90 THt: pahm. 



three feet in the rows, working it well with the soil, and set the plant sotn*^ 

 deeper than it was in the bed. Before taking the plants up, wet the bed ' 

 thoroughly, and take up as much soil with the plant as you can. Set in cloudy 

 weather, if you can, if the weather is warm. The least check the plants re- 

 ceive the better. As soon as they start to grow, begin to cultivate them. 

 Cultivate the balk or space between the rows, deep and thoroughly, raking 

 ^fcie ground level. Cultivate every three days, if the weather will admit. 

 Remember, tillage la earliaess! Tillage is manure. 



As soon as the laterals or suckers appear keep them off. At the second or 

 third cultivation top-dress the ground with hen manure and work it in the 

 hoil. If you have but little hen manure, just put it around the hills. Keep 

 the vines nicely and well tied up to stakes. As soon as the fruit begins to 

 form, go through the vines and keep all imperfect, deformed fruit off and all 

 laterals. Sell by the number, three to five cents each. Sell to the consumer; 

 they are the ones to appreciate nice fruit, and will pay for it too. 



As soon as the fruit is grown let the suckers alone; they will give you 

 fruit later. Varieties — Perfection, Paragon; or Acme is very nice, but I pre- 

 fer the two first. 



Training Tomato Plants. — There is no doubt that a greater quantity 

 ol desirable fruit is obtained when the branches of each tomato plant are 

 elevated on bi-ush or frames, as the fruit is by this means exposed to sun and 

 air; oftentimes only one stake is employed; any arrangement that brings 

 about the required exposure and keeps the fruit from the ground will serve 

 a good purpose. 



The maturity of the first fruit that sets may be greatly accelerated by 

 pinching off the extremities of the tops and the surrounding shoots that 

 appear. A good rule is to stop side shoots at the first blossom. 



A novel method of training the t&mato plant appeared in a report of the 

 Maine Pomological Society. Stakes seven or eight feet long were inserted in 

 the ground the last of May, three feet apart, in a warm, sheltered location, 

 and strong tomato plants were procured, which had been started under a 

 glass and contained one or two blossom buds. These were planted near the 

 stakes. The plant was then tied to the stake with Usting, and all the side 

 branches which had pushed at the axillar or angles formed by the separation 

 of the leaves, were pinched or cut out with scissors, so as to compel the plant 

 to grow on a single stem; and every week during the season, these branches 

 were removed, and the stems, from time to time, were tied to the stake. 

 When a sufficient number of clusters had been formed, the remainder were 

 removed, so as to concentrate the whole energies of the plant to the growth 

 and ripening of the remaining tomatoes; and the heavier branches were 8ui>- 

 ported by tying them to the stakes. It was claimed for this method that the 

 ripening of the fruit was not only hastened, but its size increased. 



liate Tomatoes. —To raise late tomatoes a good plan is to stick into each 

 watermelon hill a tomato plant. They do not interfere with the former, 

 and come in after the garden crop gives out. Those coming in late are the 

 best for canning and putting up for winter use. 



Onion Growing. — A successful gardener writes: Let me say to those 

 who, by reason of repeated failures, have become discouraged, and aban- 

 doned the growing of onions, that if they will put the following directions in 

 practice they will be astonished at the result. One of the most important 

 aud first considerations is the soil, for it is of no n»ore use to try on uuauit- 



