T 
OMATOES 1407 
THE CANNING CROP 
Last but not least comes the canning crop. In many sections 
this is an important crop, thousands of acres being grown an- 
nually. The crop is handled from seed to maturity so radically 
different from the early crop that special mention should be made 
of it in an article of this kind lest some one go astray by trying to 
grow the late varieties bv early methods as herein set forth. 
Late varieties, with the exception of the dwarfs, are by nature 
heavy vine makers; hence it is easy to induce them to overdo 
that propensity, and when we do this we do it at the expense of 
fruit. Then too, this crop grows at a season of the year when 
the soil is warmer than it is when the early crop should be 
hustling; hence no stimulation by applications of nitrate of soda 
should be used as a supplement. Neither do we want as much 
animal manures, seven to eight tons being plenty on soils in a 
good state of fertility. The fertilizer formula should also be 
changed. A 4-8-10 is what is commonly used by progressive 
growers and the quantity reduced from 25 to 30 per cent.; but on 
poor soils a side dressing of the same fertilizer in place of the 
nitrate of soda is frequently given with good results. 
The plants for this crop are seldom transplanted but set in 
the field direct from the seed bed; hence the plants are much 
more cheaply grown. They should be grown in a bed under glass 
and not out in the open as is commonly done, because when grown 
in the open, unprotected, they are slow in growth, not permitting 
the planting in the field soon enough to harvest the whole ercp be- 
fore cool nights and possible early frosts claim a portion. The 
late crops for the can house should be in the field by the end of the 
first week in June and the further north we go the earlier they 
should be planted. The custom here is to mark off our tomato 
fields in checks four feet each way for the early sorts and four and 
one-half for the medium and late sorts, and cultivate in both di- 
rections. The principal varieties for early are Earliana and King 
of Earlies; a few are still growing Maule’s Earliest. While the 
pink or purple varieties are good, not as many of them are grown 
as formerly. 
