58 MAI>'E STATE COLLKGE 



never become very dry. Our practice, after the plants are removed 

 to the fruiting boxes, is to water thoroughly about three time a 

 week — less frequently in dark weather. On all bright days the 

 walks and tables are thoroughly sprayed. 



.Some method of artificial pollination is usually found necessary. 

 The best time to pollinate (fertilize) is about noon on bright days 

 when the air in the house is dry. Tomato flowers are highly self -fertile, 

 and the operation of pollinating consists simply in giving each 

 plant two or three sharp taps with a padded stick. Some consider 

 it necessary to attend to each individual flower, but we have always 

 found the other method satisfactory. 



A Corivpo/rison of Box Cv.l-y.re icith Open Beds. — The writer has 

 frequently expressed a preference for eighteen inch boxes in forc- 

 ing tomatoes, on the ground that a reasonable confinement of the 

 roots would tend to induce fruitfulness. Some extensive growers, 

 however, maintain that the open bed or border is preferable ; 

 though all agree that bottom heat is always to be desired 



Each year a dozen or more plants of each of several varieties 

 have been grown in boxes as described on page 57, while dupli- 

 cate lots have been grown in open beds. These beds were two and 

 one-half to three feet wide and eight inches deep. They were built 

 across the central bench and thus received the same bottom heat 

 as the boxes. The following table represents in detail the results 

 obtained : 



