THE TOMATO IN THE SOUTH. 



■99 



are definitely for shade, and should be set rather closer 

 than is necessary for perfect individuality ; yet thirty feet 

 apart is quite near enough. I have seen great mischief 

 done by cutting every other tree in a dense row. The 

 free access of the sun to the bark soon does damage, and 

 more trees die ; then the row is spoiled. Better set at a 

 reasonable distance to begin with. Few people seem to 

 realize that the foliage is needed to shade the tree itself. 

 They consider it merely as a gift to men and animals ; but 

 the economy of foliage is primarily to protect the tree 

 from too sharp assaults of the drying sunshine. 



My plea is for more and better street trees. With the 

 improvement of drive ways let us have the tree question 

 thoroughly discussed. One may drive fifty miles any- 

 where outside of towns and not find a mile of good shade 

 for pedestrians, and almost none for carriages. Our vil- 

 lages are better supplied, but the trees are badly selected. 

 I believe we shall have to get over our national passion 

 for planting maples. There are several others not enu- 

 merated above that are locally superb. The chestnut 

 may be planted over a large territory without rival for 



beauty and health. I am glad to see that it is being 

 pushed by some of our nurserymen. In flower it is in- 

 teresting, and in fruit x'aluable. The butternut is admir- 

 able where it thrives. In winter its limbs are a glorious 

 study. Its fruit is always in demand at good prices. It 

 is a grand tree to be around our houses. There is no 

 reason why nut-trees should not be generally grown 

 along the highway. There are no serious defects about 

 the growth and habit of either the chestnut, walnut or 

 butternut. 



The custom is general of planting a single variety along 

 a road. In a village or suburban town a fine effect is 

 produced by introducing a diversity on some streets. 

 There are at least twenty sorts that may be used to ad- 

 vantage. Among those I have not named are the Ken- 

 tucky coffee-tree, I7rifi7/a hitca, black ash, catalpa. 

 Magnolia acuminata , paulownia, oaks in variety, and 

 several sorts of fruits. Upright-growing apples and the 

 tall-growing cherries are very beautiful on quiet open 

 streets, where there is not too much smoke or gas. 



Clinton Co., Neiu York. E. P. Powell. 



THE TOMATO IN THE SOUTH. 



HOW TO GROW AND PROTECT PLANTS. 



^ OR securing the earliest plants hot- 

 beds are not at all essential in the 

 south, and they are not used by 

 the best gardeners. There is only 

 one crop for which bottom heat 

 is found to be advantageous in 

 securing early plants, namely, 

 the sweet-potato. Well-managed 

 coldframes are all-sufficient in 

 growing good peppers, egg-plants and tomatoes. 



The main crop of tomatoes is not planted in the latitude 

 of middle Georgia (33°) before April 10, and seeds sown 

 in coldframes in early March furnish plants large enough 

 to be set out by that date. A small planting is usually 

 risked in March, from the 20th to 25th, but this is 

 generally endangered by frosts. Now and then there is 

 no frost severe enough to damage the plants after March 

 15, but it will not do to depend on this. 



Market-gardeners, by making due preparation for ward- 

 ing off the effects of frost, can plant a patch on March 25 , 

 but without such preparations the risk is too great. A fe >v 

 loads of fine straw distributed at intervals over the patch 

 of early plantings render it easy to protect the plants, if 

 the gardener is enough of a meteorologist to interpret the 

 signs of weather changes, or has the benefit of the signal- 

 service warnings. Two or three hands — men, boys or 

 girls — can cover many thousand plants between three and 

 six o'clock in the afternoon if a cold wave is threatened. 

 With a big cotton-basket a double handful of straw can 

 be rapidly put over each plant, and will suffice to protect 

 it from an average March frost in middle Georgia. The 

 straw should remain all the following day and night, and 

 until the thermometer and vane indicate a temperature 



high enough to preclude frost. In this way we have 

 safely carried through plants put out as early as March i. 



Ordinarily the coldframes are put in good condition 

 about February 20, some good old compost being worked 

 in and the soil being left in a porous condition. The 

 glass sash is kept on for a week before the seeds are sown, 

 so that the soil may become well warmed up. It is then 

 leveled and firmed, the seeds are sowed in shallow drills 

 four or five inches apart and the soil pressed firmly upon 

 them. The soil is then well moistened with moderately 

 warm water, and the sash replaced. In a week or so 

 the plants will be well up, and in two weeks more large 

 enough to be transferred to other frames protected with 

 cloth covers instead of glass. The little plants are set 

 three by three inches apart and allowed to remain until 

 stocky and well-developed for transferring to the open 

 ground. This extra transplanting, for the amount of time 

 involved, will pay a tremendous profit in the end. 



If, by any mischance, the plants have become in any 

 way spindling, it is well to pinch off the ends when trans- 

 ferring to the open ground. Transferring the plants with 

 balls of earth is commended. This is not always practi- 

 cable ; and generally the roots are dipped in a grout of 

 clay-dust and cow-manure to which a little kerosene 

 has been added and well stirred in. The soil is pressed 

 firmly to the roots, and plants set a little deeper than they 

 grew in the beds. For the large-growing sort put the 

 rows four feet apart and the plants three feet. This 

 gives 3,630 plants per acre, which under favorable con- 

 ditions produce 200 to 500 bushels of merchantable to- 

 matoes. A new mode of culture, which has given great 

 satisfaction, will be described in a following number. 



Gcoyp-ia. S.^MUEL A, Cook, 



