THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 235 



rich by plowing under stable manure, 20 loads an 

 acre being ample if the soil is fairly rich naturally. 

 Plow the ground and prepare as for corn, then set 

 plants 4x4. Those grown in pots will scarcely 

 wilt after setting. 



" I am not prepared to say whether or not it 

 pays to stake and prune our early tomatoes. In a 

 wet season I lose considerable fruit by rot when 

 not staked. On the other hand, I get more fruit 

 and less of it sunscalded where I let the vines fall 

 and grow as they will. Staking will give ripe fruit 

 earlier. The large growers near Jacksonville, 

 Kraft, Lyndale, and Morrill in Texas stake thousands 



;;,m 



¥j?,\''* 



TOMATO TRELLIS 



of acres and prune to a single stem. This stem 

 they clip just above the third flower stem soon 

 after the fruit has set. 



" When I market my early tomatoes I use full- 

 size one-gallon baskets, four to the crate, grade 

 the fruit closely and wipe every specimen with a 

 moist rag. One active girl will wipe 12 to 15 

 bushels or enough to fill 25 to 30 crates in a day. 

 This past season I marketed Jewels in the Indian- 

 apolis market at 71 to 75 cents a crate, when Ten- 

 nessee stock was freely offered at 30 to 40 cents a 

 crate. 



" I pick when the fruit begins to color, say, three 

 days before it is ripe, and, if for shipment, pack and 



