TOMATOES. 143 



selling at quite a low figure, and yet it is found profit- 

 able to do this work. In preparing the trellis, posts 

 are placed in the ground at proper distances and wire 

 attached to these, much as the vineyardists do in their 

 vineyards. The tomatoes are then tied to the wire, or 

 if the wires have been placed close enough together, 

 the plants are simply trained to them. Ofttimes a lath 

 is placed down where the tomato plant is standing to 

 guide it more or less in the proper direction. 



Either staking or trellising should be practiced in 

 the South, where a late summer or early fall crop is 

 wanted for home use. 



PICKING. 



This is the busiest season of the year for the tomato- 

 grower. If his crop is ready to go forward, it must be 

 put on the market without any delay. The loss of 

 twenty-four hours will often work a damage of $100 or 

 more on a single car-load ; consequently everything 

 should be in readiness and all the necessary hands 

 ready to go at the work in business fashion. During 

 the cool winter months the tomatoes must be allowed 

 to take on even a slight tinge of red before picking, 

 otherwise they will arrive in the market too green. 

 During the warm summer months these same tomatoes 

 would have arrived in the market over- ripe; there- 

 fore, we must allow the tomatoes to become riper on 

 the vines during cold weather than in the warm por- 

 tion of the year. In the warm spring months, it is suf- 

 ficient to allow the tomatoes to become full grown and 

 a slight change from green to a whitish color, but jn 

 this matter it will require considerable experience be- 

 fore one is able to pick just at the right time. 



The picking is usually done in ordinary market bas- 

 kets. Hands for this purpose must be selected with 

 some degree of caution, as only those who can discrimi- 



