The Tomato 



261 



exposure to sun and allow all the fruits to hang toward the 

 outside of the trellis rather than to be covered by foliage. 



In commercial plan- 

 tations, the plants 

 are allowed to 

 spread as they will, 

 although the fruit- 

 rot disease is usu- 

 ally more serious 

 mider such condi- 

 tions, particularly 

 if the surface soil 

 contains much 

 coarse manure. 

 Pinching - in the 

 shoots is thought 

 to conduce to early 

 bearing. 



Sometimes tomato plants are pruned. On this 

 point, F. S. Earle writes as follows (Bull. 108, Ala. 

 Exp. Sta.) : "By pruning, 

 commercial growers mean the 

 pinching out of all lateral 

 branches as soon as they ap- 

 pear, thus confining the growth 

 strictly to one stem. When 

 about three clusters of fruit are 

 set the vines are topped, thus 

 stopping all further growth of 

 vine, and turning the energies of the plant entirely to 

 the growth and maturing of the fruits that are already 



149. Plum tomato (X %)• 



laO. The tomato of a past 

 generation. 



