Tomatoes 1407 



the canning crop 



Last but not least comes the canning crop. In many sections 

 this is an important crop, thousands of acres being grown an- 

 nually. The crop is handled from seed to maturity so radically 

 different from the early crop that special mention should be made 

 of it in an article of this kind lest some one go astray by trying to 

 grow the late varieties by early methods as herein set forth. 



Late varieties, with the exception of the dwarfs, are by nature 

 heavy vine makers ; hence it is easy to induce them to overdo 

 that propensity, and when we do this we do it at the expense of 

 fruit. Then too, this crop grows at a season of the year when 

 the soil is wanner than it is when the early crop should be 

 hustling; hence no stimulation by applications of nitrate of soda 

 should be used as a supplement. Neither do we want as much 

 animal manures, seven to eight tons being plenty on soils in a 

 good state of fertility. The fertilizer formula should also be 

 changed. A 4-8-10 is what is commonly used by progressive 

 growers and the quantity reduced from 25 to 30 per cent. ; but on 

 poor soils a side dressing of the same fertilizer in place of the 

 nitrate of soda is frequently given with good results. 



The plants for this crop are seldom transplanted but set in 

 the field direct from the seed bed ; hence the plants are much 

 more cheaply grown. They should be grown in a bed under glass 

 and not out in the open as is commonly done, because when grown 

 in the open, unprotected, they are slow in growth, not permitting 

 the planting in the field soon enough to harvest the whole crop be- 

 fore cool nights and possible early frosts claim a portion. The 

 late crops for the can house should be in the field by the end of the 

 first week in June and the further north w T e go the earlier they 

 should be planted. The custom here is to mark off our tomato 

 fields in checks four feet each way for the early sorts and four and 

 one-half for the medium and late sorts, and cultivate in both di- 

 rections. The principal varieties for early are Earliana and King 

 of Earlies ; a few are still growing Maule's Earliest. While the 

 pink or purple varieties are good, not as many of them are grown 

 as formerly. 



