CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 465 



good management, suitable land, labor at a reasonable 

 cost and fairly close proximity to the factory, a fair profit 

 should be realized at $9 to $10 a ton. 



When grown for market the profit should not be less 

 than $100 an acre, and it is often much greater. Market 

 conditions and the skill of the operator are the chief 

 factors counting for success. Early tomatoes often sell 

 at $2 or more a 6-basket carrier, while late in the season 

 the price may become so low that it scarcely pays to 

 harvest the crop. As a rule, the early crop is the more remun- 

 erative, while late tomatoes frequently pay good profits. 



659. Insects. Cutworms are often destructive to the 

 young plants. Surplus stock should be grown and held 

 to fill vacancies that may occur from the depredations of 

 these pests. Poisoned baits of bran, clover, weeds and 

 other vegetable matter are usually effective when placed 

 about the plants. Flea-beetles are also serious enemies 

 sometimes. 



660. Diseases. The tomato is subject to various dis- 

 eases, which often become serious. Rotation is the best 

 means of prevention. Spraying with bordeaux mixture 

 in the seed bed, and also aftei transplanting in the frames 

 or the greenhouse, and in the garden or field, is fre- 

 quently necessary to control the various fungous diseases. 



TURNIP (Brassica rapa) 



66 1. History and importance. This cruciferous vege- 

 table originated in Europe or Asia. When planted 

 early in the spring it is an annual, but when grown in 

 the fall the roots must be stored during the winter and 

 replanted the following spring for the production of seed. 

 It is one of the most important of the root crops, grown 

 extensively as a fall crop and to some extent for early 

 summer use. 



662. Soil. Like other root crops, the finest specimens 

 are grown in sandy soils, although the crop is produced 



