FORCING DWARF TOMATOES UNDER QLASS 6 1 



with liquid manure. As the phmts grew older a larger quan- 

 tity of liquid manure was used than at first. 



Sowing the Seed arid Transplanting. — On ^September 27 

 seeds were sown in trays in the greenhouse, of the following 

 varietiesof dwarf tomatoes : Dwarf Champion, Dwarf Golden 

 Champion, and La Cross Seedling. When large enough to 

 handle they were transplanted and kept in pots until the 

 27th of December when other crops had made way and a 

 house adapted for their forcing was ready. At this time the 

 plants were three months from seed, about eight to ten 

 inches in height, stalky, and in fine shape. The first fruits 

 from this transplanting were picked from the Golden Dwarf 

 Champion on March 23, and from the other two varieties on 

 March 29. It should be said here, however, that this date 

 would have been much earlier but for a mistaken idea of the 

 attendant in picking off all of the first clusters of blossoms. 

 He reasoned that the plants needed the strength and should 

 not set fruit too soon after being transplanted. This unfortu- 

 nate occurrence may also have lessened our maximum yield. 



In "The Forcing Book," Bailey, it is indicated that the 

 time required from seed to fruit for the tall-growing sorts is 

 from four to five months, when the seed is sown in August. 

 When the seed is sown in November, on account of the dark 

 weather and shorter days, it requires a much longer time, six 

 months at least. 



It is evident that under similar conditions the time from seed 

 to maturity is practically the same for both dwarfs and standard 

 varieties. 



Training. — Tomatoes trained to one stem must have some 

 kind of a support and this once arranged they are tied up as 

 occasion requires thus keeping each plant in place. We have 

 tried both heavy cord and wooden strips as supports and pre- 

 fer the latter. The method of training on a cord is not satis- 

 factory as the string does not stand stalwart enough ; as the 

 plants grow and increase in weight the cord has a tendency to 

 give. The dwarfs are perhaps worse in this respect than the 

 tall-growing varieties until they are well established. 



The wooden strips that we prefer are made by stripping up 

 an ordinary incli board of the desiicd lengtli into about three- 



