ESSENTIALS FOR DEVELOPMENT 2Q 



the want of room for the roots as of light for the 

 leaves that makes the plants which have been crowded 

 in the seed-beds so weak and unprofitable. 



I once divided 100 young tomato plants, about 2 

 inches high, into four lots of 25 each, numbering them 

 i, 2, 3 and 4. The plants of lots No. i and 2 were 

 set equal distance apart in box A, and those of lots 

 No. 3 and 4 in the same way in box B ; both boxes 

 being about 16 inches wide, 40 inches long and 4 inches 

 deep. The two boxes were set together across the 

 side bench of a greenhouse with the outer edge against 

 a board wall some 2^ feet high, so that the plants at 

 the end of the box near the wall received much less 

 light than those at the other end. They remained 

 there about five weeks and then were taken out and 

 the plants set in the open ground. During the five 

 weeks box A, containing lots No. I and 2, was 

 changed, end for end, every day so that those two 

 lots of plants received nearly an equal amount of sun- 

 light, but box B was not changed so that lot No. 3, 

 at one end of the box, was constantly near the walk 

 and in the full light, while lot No. 4, at the other end 

 of the box, was constantly near the wall and in partial 

 shade. The effect on the growth of the plants was 

 very marked. The plants of lot No. 4 were nearly 

 twice as high, but with much softer stems and leaves 

 than those of lot No. 3. The plants received equal 

 care when set side by side in the open ground and 

 at the time the first fruit was gathered seemed of 

 equal size and vigor, but the total yield of fruit of 

 lots No. i, 2 and 3 was very nearly the same and in 

 each case at the rate of over 100 bushels an acre more 



