1816 TOMATO 



gross feeder, the plant demands a fairly good soil, ligUt, 

 porous and well drained, and is generously responsive 

 to judicious fertilizing, though acutely sensitive to the 

 slightest variations i.f s^il ;uid climate. Uuderfertii- 

 ized it is unprotitahlf; too lihurally manured, espe 

 cially with nitrogeimus uialter, it runs to vine at the ex- 

 pense of fruit and is sulijrct to excessive inroads from 

 bacterial and fungous disc;is.^s. Similar results follow 

 from wet seasons or too heavy soil, while drought or 

 insufficient nourishment cut short the harvest. To 

 steer a middle course between these extremes is ditii- 

 cult. It is, on the whole, sitfer to underfertilizo th;tn to 

 overfeed-to select a moderately dry, sandy loam, well 

 nuinured the last season, ;ind wiih ))ut a light applic-a- 

 tion of fertilizer, m- none at all for the present croj.- 

 to risk uuderpnidiK-tion ratlier lh;iu invite overgrowth 

 of vine, fungous m;iia.lios. |nss of foliage and ilecay 

 of fruit. 



The norma! fertilizer formula approximates that for 

 the potato, thoui;h a smaller percentage of nitrogen 

 will suffice-s;iy ":! per cent nitrogen, il per cent phos- 

 phoric acid and 7 iier cent potash. This would be met 

 by a compound of: Nitrate <.f soda, 400 lbs.; high 

 grade (14 per cent) superphosj.hate, 1,;;;20 lbs.; muriate 

 (or sulfate) of potash, 2H0 lbs.; total, 2,000 lbs. This 

 may be used to the amount of 1,000 lbs. per acre with 

 safety on a well - sidecleil soil if applied sufficiently 

 early in the season. Such an a])jdication should pro- 

 duce a yield of :!IH1 bushels imu- acre in a normal season 

 "with any of the l>etrer standard varieties. 



i'arieti>^s.—A\\ things i'oiisidered, the f')llowing short 

 list presents for the South the best of half a ci-n- 

 tury's effort in development: (_'rimson Cushion, Stone. 

 Pouderosa, Freedom. A<.-nn", Ti'ophy, Paragon and 

 Perfection. The nn*(lium-sizeil, smooth, round, reil, 

 imiform. solid frnit represenlH<l by Stone and Acme. 

 and of which Orimson (,'usiiion is perhaps the choicest 

 and miwt conspicuous examjde. presents an almost per- 

 fect type, of which one e:iii ask little more than that its 

 present standard be peniianeiitly maintained. Yet local 

 experience and ]>i [■lerence must ever differ with this as 

 with all other soil prodnefs. 



For sliciuL;', Uolden f^tin-en or Yclh)\v Acme is incom- 

 parable, hut it is valueless for cooking by reason of the 

 muddy tint de\'e|(ipi.'d tjn'reby. Fruit of the Ponderosa 

 type is too large, ixvus,^ and frequently too unsynxmetri- 

 cal for successful shipjiin^-; it tin<ls a readier sale in 

 local markets. Extra eai'iiiiess in ujaturity seems to \.h- 

 more or less a chimera, litih' ri.al difference appearing- 

 (on careful test) between most varieties. Early ripiui- 

 ing is rather a matter of soil, manipulation and local en- 

 vironment than a (ixed haliit. 



Color is apparently a secondary consideration, tasti-s 

 in this particular varying greatly. Some markets prefer 

 the crimson shade of the Acme type, while others de- 

 mand the purple tinge of the Mikado. 



Vigor of growth, productiveness and shipyung c[uality 

 seem the tliree most important requisite'^ — size, even, 

 yielding to them in importance. Oversized fruit, in- 

 deed, is almost as serious a defect as undersized. The 

 following would proliably represent the best scale for an 

 ideal Tomato at the South, though differing somewhat 

 from that generally recognized; 



Pi'r cent 

 Vigor (covcriiifj fi-enlnin from disease ) . . , .20 



Productivene-^s 10 



Shipping qnalhy l-l- 



Shape 12 



Size 11 



Earlini'>s Kl 



Color S 



Flavor ,-, 



Cooking quality 4. 



II 10 



CaUir>ifinH.-\\h<-th>^v grown on a large or snuUl 

 scale, the yonn:,- iilants are started under ffhiss fmm 

 January to :\Ia.r(di, ai-cordin.jj: to isotherm, and in about 

 SO days from the seed are n^a.dy for '"pricking out" (u- 

 transplanting— to open ground "in tin- low<^r latitudes, 

 farther north into boxes or "Neponset" pots. The lat- 

 ter, constructed of paper, admit of handling without 

 rupturing the root system when permanently trans- 

 planted some .30 days later. 



