TOMATOES 



205 



where tomatoes are to be placed. I come from a section 

 where they do not believe in artificial fertilizer. The method 

 used is one of furrowing out and placing a good forkful of 

 well rotted manure where the plant is to grow. The growers 

 there get results. I have noticed good results where they do 

 not do that at all. They grow the plants after one of the 

 follov^ing methods. They use fertilizer right along in the 

 furrow. They get results, averaging eleven to twelve tons 

 per acre. There is another section where they broadcast the 

 fertilizer with good results. 



In preparing the land with manure as a basis, if you plow 

 the land the year before for some other crop, then the year 

 the tomatoes are planted use a combination of fertilizer if 

 you wish, or furrow out and use the manure. In growing 

 for the canning factory, you would prepare your land by 

 thorough plowing and thorough harrowing, then use the 

 fertilizer right around the hill or broadcast it. 



But in each of these schemes, it seems necessary to have 

 thorough preparation of the land, as deep plowing as possible 

 and as thorough harrowing and fitting as possible. The 

 tomato is a plant that has a large root surface and needs all 

 the space in the well prepared soil. 



Mr. Coleman (Albany County) : How would you set the 

 plant in the manure? 



Mr. Wilkinson: The best method is to throw a forkful 

 of well rotted manure out of the wagon into the furrow at 

 the proper location, take the fork and divide the manure, and 

 place the plant in the middle. The plant does not touch the 

 manure. Dirt is placed around the plants. That is an ex- 

 pensive method and only practicable with a market gardener. 



I have here some very good results of fertilizer trials. We 

 want to determine what influence nitrate of soda or dried 

 blood has upon the development of the plant. Here are the 

 figures : 



Fertilizer containing nitrate of soda yielded $14.22 profit 

 per acre. 



Fertilizer containing dried blood yielded $13.94 profit per 

 acre. 



