RESEARCH and REPORaSll'^ 



For the American Tomato Industry ^ 



PUBLISHED PERIODICALLY BY FRANCIS C. STOKES COMPANY, VINCENTOWN, NEW JERSEY 



^955 



No. 11 



February 25, 1955 



1955 - OUR 74TH YEAR. 



WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO U.S. TOMATO INDUSTRY? 



To quote General Electric's slogan, "Progress 

 is our most important project." 



A few years ago it was 5 tons per acre, now 

 10 tons is standard. We look forward to the next 

 step, - from 10 to 20 tons per acre. (In 1953 our 

 company averaged 14.3 tons per acre.) We are 

 definitely aiming at a 15 tons per acre average in 

 1955 and 20 TPA by 1957. 



Long years of concentrating on one crop, the 

 tomato, has developed traditional attitudes which 

 have carried with it habits of perfection. The 

 priceless quality of a plant breeder — an eye for a 

 plant — is one of the components. By constantly 

 living tomatoes twelve months of the year, they 

 have become an important part of our lives. 



You may well ask what our 74 years have 

 brought to us. For one thing, over a dozen Stokes 

 varieties have played a part in the industry's 

 economy. Here are some of them: Atlantic Prize, 

 Earliana, Bonny Best, Stokesdale, Valiant and the 

 five Stokescross strains. Each of these in turn 

 has brought new wealth to the industry. 



We would be ungrateful if we did not ac- 

 knowledge priceless assistance from our associ- 

 ates in the craft. We refer to such men as Walter 

 P. Stokes, W. W. Tracy, Fred Pritchard, Walter 

 Huelsen, Lyman Schermerhorn, John Tracy, 

 David Burpee, Paul Work, Troy Currence, Rus- 

 sell Larson, Emil Gutscher, Alfred Foster, Will 

 Tapley, Will Moore, Howard Peto, Kenneth Rel- 

 yea, Bernard Pollack, Oscar Pearson, Harry Gale. 

 Fine men, - all of them. All men of integrity. 

 All men with inquiring minds. Each has made his 

 contribution. Each has shown a generous spirit, 

 a tolerance for competition, and the warm hand 

 of friendship. We have stood on common ground 

 with them. 



With humility, we believe our 74 years have 

 justified the slogan, "Pioneers in Better Tomatoes." 

 Concentration on a single specialty has brought 

 rewards, and these we hope are being passed on 

 to you, our friends, as a contribution to your 

 success and satisfaction. 



ARE YOUR PLANS COMPLETE FOR YOUR 1955 TOMATOES? 



1. Know your land. By long experience. By 

 complete soil tests. 



Ideal pH 6.5 



Organic test of 3.5% (the physical struc- 

 ture of the soil ) 



Make continuous soil tests especially for ni- 

 trogen after rain, but withhold almost all nitro- 

 gen unal after the fruit is set. 



2. A Fall-fed cover crop 15 lbs. /A. Crimson 

 Clover; 15 Ibs./A. Ryegrass. Plant in August, fer- 

 tilize in September, plow under in April. 



3. Fertilizer — 10 tons of tomatoes per acre 

 is estimated to require the following amounts of 

 N.P.K.: 100 lbs. Nitrogen. 35 lbs. Phosphorus. 175 

 lbs. Potash. 



4. Know your varieties. What are you aiming 

 for? The $4.00 market? Size? Flavor? Total ton- 

 nage? Know your sources both seed and plants. 

 Some are good and some are only fair. Take 

 nothing for granted. Be sure to investigate the 

 new introductions. Never depend on a single vari- 

 ety. Three will spread the risk and the weather 

 hazards. (They are always with us.) Aim for at 

 least two different maturity dates- 



5. Spray — spray — spray — spray — spray 

 — spray, at least 6 times, perhaps 8 times will be 

 better. We recommend Mauzate or Dithane. See 

 the Samson chart on page 3. 



6. Dust? Forget it. It is only half as effective 

 as spray. 



Adequate spray controls disease and insects, 

 it also has nutrient qualities. 



7. Irrigation. The ideal moisture for a grow- 

 ing tomato plant is one inch per week. Keep in 

 mind that a tomato is 94% water. 



8. Harvest. 95% ripeness has better flavor 

 than 105% ripeness. Use careful judgment on 

 this. What is so rare as a freshly picked garden 

 tomato? 



9. Trellis? Yes if you have the $S and the 

 patience. Staking will give more handsome fruit 

 and less rot loss on yields. Aim for 15 lbs. per 

 plan^ 20 tons/ A. 



10. Storage. Handle promptly. Never refrig- 

 erate. Never store at colder than 55 degrees. 

 Never pick a totally green fruit and expect it to 

 have flavor, regardless of how red you can make 

 it by ethylene gas. 