TOMATO 



The land, when the business is ron<lucted on a large 

 scale, nuiy he prepared as for cotton by "laying off" 

 after In'eaking and lining, and then beildiiig on the fer- 

 tilizer drilled in continuous rows — though conjpost is 

 usually distributed ''in the hill." For garden cultivation 

 the latter plan is strongly recommended, though broad- 

 casting is preferable for limited areas. A shovelful or 

 so of well-rotted stable manure to each hill, reinforced 

 l)y a to[)-dressi]jg of superi>hos})hale in early spring, 

 gives excellent results. 



Distance naturally varies with | character of soil — 

 sonn.'tiuni'S with variety of Tomato — and depends, also, 

 on the mode of training. Wiiere no supports are 

 used li X 4 ft. is not too grr^af. When trellised with 3 ft. 

 ])osts, at intervals, and one strand of No. V2 wire, eitlier 

 (i X 4 or Ox.'! will do. and when trained to u ft. simple 

 stak.'s. .-. X ;; ft. 



The crop should be rapidly worked througli the sea- 

 son with either cultivators or "22-inch heel scrapes"— 

 at hrst in both directions, and afterwards, as the vines 

 spread, following the wide row only. Of course with 

 trellises cross-plowing is impossible. 



Under either system pinching back weak or incoinse- 

 quent laterals is necessary. All lower laterals when 

 stake-train.ing is employed must be pruned until a main 

 stem is established, which is trained spirally around 

 the stake and secured with raffia, after which laterals 

 are still shortened from time to time, as occasion re- 

 quires. This is an ideal, and also a practical system, 

 anil though necessarily the most expensive, will gener- 

 ally justify its nse by the results. With the trellis sys- 

 tem two or three stems are allowed to grow, although 

 the ])lant is sometimes restricted to one stem for "fancy " 

 results. When no support is used only the more stocky 

 and fungus-resisting varieties should be planted and 

 severel}' pruned while young, to form, as far as possible, 

 an upright, rigid growth. This is the most common 

 nn.'thod and probably the most j^rolitable also, when 

 land is cheap and the grower i^ nnt re;i(lily discouraged 

 by damp and decay and is \'igorous and determined in 

 the use of the spraj'-pump. It is certainly the most 

 economical form of cultivation e\'ery wberi.', at least to 

 outward appearance. 



Without his si)ray-cart ami fungiciile the tomatu- 

 grower is lost — and knows it! The sprayer has hence be- 

 come an invariable and indlspensa)ile adjunct to the truck 

 farm, by lueans of which mast of the fungous and bae- 

 ti-roid affections of the plant nuxy be, if not altogether 

 ])revented, at least held in hand and damage reduced to 

 a mininuim. But it must be kept going resolutely and 

 continuously from the first- the earlier sprayings to 

 consist •'.tf an admixture of 4 ounces Paris green to each 

 barrel of Bordeaux mixture to hold in check insect dep- 

 redators, later sprayings to be nmde with P.ordeaux 



SvcoikI Crop.— a peculiar advantage of the Tomato 

 over other transplanted Irui-k crops is its reaily dispo- 

 sition to grow from cuttings, thus obviating the neces- 

 sity for re-seeding for a second or fall crop, as with the 

 cabbage Tin- cuttings atTorde.l by Ihe pruned laterals 

 strike root v)-:oronsly. and thus afford a ready meaus 

 for hlling vacancies iit the plat immediately upon their 

 occurrence; and, since the plants from cuttings begin to 

 fruit as soon as they start growth, a continuous succes- 

 sion nmy be obtained from early summer until the 

 idants are cut short by frost in the fall-an economic 

 consideration of vast importance. 



J/fn7,v'//)?(7.— While no particular state or section of 

 the South altogether monopolizes the northern markets, 

 and many trucking centers from lower Texas and 

 Florida to Norfolk and Memphis successively forward 

 their -^liipments in greater or less quantity, the Florida 

 cro). is probably the earliest, largest and best known, 

 thou^ih heavv shipments are made to western cities from 

 Louisiana aiid IMississippi, while the middle and eastern 

 slates are supplied, after the Florida shipments have 

 ceased, by the truckers of Savannah, Charleston, Wil- 

 mington and Norfolk in turn. 



The methods of packing and shipment are as nnaiiy 

 and as diverse as the local centers of production. The 

 Florida crop, dominating the very early market, is 

 usually shiiiped stark green, each fVuit paper-wrapptd 

 in Ihe regular "six-basket carrier" used for Georgia 



