64 VEGETABLE GROWING PROJECTS 



may be obtained on soils that would fail to produce a marketable 

 crop of celery or other vegetables that require the most exacting 

 conditions. But large yields may be secured only from soils well 

 filled with plant food and organic matter. 



The tomato is often grown in rotation with other vegetables. 

 A limited area of land may make this necessary. It is a great 

 advantage, however, to precede the crop with clover, cowpeas, 

 vetch, soybeans, or some other general farm crop, and preferably 

 a legume that will add to the stock of nitrogen in the soil as well as 

 to the supply of humus. A heavy sod of any kind of clover, 

 plowed late in the fall or early in the spring, furnishes ideal soil 

 conditions for the growing of tomatoes. It will be seen from 

 these statements that the work of soil preparation may begin a 

 year or more in advance of the actual planting of the tomatoes. 



A common mistake is to defer the plowing of the ground for 

 tomatoes until nearly planting time, which may be the cause of a 

 greatly reduced supply of soil moisture and of unfavorable physical 

 conditions. 



A harrow should be used until the soil is fine and level. The 

 heavy sods are best pulverized with a disk or cutaway harrow. 

 In small gardens, the soil may be put in good condition by thorough 

 spading and careful raking. 



Fresh stable manures should never be employed for the grow- 

 ing of tomatoes. Their application in considerable amounts is 

 certain to result in excessive plant growth and a small crop of 

 inferior fruit. Well-decayed animal manures of all kinds may be 

 used for this crop with entire safety, and, if thoroughly decayed, 

 there is practically no danger of applying too much. In only 

 moderately fertile soils it is an advantage to place a shovelful of 

 rotten manure in each hill. The usual plan is to apply fresh stable 

 maniu-e to the crop that precedes the tomato and little, if any, 

 manure for the tomatoes. 



It is rarely that the grower will not find it an advantage to fer- 



