CHAPTER XIIL 



TOMATO. 



Lycopersicum esculentum. 



The Tomato is very extensively grown in many 

 sections of the country. When properly managed, 

 it usually pays a handsome profit on the capital in- 

 vested. 



In common with many others, who have been for 

 some years practically engaged in horticultiiral pur- 

 suits, we are frequently questioned by beginners 

 about the cultivation of the Tomato as a source of 

 profit : How much will an acre yield under ordinary 

 treatment, and the sum total that can be relied on 

 with any degree of certainty ? It is not an easy mat- 

 ter to answer such queries satisfactorily to the person 

 propounding them, from the fact that so much de- 

 pends on circumstances, such as proximity to a good 

 market, earliness, and the character of the soil on 

 which they are grown. Even with professional 

 gardeners, the Tomato is a precarious crop. It is ex- 

 ceedingly perishable ; three or four days' rain, or 

 damp and muggy weather at the time of ripening, 

 often spoils a very considerable part of the crop ; or, 

 even when gathered and packed in good order for 

 market, rough or careless handling will so injure the 

 appearance of Tomatoes, that they have to be sold for 

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