1920.] 



Tomato Culture 



Sowings. — Tlie soil used for raising the seed should be fairly 

 rich, and sifted through a medium sieve. Damping off of 

 seedlings may, in many cases, be avoided by steaming the soil 

 and boxes, or by treating them with a 2 per cent, solution of 

 40 per cent. Formaldelyde, before sowing. Labour in raising 

 seedlings may be saved if, instead of sowing closely and pricking 

 out the seedlings, the seeds are sown separately ij in. apart 

 in the seed boxes. By this means no removal is necessary 

 until the plants are potted. A smooth board, fitting the seed 

 box, and studded with hob-nails at the proper distances, is an 

 easy method of marking the distances. A 'perforated iron 

 plate, through which the seeds are dropped, may also be used for 

 this purpose. During germination the boxes should be covered 

 with glass and the temperature maintained at yo°F. Excessive 

 watering encourages damping off, and all water used should be 

 the same temperature as the soil. 



Pottmgr. — When the plants have rea.ched a height of about 

 4 in. they should be tra.nsferred to small 6o's pots, a moderately 

 rich soil being used. One pvxvt of sifted straw manure to four 

 parts soil is a good mixture. When the plants have reached 

 a height of g in. to 12 in. it is customary to plant out direct into 

 the final situation in the ground, but from observations over 

 some 15 years the writer considers that it is advisable, parti- 

 cularly for early crops, to pot on into 48 's, in order that the 

 plant may throw its first truss of bloom. Plants which fail 

 on the first truss can be discarded, and where the soil of the 

 borders is rich the risk of rank growth of foliage and consequent 

 failure of bloom is avoided. The extra labour involved is con- 

 siderable, but is usually more than justified by results. 



To save the labour entailed by handling a large number of 

 small Go's pots, large boxes, 4 in. to 5 in. deep, are often used, 

 the plants being spaced 4 in. apart. When this method is 

 followed lack of uniformity results, and a large proportion of 

 plants may be drawn and spindly. The risk of damage to the 

 roots when separating for planting out is considerable. 



Planting: Out. — Distances and methods of planting must 

 naturally vary with the size of the glass house. The average 

 *' plant " of large market nurseries is 17,920 per acre, or approxi- 

 mately 3I plants per square yard. In wide houses the usual 

 method is to plant in rows across the house 27 in. and 18 in. 

 apart alternately, the plants being 12 in. apart in the rows, 

 leaving one, or in very wide houses two, paths along the length of 

 the house. In low narrow houses three or four rows length-wise 

 along each side of the centre path, with the plants 12 in. apart 

 in the outside rows and 24 in. apart in tlie inner rows, is suffi- 



