JUST HOW 125 



plants are over two feet high ; others advise retaining ^three 

 branches, one main stem and two side branches. Keep 

 the plants growing steadily by regular watering and trans- 

 planting. Pick off all fruits as soon as they ripen, whether 

 needed or not. Of course the easiest way is to let the plants 

 sprawl upon the ground, but it has been proved that such 

 plants produce less weight in fruit, and that a great deal 

 more is lost through rot. 



Tomato rot and the giant green caterpillar are this plant's 

 most formidable enemies. The easiest way to dispose of the 

 caterpillars is to knock them into a jar of kerosene ; and to 

 get rid of rot, burn all the tomatoes affected with it, so that 

 it cannot spread. 



If the fruit does not ripen by the middle of September, 

 the plants may be taken up bodily and hung head downwards 

 in a cool shed, where the fruit will finish maturing ; or the 

 unripe fruit may be picked and put in drawers or on shelves 

 to ripen. Some recommend hastening the ripening process, 

 foreign fashion, by tying a paper bag over each fruit as soon 

 as it is fully formed. But the tomato is one of the few vege- 

 tables whose flavor is not improved by becoming thoroughly 

 ripe on the plant. 



Tomatoes really have slight food value, and yet they are 

 a welcome, even a luxurious, addition to our tables. Some 

 think they taste best raw. In any case they should be peeled ; 

 this is done by plunging them into boiling water and then 

 quickly removing them ; after this the skin will slip off 

 easily. They should be well chilled before slicing and serv- 

 ing. For cooking there are all sorts of recipes. They may 

 also be preserved, canned, and pickled ; they can be kept 

 far into the winter according to the method called the Cana- 

 dian, 1 which reads as follows : Select fine, perfect fruit, 



1 Edith Loring Fullerton. 



