VEGETABLES. 



217 



THE TOMATO. 

 The Tomato has of late become exceedingly popular, and 

 although it takes a place among vegetables, it is very often used 

 as a fruit, and may some day be included in that class. It 

 makes a very bright and attractive dish, and in n collection of 

 vegetables it takes a high position. Many new varieties have 

 been recently sent out, some of which are good, while others 

 are inferior to some of the old sorts. Hathaway's Excelsior, 

 Large Red, and Trophy are excellent old varieties, seeds of 

 which should be saved from the largest and finest of the pro- 

 duce. And of newer varieties, Dwarf Champion, Hackwood 

 Park, and Volunteer are among the best. They are very easily 

 cultivated if a low-roofed house with plenty of space for venti- 

 lation and means for maintaining a night temperature of 50° 

 to 55° is provided for them. To produce ripe Tomatoes in 

 June, seed should be sown in a mild heat about the beginning 

 of March, and the seedlings potted on till they fill five-inch pots, 

 after which they should be planted two feet apart on a bed 

 composed of light loam and leaf -mould. The plants should be 

 led up with a single stem, and all laterals pinched out as they 

 appear. As soon as they come into flower, a free circulation of 

 dry air through the plants will ensure a good set, and as soon 

 as the fruit are formed, all bad-shaped ones should be cut out, 

 and one or two of the best left on a bunch. To produce large 

 fine Tomatoes, the time to feed is after a number are set and 

 swelling. If it is done with liquid manure or rich soil previous 

 to this time, soft growth will result, and unsatisfactory exhi- 

 bition produce will be obtained. We use at this period a heavy 

 top-dressing of loam and well-decomposed manure in equal 

 parts, to the barrowful of which is added a six-inch potful of 

 a good fertiliser and the same of bone-meal, all mixed together, 

 spread, and made very firm over the roots. As soon as the 

 roots are well through the soil, the plants are supplied with 

 liquid manure once a week. The effect of this treatment is fine 

 Tomatoes and a long season of produce. The points of merit 

 are; (1.) Size; (2.) form; and (3.) colour. The fruits should 

 be of equal size, regular in outline, and of a bright clear coloui-. 



