TOMATO. 



207 



barrel; then heap up manure around the outside. Set three 

 plants in this and trim to two shoots each. Train one of these 

 shoots from each plant to stakes or near-by building, but allow 

 the other three shoots to grow naturally over the sides of the 

 barrel. Be careful to give plenty of water daily — a gallon each 

 day will be none too much. Three or four old barrels treated in 

 this way and placed in sunny exposure will produce all the toma- 

 toes needed by a family of four or five persons. 



Prolonging the Tomato Season. — In autumn the tomato sea- 

 son may be prolonged by pulling the plants with the unripened 

 fruit on them and hanging them in a shed, where they will 

 continue to ripen fruit for some time. The larger tomatoes will 

 ripen very well if picked off and kept in a shady place. 



Saving Tomato Seed. — Tomato seed should be saved from 

 the best tomatoes from vines producing the largest amount of 

 good fruit. The tomatoes should be thrown into a barrel as 

 fast as they ripen and be allowed to ferment until the seed 

 separates readily from the pulp, when they should be put into 

 water and thoroughly stirred. The skin and pulp being lighter, 

 the seed is readily separated from it. The seed should be dried 

 at once by spreading it out thinly in a dry place. 



Varieties. — There are many varieties of tomatoes adapted 

 to general cultivation. Among the best of these are Acme and 

 Dwarf Champion, which are early, smooth kinds having a 

 pink skin. Of the red-skinned sorts Perfection and Beauty are 

 very good. The earliest varieties are not always the best to 

 grow for a general crop, as they are inferior to the varieties men- 

 tioned. However, in many unfavorable locations it may be best 

 to grow them, as they do very well for home use. Of these 

 the earliest Is called Earliest of All, but there are several other 

 very early kinds. 



Insects. — The tomato is subject to few insect pests. It is 

 sometimes attached by the potato beetle. The remedy is Paris 

 green and water, as recommended for the same insect when it 

 attacks the potato. 



Tomato Rot. — There are several diseases that attack the 

 tomato when grown in greenhouses, but only that known as the 

 "rot" is often seriously injurious to plants grown in the open 



