400 The Principles of Vegetable- Gardening 



than is commonly supposed. Early setting on well prepared land 

 therefore appears to be advisable. 



"In 1891, two transplantings gave better results than one or 

 three ; but the value of transplantation depends almost entirely 

 upon the eai'liness of sowing, the character of the plants and 

 facilities for handling. 



"Seedling plants are better than cuttings. 



"Trimming the plants lightly in midsummer appears to in- 

 crease yield and earliness. But it should not be performed in 

 this latitude after the first half of August. 



Training. — Training to stakes is not desirable unless the 

 plants are pruned. Plants tied to two or three stakes, the vines 

 being wound about them, as often recommended, ripen their fruits 

 unevenly and the labor of picking from the tangled mass of foli- 

 age is great. 



" A platform of boards laid under the plants and supported by 

 blocks 4 or 5 inches high and then covered with straw keeps the 

 tomatoes clean and renders picking easy, but it appears to in- 

 crease the rot. 



"A cheap and rough rack which gives good results is made 

 of narrow slats laid crosswise the row upon two parallel bents 

 which stand on either side of the row and about 3 feet apart. 

 These bents run lengthwise the row and are made by nailing a 

 light board to stakes every 6 or 8 feet. The bents or sides stand 

 about a foot high. The plants lop on the cross slats — which may 

 be laid on loosely — and the fruits ripen uniformly and are usually 

 more exempt from rot than those lying on the ground. 



"Training to a single stem greatly increases the yield per 

 square foot, gives earlier fruits, and decreases injury from rot. 

 This system is advisable for home use, and in some cases for 

 market plantations. 



"Hilling the plants twice, as potatoes are hilled, has given no 

 beneficial results. 



" ' Leggy ' " or badly drawn plants can be made to give fairly 

 good results by setting them deep and burying the larger part of 

 the slender stem. But even then they are inferior to stocky 

 plants.'^ 



