436 GARDEN FARMING 



allowed to develop. If the plants are to be trained in this way, 

 they can be set from 18 inches to 2 feet apart in the row, and 

 from 3^- to 4 feet between the rows. 



Another style of training frequently used is to place a flaring 

 frame about 18 inches square at the base and 24 inches square at 

 the top over the plants before they begin to spread. As the fruits 

 become heavy they fall against the sides of the rack and are thus 

 prevented from coming in contact with the earth. For a kitchen 

 garden where but few plants are to be grown this is a very satis- 

 factory plan. The plants can be set somewhat closer than is the 

 case where no supports are provided. F'or commercial planta- 

 tions, however, the cost of the frame is prohibitive, and the com- 

 mon practice is to set the plants about 4 feet apart each way in 

 checks so as to allow them to be cultivated in both directions. 

 Under intensive cultivation the first method will be found very 

 satisfactory. 



Where tomatoes are grown on a large scale and where the prod- 

 uct brings only a small price per bushel, this expensive method of 

 handling cannot be indulged in. The common practice of growing 

 tomatoes for the general market and for canning purposes is to 

 sow the seed very thinly in a hotbed about March 15, allowing the 

 plants to grow slowly until they can be transplanted to the field 

 between May 15 and June i. In spite of the most careful atten- 

 tion, plants when grown under these conditions will have long, thin 

 stems and a small tuft of leaves at the top. Plants over a foot high, 

 which have been grown under these conditions, should be treated 

 as follows : Instead of attempting to set the plants deep and main- 

 tain them in an upright position, remove all except three or four 

 of the topmost leaves about the growing point. Dig a trench 3 or 

 4 inches deep along the row, with a slight slope from a deep point 

 at one end to the surface of the ground at the other. Place the 

 bare stems of the tomatoes and the roots in this trench, with the 

 roots in the deepest part ; fill the trench throughout its length with 

 fresh soil, and pack it firmly. Under these conditions the plant 

 will take root throughout the length of the buried stem, and in a 

 short time this added root system will force the plant into vigorous 

 growth. When plants of this kind are to be grown on an extensive 

 scale they are never trained. They are allowed to grow at will, and 



