THE TOMATO 203 



acres of land, are planted with tomatoes. Each house covers half-an-acre of 

 land, ten of them are heated with hot water, and ten not heated at all. Both 

 the heated and unheated houses produce two crops a year ; the heated ones 

 producing two crops of tomatoes, and the unheated ones one crop of tomatoes 

 and one of cabbages. It will be news to many readers, I have no doubt, to 

 hear that cabbages are grown under glass by the acre in England. 



The system of culture is as follows : — Early in October the cool houses 

 are planted with cabbages raised from seed sown the first week of the previous 

 August, the land being manured and dug in the ordinary way. Little or no 

 attention is necessary until cutting commences early in April, continuing until 

 May, when all the crop has been disposed of. 



Immediately the cabbages are disposed of, trenches are dug out 4 feet apart 

 and 18 inches wide, into which some new soil and a moderate dressing of 

 manure are placed, digging all together some time before planting. A double 

 row of plants, at 10 inches apart, is planted in the trench. When the plants 

 have established themselves and are well furnished with fruits, the ridge 

 between the trenches may be levelled into these as a top-dressing for the 

 plants. Heavy crops of fruit are secured in this way at comparatively small 

 cost — watering, collecting, and marketing the fruit being the chief items of 

 labour. In December the tomatoes will be almost over, and it will be time 

 again to plant the cabbages. The reason for adopting the plan of growing in 

 trenches is that deep digging and a change of soil for the crop are thereby assured ; 

 the ground that forms the trenches one year will form the ridges next, and so 

 on. The stronger the plants when planted out at the end of April and early in 

 May, the better will be the result. Seeds are sown the last week in January. 

 Comet is the only variety grown at the establishment in question. 



The method adopted in the ten houses, covering 5 acres, which are heated 

 is different. Here, all the plants are grown in pots, the first fruits ripening 

 from April until June. The pots are then filled with other strong young 

 plants, and they in their turn will yield heavy and remunerative crops until late 

 in the autumn or early winter, when it is no longer remunerative to grow 

 English tomatoes because of the heavy importations of fruit from abroad. Seed 

 for the earliest crop is sown the last week in October, the plants are grown 

 during the winter in 5 or 6-inch pots, and placed in their fruiting pots 

 ( 1 2-inch) about the middle of February. The seeds for supplying the second 

 lot (to be planted at the end of June) should be sown the first week in April. 

 The plants are all grown on the single-stem system, and stopped when 4 feet 

 high. The reason for this is that the best fruit is formed on the lower part of 

 the stem. 



Soil Difficulties. — When the same crop is cultivated continuously upon a 

 limited area of land, it is not surprising that growers are, before long, confronted 

 with soil sickness, and as a consequence the plants show diminished vitality, 

 are liable to disease, and therefore unremunerative ; thus we see the advantage 

 of the pot system of culture, when fresh soil can be given to each plant. 

 Two heavy crops during the summer may also be had from pot plants, and this 

 cannot be easily accomplished under the planting-out system. 



