1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



181 



carrying of the whip, than most farmers think. 

 Oxen, however quick in their movements, or up- 

 right their walk in the yoke, soon become dull, 

 and get the practice of "shoving" or "hauling" 

 in consequence of the driver lagging along, or, 

 as is often the practice, going ahead of his team, 

 and from time to time stepping back and whip- 

 ping them. A driver of an ox-team should walk 

 directly opposite the yoke, walk straight, and 

 carry his whip as upright as a soldier would his 

 gun. Use a whip-stock with a short lash, and 

 touch the cattle only with the lash, and never 

 strike them on the nose or over the eyes. — Ohio 

 Fanner. 



THE TOMATO— ITS USES AND CULTI- 

 VATION. 



The following letter on this subject will be 

 read with interest by all who have contemplated 

 the influence which the universal cultivation of 

 the Tomato is destined to have upon public 

 health and economy. Probably few persons have 

 bestowed more attention on the tomato, than the 

 writer of the subjoined letter. — Working Farmer. 



Dear Sir : — Since you and many other culti- 

 vators of the tomato, have expressed your sur- 

 prise and satisfaction on examining some of my 

 seedling tomatoes, and a desire to know their 

 origin and proper treatment, I will with pleasure, 

 comply with your request. 



Until within a few years, very little was known 

 in this country about the tomato. It was grown 

 as an embellishment in some corner of a flower- 

 garden, and called the Love Apple. Now, it is 

 an article of daily food ; and in a few years it will 

 be in common use in almost every part of the 

 globe. Its culture and use will everywhere ex- 

 tend, just in proportion as reliable and exact in- 

 formation on the subject is spread. It does not 

 take long now to scatter facts. The human race 

 is coming near together, and all facts concerning 

 our common welfare should be freely disseminat- 

 ed. I have grown the tomato, and watched its 

 culture in many of the climates and countries of 

 Europe and America, and I will furnish my little 

 quota of observation and practical experience, 

 hoping thereby to draw out valuable information 

 from others. Everybody knows something of 

 the value of the tomato as a fruit, and how we 

 should miss it if it were raised no more. But 

 very few persons know how easily and abundant- 

 ly it can be grown in perfection, how cheaply it 

 can be preserved for future use in many forms, 

 and its invaluable medical properties as condu- 

 cive to health and vitality. I will speak only on 

 two or three of these points. 



1st. The best Kinds and Varieties. — Six years 

 ago I began a more thorough system of experi- 

 ments than I had ever practiced or seen. I pre- 

 pared my beds for growing tomatoes, and the 

 analysis of the soil corresponded very closely 

 with the chemical components of the fruit. I 

 then germinated ten or twelve of the finest vari- 

 eties I had, or could get, and obtained large, vig- 

 orous plants of the same kind from our New 

 York gardens. One of each was planted by itself, 

 where it could not hybridize. In another bed / 

 planted all the varieties together to make them 

 hybridize, and multiphj new kinds. 



I succeeded in getting one variety, which I 



found superior to any I had ever seen, in the fol- 

 lowing qualities — delicacy of flavor, thinness and 

 smoothness of skin, fewness of seeds, solidity of 

 meat, earliness of ripening, richness of color, 

 evenness of size and ease ofcidture. 



2d. My mode of culture. — Germinate in a hot- 

 house, hot-bed or kitchen ; for very early fruit, 

 transplant when quite small into pots. The to- 

 mato improves by every transplanting, and each 

 time should be set deeper. From the time four 

 or six leaves appear, pinch or cut off the larger 

 lower leaves and the terminal buds, and continue 

 this process of pruning, till the fruit is far ad- 

 vanced ; so that when ripe, the bed will seem to 

 be covered by one mass of large, smooth, even- 

 sized tomatoes, of the richest pomegranate color 

 — and the leaves hidden by the fruit. 



Set the plants three or four feet apart, in the 

 warmest spot you have, and let them fall over to 

 the northern frames twelve or fifteen inches high ; 

 or on pea brush or anything to sustain them ; 

 keep the fruit from touching the ground, which 

 delays ripening, creates mould, invites cut-worms, 

 and always gives the tomato an earthy taste. 

 Try for only one cluster, (the first that blossoms,) 

 and cut everything else gradually away. This 

 will give you tomatoes in perfection in the lati- 

 tude of Buff'alo, four or six weeks earlier than 

 they are usually ripened in our climate. If you 

 wish late tomatoes, pull up each plant by the 

 root (just before the frost comes) and hang them 

 up on the south side of a building, top down, 

 with a blanket to roll up days and let fall nights. 

 When ice makes, hang them up in any room that 

 does not freeze, or in a dry cellar, and you will 

 have fresh tomatoes all winter — somewhat shriv- 

 elled, but of fine flavor. 



C. Edwards Lester. 



KCWIB'S PATENT DRAIN TILE. 



Most enlightened cultivators are of the opinion 

 that great advantages are to be derived from the 

 drainage of our lands ; not merely the swamps, 

 meadows, and low grounds, — but large portions 

 of the uplands, such as have been used for tillage 

 and grass lands for many years. Wherever this 

 latter class of land is underlaid with clay, it needs 

 draining, even though a spring cannot be found 

 upon it, — for the surface water passes down to 

 the stratum of clay, is there intercepted, and goes 

 off so slowly as to become almost like stagnant 

 water, — is cold, prevents the proper atmospheric 

 action upon the soil, and is exceedingly repulsive 

 to the roots of plants. They will not penetrate 

 into it. If this water is taken away, the proper 

 circulation takes place, the subsoil cracks, be- 

 comes light, is enriched by the ammonia in rain 

 water, and the heat which is left by it as it passes 

 down, and makes a new farm underneath, which 

 undrained land does not possess. The surface 

 soil is also greatly benefited by being made more 

 porous and mellow, is enriched by receiving val- 

 uable fertilizers from the air and dews, and be- 

 comes capable of withstanding drought longer 

 than undrained lands. 



