262 VEGETABLE FORCING 
Pots and boxes.—In the early years of tomato forcing, 
the plants were finally shifted to 8 to 10-inch pots, in 
which they were grown until all the fruits had ripened. 
Large pots are still used to some extent in conservatories. 
The potted plants, laden with beautiful pink or red fruits, 
are fully as attractive as many plants grown solely for 
ornamental purposes. It is more difficult, however, to 
grow good tomatoes in pots than in beds. There is in- 
sufficient soil, even in 12-inch pots, for the best results. 
The soil dries out rapidly and there is great danger of 
the plants being stunted or checked in growth, which 
invariably reduces the yield. Pots are convenient for 
shifting about the house in private establishments, and 
they may be separated as much as necessary in order to 
provide ample room for each plant. 
Boxes were often used by the agricultural experiment 
stations from 1890 to 1900. They were a decided ad- 
vantage over pots in providing more soil for the plants, 
and they could also be conveniently moved from place 
to place. Ordinarily, they were 10 inches to a foot deep. 
Cornell University used boxes that were 18 inches 
square, and set four plants in each box. The Tennessee 
station obtained fairly satisfactory yields by setting 
three plants in a box 1 by 1 by 38 feet in size. It is 
possible to get better results in boxes than in pots, but 
they are not practicable on a large commercial scale 
because of the increased cost of production and the 
smaller yields than those obtained in properly prepared 
beds. 
Benches vs. ground beds.—It was soon discovered by 
the experiment stations as well as by practical growers 
that tomatoes produced larger and better crops on 
benches than in pots and boxes. In the first place, it is 
much cheaper to construct benches than to make indi- 
vidual boxes or to buy the required number of large pots. 
Furthermore, the soil does not dry out so rapidly in beds 
as in boxes. 
