STAKING 



247 



outlined, is the method employed by extensive commercial growers 

 in certain localities where tomato culture is an important industry. 

 It is the simplest and most satisfactory method yet devised that 

 is applicable to large area operations. 



The advantages of staking and tying tomatoes instead of allow- 

 ing them to sprcnid over the ground are that in a cool season the 

 fruits ripen more readily; in a wet season they are less subject to 

 rot; and in a dry season the plants can l)e kept thrifty and produc- 

 tive by continuous cultivation, long after untrained plants have 

 ceased to bear (Fig. 149). In any season fruits which Ue in contact 



^;^^A 



with the ground, as is the case with many fruits on untrained 

 plants, are more or less blemished by rough places on the skin. 

 However, the staking and tying involve considerable expense, 

 and many growers prefer the other method, even though the crop 

 is less certain in an unfavorable season. 



The pruning of tomatoes to single stems (Fig. 150) is claimed 

 to hasten maturity, but it greatly reduces the yield. 



When tomatoes are grown for canning purposes, earliness is 

 not essential; and since the crop is usually contracted at a low 

 price, cheap methods of culture must be practiced. The plants 



