17- SOLANACEOUS 



" CROPS 



the slats, the fruits ripen uniformly, and usually 

 with a smaller percentage of rot than where they 

 lie on the ground. 



If your garden is situated where frosts are apt 

 to come as early as August, you should plant 

 your tomatoes against the south side of the 

 house or out-building and cover them at night, 

 — a point worth noting for aU tender plants. 



In " Vegetable Gardening," Green suggests an 

 ingenious yet simple method of raising enough 

 tomatoes for family use where the season is too 

 short to raise them in the field or garden. Get 

 three or four barrels about the size of a coal-oil 

 barrel, bore several holes in the bottom of each, 

 then sink about one-third their depth in the 

 ground in the warmest corners of your land. 



When this has been done, fill each barrel 

 about half full of fresh horse manure well 

 tramped down, and pour over it a bucketful 

 of hot water to start fermentation. On top 

 of this put eight inches of good soil, then a 

 mixtiure of well-rotted manure and good black 

 loam in equal quantities up to about twelve 

 inches from the top of the barrel. Heap manure 

 up around the outside of your barrel. Plant, 

 say three stocky plants in each barrel, trimming 

 them to two shoots each. Tie one shoot from 

 each plant to stakes or some nearby support, 



12 



