434 GARDEN FARMING 



in the season as possible. This is accomplished by sowing the 

 seeds in hotbeds 1 or greenhouses several weeks in advance of the 

 time when they could be safely planted in the open. In the latitude 

 of New York City, seed is sown about March 15. Farther south, 

 it is customary to plant somewhat earlier, from February 10 to 

 February 15, and as the more southern latitudes are approached, 

 the dates of planting are even earlier. In Florida and southern 

 Texas plantings are made in November, so that the fruits come 

 into the market several weeks in advance of the earliest Northern- 

 grown fruits. It is evident that the tomato has no fixed period of 

 growth. In fact, in climates where its growth is not interrupted 

 by frosts it has practically become a perennial plant, but in tem- 

 perate regions where the seasons are distinct it has been forced to 

 acquire an annual habit and is treated as an annual plant. 



With the breaking down of the prejudice against it, and since 

 the advent of improved canning processes, the tomato has come 

 to be a very important commercial field and garden crop. It is a 

 fruit that is relished at all periods of the year in a fresh state, and 

 is equally welcome on the table, when properly cooked, whether 

 it has just been taken from the vines or has been preserved in cans. 

 As a result of this extensive use, the tomato is now cultivated both 

 as a field and as a forced crop. 



THE TOMATO AS A FIELD CROP AT THE NORTH 



Planting. East of the Mississippi River and north of the lati- 

 tude of Washington, D.C., the tomato is handled as an annual, 

 the seeds being sown in hotbeds about the middle of March (see 

 figure 1 66). As soon as the young plants have developed their first 

 true leaves they are transplanted so as to stand about 2 inches apart 

 each way and are allowed to develop in these quarters until they 

 have attained the height of from 4 to 6 inches and the leaves 

 have begun to crowd considerably. They are then transplanted to 

 pots 3 or 4 inches in diameter, similar to those used by florists, 

 or if these are not available, to strawberry boxes or tin rims. The 

 latter are made by melting the tops and bottoms from ordinary tin 



1 The construction of hotbeds for bringing on tomatoes is described on 

 pages 57-60. 



