272 VEGETABLE FORCING 
that any soil suitable for agricultural purposes will, when 
properly prepared and cultivated, produce a satisfactory 
crop of greenhouse tomatoes. 
Fertilizing.—Experienced growers agree on the ne- 
cessity of liberal feeding in order to obtain satisfactory 
yields of greenhouse tomatoes. Impoverished soils in- 
variably produce weak, spindling plants which fail to 
bear profitable crops. On such plants the number of 
fruits is limited and the individual specimens are small 
in size and inferior in quality. High fertility is essential 
from every standpoint. 
While liberal feeding is necessary, it is important to 
maintain a proper balance in the elements applied. An 
excessive amount of nitrogen and a deficiency of potash 
and phosphoric acid will be certain to result in a rank 
growth of low production plants. On the other hand, a 
superabundance of the mineral elements and very little 
nitrogen will result in light stems and small leaves and 
solid but undersized fruit. There can be no shortage in 
any of the elements without affecting the yield as well 
as the quality of the crop. 
Jenkins and Briton, of the Connecticut Experiment 
Station, found that tomato plants on 100 square feet of 
bench space assimilated, from February 1 to July 1, 226 
grams of nitrogen, 74 grams of phosphoric acid and 391 
grams of potash. To meet these requirements it would 
be necessary to apply 3 pounds 10 ounces of nitrate 
of soda, 1 pound of boneblack and 1 pound 12 ounces 
of muriate of potash. It is customary, however, to apply 
more than enough food to merely meet the needs of the 
plants because all of it is not accessible to the roots. Any 
surplus at the close of any one harvest will remain for 
succeeding crops, except that there is constant loss of 
nitrogen by volatilization. 
Comparatively few gardeners use commercial fertilizers 
at all in the growing of the greenhouse crop. They claim 
that when stable manure is used in sufficient quantity to 
