456 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



648. Seed. Some of the canning and catsup factories 

 save and place on the market large quantities of seeds 

 which are separated by machines at a small cost and sold 

 to seedsmen at relatively low prices. Seed of this char- 

 acter should never be planted or placed on the market, 

 because there has been absolutely no selection in its 

 production. Breeding plats are maintained by many 

 seedsmen, or contracts are made with reliable and expert 

 growers, in order to secure the best seed for the trade. 

 Excellent seeds of many varieties are obtainable from 

 well-known dealers, although there is an increasing tend- 

 ency among skillful growers to save their own seed. 



649. Starting early plants. 

 The proper time to sow de- 

 pends upon: (i) The facilities 

 available for growing the 

 plants; (2) climatic condi- 

 tions; (3) purpose of the crop; 

 (4) land available; and (5) 

 market conditions. In most in- 

 stances the tomatoes that ripen 

 first command the highest 

 prices, so that the majority of 

 growers desire to place their 

 product upon the market at 

 the earliest possible date, al- 

 though they may be unwilling 

 to provide the equipment or to 

 make the expenditure of time 



and money necessary to grow really early tomatoes. It 

 is expensive to grow such plants as shown in Figure 106. 

 The cost and the value of the space which they occupy in 

 frames or greenhouses should always be taken into ac- 

 count in determining profits. An increasing number of 

 gardeners, however, find it profitable to grow extremely 

 early tomatoes. The following plans (there are 



FIG. IO6. POT-GROWN 

 TOMATO PLANT 



