The Life Story of a Tomato Plant -Reported by m. e. Haught 



T 



HE remi- 

 niscence 

 of my 

 early life 

 is a pleasant one 

 indeed. But first 

 of all, let me in- 

 troduce myself. 

 My name is Pon- 

 derosa, Ponderosa 

 Tomato. Thefirst 

 thing I remember 

 dates back to 

 about the second 

 week in March, 

 when I was a 

 wee, little seed- 

 ling, growing 

 among many of 

 my brothers and 

 sisters. Our 

 home, which con- 

 sisted of a flat box 

 rilled with good, 

 rich soil, was lo- 

 c ated on the 

 sunny sill of a 

 kitchen window. 



For three or 

 four weeks we 

 thrived in this lit- 

 tle home and enjoyed all the care and kind 

 attention our mistress bestowed upon us. 

 As the days grew longer and warmer, our 

 window was frequently raised — just a 

 little at first, but enough to permit the 

 clear sweet air of spring to float in and out. 

 One bright morning about the middle of 

 April, our mistress took us to a table on 

 which were standing a number of little 

 paper pots. These queer looking little 



If surplus foliage is removed 

 the fruits ripen more Quickly 





pots were to be our new home, she said, 

 for our old one had gradually become too 

 small and shallow to accommodate such a 

 prosperous family as we were. I shall 

 never forget that morning. We were all 

 critically looked over, and the less sturdy 

 members, who had made little progress in 

 their development, were cast away and 

 forgotten. The rest of us, who by this 

 time had become real husky young plants, 

 were carefully lifted from the box and 

 gently set into the little pots, where the 

 soil was firmly pressed around our roots. 



We were then well watered and replaced 

 upon the sill to recuperate from the shock 

 of this rather sudden and unexpected 

 change. The advantages these little pots 



Breaking away the bottom of the paper pot to let 

 the roots grow freely 



Planting with a collar of paper (the seedling pot) 

 left around to counter the cutworm 



afforded soon became evident; our roots 

 which had been confined to such a limited 

 space in the little box, now found ample 

 room in which to expand. Then, just 

 about this time, I noticed that our tops 

 began to make a rapid growth upward. 

 Indeed, some of us grew tall so readily, 

 that it became detrimental to our sturdi- 

 ness, and as a result the tops were gently 

 pinched off. 



Then there came a long period of miser- 

 able rainy weather, when it seemed to me 

 that the friendly sun had forsaken us 

 entirely. 



But it was just after this long, weary 

 rain, about the first of June, as I remember 

 it, that we were all gathered into a basket 

 and carried to a carefully prepared piece 

 of ground in a beautifully arranged garden. 

 Here my mistress picked me up, and after 

 making a hole about five inches deep in 

 the soil, gently tore out the bottom of my 

 341 



Stake the plants before they make much growth. 

 Do it early in July 



little pot, and placed me into the ground. 

 Then she proceeded to press the rich, black 

 soil firmly around the sides of the little 

 pot which she had purposely permitted to 

 remain around me. This was to keep., 

 away the destructive little cutworm which 

 so often plays havoc with young plants. 

 Each of my little comrades was treated 

 in the same fashion, and in a short time 

 we were all set out in the garden about two 

 feet apart from one another. 



The ideal plant to 



set out. Note, too. 



how the paper pot 



forms a pro- 



^ tective collar 



