March 1, 1900.] THE TR©PICAL AGPJCULTURIST. 
627 
shade for a few days and then transfer fall! into the 
sun. Attend carefully to watering, and allow the plants 
to grow unrestrictedly until the boxes are pretty full 
af roots, in fact what the horticulturist terms 
slightly root bound. There is a distinct object in 
this, namely, to induce the plants to show flower 
much earlier than they otherwise would do so. but 
the moment the buds can be seen, it will be time 
to consider their permanent quarters. 
PKEPARATION FOR PERMANENT PLANTING. 
Now the man that can grow good potatoes, should 
adao be able to grow good tomatoes, and if the soil 
is known to be a good potato soil it will for certain 
suit tomatoes admirably. For in spite of the very 
great difference between a potato tuber and a tomato 
fruit, there is in all other respects a close similarity 
between the potato plant and the tomato plant, so 
much so that one can be grafted quite successfully 
on to the other and vice versa and the potato plant 
will in this way yield a crop of potatoes belo v ground 
and tomtoes above it. Furthermore, the tomato, like 
the potato plant, demands abundance of potash for its 
vigorous existence : and also like the potato it is a 
very fine and profuse rooter, therefore hard lumpy 
soil is ill-adapted to its requirements. The soil should 
therefore be thoroughly cultivated to the depth of 
at least a foot or more, and be fine mealy soil, in 
order that the fine roots may move freely through 
it and abstract all they require in the early stages 
of the plants. If the soil is admittedly a good and 
fertile one, no manure need be added to it in the 
operation of digging, if however through cropping, or 
any other cause, the soil is impoverished, a good 
dressing of thoroughly rotted manure should be 
added ; and if the scrapings of virgin jungle land 
ia available, this is an admirable and valuable manure 
for the tomato plant. 
PLANTING OPERATIONS. 
Having thoroughly prepared the soil, and obtained 
the first indication of flower buds, the plants are 
now ready for permanent planting, and the exact 
method to be adopted comes up at once for con- 
sideration. The best method of all for the production 
of fine quality large tomatoes is oij single stems, 
that is to say, one plant, one stem, and therefore no 
laterals ; but this will the better be made clear by 
an example. Suppose the cultivator selects a piece 
of ground fifty feet wide, and a hundred long, and 
plants one foot apart in the lines, and the lines one 
from the other three feet apart — the plot will require 
1,600 plants, and this number may be so planted 
for single stem plants; or each plant be allowed to 
carry two, or at the most three stems each, but 
it comes to much the same thing as the three stems 
will require room, and there must be a reduction 
in numbers to allow for this, and the fruits, 
moreover, are not calculated to come so fine on three 
stem plants, as on one. I would therefore select the 
best and most profitable method for exceptionally 
fine fruits, namely, single stem plants. Accordingly 
large sized drills, or small trenches may be got out 
and the first flower buds got as near the surface 
as possible, in order that the fruiting may begin from 
the bottom, it may be advisable to lay some plants 
in slanting to effect this end, which is a very good 
plan. Any buried stem will be certain to root later 
on, which is no disadvantage whatever. Suppose 
this example is carried out, there will be sixteen rows 
of 100 plants each one foot apart and three between 
the rows or lines. And this involves a system 
of training, each plant being grown perfectly 
vertical. No doubt the best and most economical 
method in the end is by posts and strained wires ; 
two terminal posts, and one in the centre for each 
line; but. failing this posts may be driven iu at 
intervals six feet long, or more, and by ii system 
of horizontal and vertical lacing of split up bamboo 
hurdle or gate fashion a substantial training fence 
be made, and easily taken down, and the wood s.oied 
for another season when done with merely leaving 
the permanent post in the ground, or even these 
may be taken up, Having planted the young plants 
previously soaking the boxes before transplanting and 
doing tne planting well, we come to a thorough 
system of after management. 
PRUNING AND TRAINING. 
Now whether the grower elects to have one, two 
or three bhoots to each plant ; all else should be 
regulary and systematically destroyed as it appears; 
with every new point there will inevitably ba a 
couple or three lateral shoots : the moment these 
are large enough take them out and at the same 
time secure the plants as they gi-ow to the trellising 
with a loose tie. In practice this work will be very 
simple, but it should on no account be neglected at 
any time; but regularly and system itically attended 
to, and the lateral shoots taken completely out when 
quite small; then no other growth can ensue, if 
it does it muist be removed. At intervals all up the 
main stems there will appear a vigorous bunch of 
flowers at about nine in^ihes to a foot apart. Now 
even the best kinds of tomatoes are in the habit of 
giving some faulty flowers : do not allow these to 
waste the energy of the plants, but take them ont 
with a tine pointed pair of scissors. This will not 
be extensive work, but nevertheless should be attended 
to, and this work will go to the end of the chapter. 
There will thus be a given number of main stems, 
and nothing else, absolutely nothing else should be 
tolerated for a moment. It will happen that some 
leaves branch out and become very long : these too 
may be reduced if tliey crowd each other, tiiking 
away one or two p lirs of the leaflets. But this must 
not be overdone, as heaUhy vigorous foliage is 
essential to the plants; but the tomato produces such a 
superabundance under good cultivation I never allow 
the leaves to crowd each other, and even take some 
away altogether. When the plants have made good 
progress and have five or six bunches of developing 
tomatoes on them, the important question of manurnig 
and feeding comes in. 
MANURING. 
The time has now arrived to give the plants a 
heavy mulch of thoroughly rotton manure, available 
as immediate plant food. The roots will very speedily 
come for this manure, and eventually till it with 
a regular network of roots. It should be laid on 
three or four inches thick, and as more and more 
tomatoes are produced, this manure will be of the 
greatest possible value. Should the plants become 
in any way dryish, give a good soaking of water, 
or better still weak liquid manure, and have the 
manure slightly trodden at the same time in order 
that the goodness may be squeezed out. And should 
the weather continue, rainless the plants may ba 
watered once a week in a similar way. Treated in 
this way the manure immediately becomes available 
for the fruit, and practically that alone, and this 
method will be found far superior in lesults to heavily 
manuring the ground iu the iirst place, which is 
mainly provocative of a rampant growth that serves 
no purpose, but on the contrary produces long jointed 
growth, and demands a graet deal of extra pruning. 
These are the two great factors in suceessful tomat^o 
culture namely, a rigid system of pruning and strict 
confinement to main stems, and powerful manuring 
expressly and solely for the benefit of the fruit as 
distinguished from the plant itself, and by this 
method, moreover the fruit ripens in regular "order 
commencing from the bottom, and continuing upwards 
until the plants become no longer profitable. A most 
important point is to see the manure is of real value 
and very thoroughly decomposed. In proportion as 
it is so will be seen its effect on the character 
of the fruits. 
A CALCULATION. 
Now estimates are proverbially dangerous things, 
like prophecies very much, but I am goii g to venture 
on a modest one, that is, for certain within the 
practicable, provided this method of culture is faith- 
fully carried out. And we will carry the quoted 
