\ mter months, for the soil will be warmer and the root action more lively; the 

 beds will dry out oftener, and hence more feeding can be done. With outdoor 

 crops the most prolific are generally obtained from medium, open soil, neither 

 heavy nor too sandy — what I may call a medium loam. This is excellent also 

 for the indoor beds, especially if secured from land where no vegetables have been 

 growing before. Tomato compost may be prepared about a month before it is 

 needed. To three or four loads of soil add one load of well-decayed manure, 

 with bonemeal in the proportion of about a bushel to three wagon loads 

 of soil. This should be sufficient to support the plants until they com- 

 mence to bear fruit, when food may again be applied, according to the 

 condition of the \ines. 



The plants should be started so as to obtain a good set of fruit before the 

 dark, short days of Winter come — say by the end of October. The seed nia> be 

 sown any time from the first to the middle of August in a pan or flat, according 

 to the number of plants required. When large enough, transplant into other 

 flats or into a prepared bed, or they may be potted into thumbpots and kept 

 growing in pots up to four or five inches before being set in their fruiting quar- 

 ters. This system may require a little more labor, but if the young plants are 

 well cared for and kept thrifty and stocky, they will more than repay for it 

 when set in the beds, and thrive much more satisfactorily. 



PLANTING AND TRAINING 



Soil four or five inches deep, on raised benches, is sufficient to produce a 

 heavy crop, with systematic feeding. Before planting, it is well to consider 

 the mode of training to be followed. For indoor culture the single stem system 

 is to be preferred, especially for Winter forcing. The plants may be set in rows 

 eighteen inches apart, leaving about two and one-half feet between the rows. 

 Have a wire running parallel with the rows, about five feet above the bench. 

 Then, as the plants need support, they can be stayed with six-foot wire rose 

 stakes secured to the wire above. This arrangement will give a steady sup- 

 port, with very little trouble. Pinch off the side shoots as the plants put them 

 forth, leaving but the one main shoot. If grown in this manner, they must be 

 kept stocky and short-jointed, and to facilitate this, the soil in the benches 

 should be thoroughly firmed down after planting. This is best done when 

 it is on the dry side, or just before the plants need water. 



