LESSONS ON TOMATOES FOR RURAL SCHOOLS. 11 



LESSON SEVEN. 



TOPIC: SOIL— KIND, PREPARATION, FERTILIZATION. 



month: JANUARY OR FEBRUARY. 



Lesson outline. — Soil: Select level, well-drained, rich, sandy, or 

 sandy loam soil. Avoid land that has produced diseased tomatoes, 

 cotton, or other crops affected with root knot. 



Plow the land to a good depth and pulverize thoroughly by disking, 

 harrowmg, dragging, or rolling. 



Broadcast barnyard manure before plowing at the rate of 20 tons 

 or more an acre. If well-rotted manure is used it may be applied 

 after plowing, but it should be thoroughly harrowed into the soil. 

 In addition to the barnyard manure apply per acre the following 

 just before setting the tomatoes: 100 to 150 pounds sodium nitrate, 

 500 to 1,000 pounds of 16 per cent acid phosphate, and 150 to 300 

 pounds of muriate of potash per acre. Where manure is not used 

 apply 400 to 800 pounds of cottonseed meal per acre in addition to 

 other fertilizers. Broadcast large amounts of fertilizers; drill small 

 amounts. A good formula for tomatoes is 8:2:6 (8 per cent phos- 

 phoric acid, 2 per cent ammonia, and 6 per cent potash). 



Study questions : What are the principal types of soil found in 

 the community ? Which type is used in growing tomatoes and other 

 truck crops ? What is the practice as to the preparation of soil for 

 tomatoes ? Other vegetable crops ? What fertilizers are used for 

 tomatoes ? What value has barnyard manure other than furnishing 

 plant food ? Why should barnyard manure be plowed into the soil 

 some months before planting time? What are the three essential 

 elements in fertilizers ? Name the source of each in the materials 

 suggested in the lesson outline. 



References.— F&rmers' Buls. 220, pp. 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 28, 29, 30; 

 642, pp. 5, 6; 255 and 647. 



Practical exercises. — The members of the class that have decided 

 upon growing tomatoes as club work or home work should select the 

 plat, broadcast manure, and plow the land to a good depth. Harrow 

 the land thoroughly. Secure commercial fertilizers. Have every- 

 thing ready when the time comes to set the plants. 



Correlations. — Copy in the class notebook all answers to "study 

 questions." Draw to scale the plat to be used for growing tomatoes. 



Arithmetic: Find the cost of barnyard manure used on the plat. 



If sodium nitrate contains 16 per cent nitrogen, acid phosphate 16 

 per cent phosphoric acid, and muriate of potash 50 per cent potash, 

 how many pounds of each in 150 pounds of sodium nitrate, 1,000 

 pounds of acid phosphate, and 300 pounds muriate of potash ? Find 

 the cost of the materials if a pound of nitrogen is worth 17 cents a 

 pound, a pound of phosphoric acid 5 cents, and a pound of potash 

 5 cents. 



