TOMATOES. 145 



be plowed, harrowed, and furrows made four feet apart 

 for light, and five feet for heavier soils, cross-furrowing 

 three feet apart. At the angles place a half-shovelful of 

 well-rotted manure, which mix with the soil, leaving the 

 mass hollow, to receive the plant. I have found bone- 

 phosphate an excellent fertilizer for tomatoes in loamy 

 soil, but prefer stable-manure for early crops. The plant- 

 ing maybe done from the middle of May until the middle 

 of June, taking up the plants witli balls of earth when it 

 can be done, and choosing a moist time for transplanting. 



Marketing. The fruit should be gathered before fully 

 ripe, to be solid, and is usually marketed in baskets, 

 holding less than a bushel, or four to a barrel. For ship- 

 ping long distances small latticed crates should be used. 



Secdt Tomatoes for seed should be allowed to get per- 

 fectly ripe, when they may be gathered, ground or mashed, 

 and placed in barrels to ferment. They may so remain 

 for any reasonable length of time without material injury, 

 but will be fit to wash out in forty-eight hours, and the 

 sooner thereafter the seed is washed the brighter it will be. 



Wash through ~Nos. 3 and 5 sieves in the manner of egg- 

 plant. The seed is of a spongy nature and retains much 

 moisture, arid to facilitate drying, when it is taken out 

 from the tub in No. 10 sieve, take the seed in handfuls, 

 and press firmly to remove the water, after which spread 

 on shutters to dry, and treat the same as all other washed 

 seeds. The very finest fruit should be chosen for stock 

 seed. The seed retains its vitality seven years. 



Varieties. The varieties are numerous, but compara- 

 tively few are distinct. 



General Grant. This may be considered as the earliest 

 variety, but so far as this is concerned there is very little 

 diiference between the various sorts, under the same 

 treatment. Fruit of medium size, flat and smooth, solid 

 flesh, ripens very even ; color deep red. 



