THE TOMATO 243 



2. Varieties 



In selecting the varieties for the home garden the length 

 of season, quality, yield and appearance of the crop should 

 be considered. 



Early varieties. There are a great many varieties 

 from which to select. Among the favorites are : Earliana, 

 Chalk's Early Jewell^ Bonnie Best, Globe and Prince's 

 June Pink. 



Late varieties. The chief late varieties are: Stone, 

 Matchless, Beauty, Ponderosa, Dwarf Stone, Acme and 

 Trophy. 



3. Raising the Crop 



Where the seasons are short it is necessary to start the 

 plants in a hotbed and transplant them when all danger of 

 frost in past. In the northern states it is well to use the 

 cold-frame for hardening off the plants before setting in 

 the garden. This process strengthens the plants and ena- 

 bles the crop to mature before freezing in the fall. 



Transplanting. Have the seed bed well prepared by 

 deep spading or plowing, thoroughly manured with a well- 

 rotted barnyard manure, and well pulverized. The plat 

 should be marked off in rows three or four feet apart, accord- 

 ing to the variety of tomatoes grown. The large hardy vari- 

 eties will require a distance of four feet each way, while 

 the dwarf varieties will do well three feet apart. In trans- 

 planting, have the holes opened up, remove the plants from 

 cold-frames or hotbed without injuring the roots. Allow 

 enough soil to accompany the roots so that the plant may 

 go on growing without pause. 



Pruning. Much of the success of the tomato crop 

 depends on proper pruning and staking. Tomatoes are 

 especially liable to fungous and bacterial diseases, and there- 

 fore need to be kept from the ground and given an abun- 



