November i, 1890.] Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist i 
389 
In the cultivation of the tomato the seeds have 
to he first put in a nurseiy. It is very important 
to test the germinative ])i’operties of the seed by 
growing a few first, and tlien ]nitting down a 
quantity to obtain sutficient plants. 
A flower pot or some vessel filled with fine 
earth and well-rotten dung would form a suitable 
nursery. After sowing the seeds they should be 
kept in a place not exposed to vertical rays of the 
Sim. Tlie nursery should lie daily watereil and 
■weeded. The plants will be ready for putting 
down in the land, in three or four weeks. 
The land should be well prepared by weeding, 
digging and levelling, and holes should be made 
three feet apart for the ordinary variety. These 
holes might be manured with well-rotten dung, 
ashes, &c. Care should be taken not to apply 
unfermented manure in the cukivation of 
tomatoes as such manure has a tendency to spoil 
the crops. The young plants should be carefully 
planted in these holes and watered daily when 
there is no rain. As the plants are growing the 
land should be carefully weeded, and the earth 
near tlie roots should be loosened once a week 
or so. When the plants grow to tlie height of 
about one and a half to two feet, sticks ought to 
be planted around them, so tliat they may grow 
erect. 
A dressing of manure as before should be 
applied, when the plants have grown for a moutli 
or six weeks in the garden. In two months they 
show signs of flowering. All should be 
])runed above the third branch of flowers so as 
to obtain good fruits. The side shoots should 
always be suppressed and a single stem aimed at. 
The pruning and the sup]jressiou of the side shoots 
preserve materials wliich otherwise would be 
wasted in the formation of useless leaves and 
stems, for the formation of fruit. 
The application of liquid manure to the plant? 
at the fruiting stage helps to increase the crops. 
Liipiid manure for this purpose may be advan- 
tageously jircjiared from any dung, or a mixture 
of dung and bone dust. In order to prexiare the 
liipiid manure, the dung should be kept in a vessel, 
Avith as sufficient Avater to keep it in a semi- 
liipiid state for tAvo or three days, so that it may 
ferment. A pound or tAvo of dung thus prepared 
may be mixed Avith a can of AA'ater and applied 
to the plants. 
It has also been found that a dressing of saltpetre 
mixed Avith earth applied to the plants makes 
them bear Avell. A pound of saltpetre reduced to 
])o\A'der and mixed Avith dry earth is sufficient 
for aiqilyiug to a hundred plants. 
Tile tomato, like all other plants, is subject to 
disease, and it is a pitiable sight to see a plant 
which Avas vigorous the previous day, drooping all 
its leaves and dying off, Avith lloAvers, buds, and 
young fruit, s on it. This occurs OAvingto an excess 
of moisture in the land. With Avell drained 
gardens and the occasional loo.sening of the soil 
to remove the excess of moisture this could be 
jirei eiiteel. 
As a food jiroduct the tomato is Avell knoAvn, 
Avliile it is also belii've l that it possesses certain 
medicinal jiroiierlies. 
♦ 
WAVS AM) iMMAXS. 
Xo imsect can li\e under the aiiplication of 
hot alum Avater. It Avill destroy red and black 
ants, cockroaches, spiders, bug.s, and a Avhole 
ho.st of others. Take tAVO pounds of alum and 
put it in three or four quarts of boiling Avater ; 
let it stand oA’er a slow fii’e until the alum is 
all dissolved, t hen apply it with a brush Avhile 
nearly boiling hot to every part of shelves, 
clo.sets, Ac., Avhere you suspect vennin to harbour. 
A mixture of copperas and glue Avill protect 
trees from rats and mice. 
Half-a-pound of Paris Green or London Purple 
to fifty gallons of water is sufficient. It needs 
to be kept stirred Avdiile being sprayed, otherAvise 
the poison Avill sink to the bottom, us neither 
dissolves in Avater except to a slight degree. 
The French saj' that AA-hen a large onion i.s 
planted by the side of a rose tree in such a 
manner that it shall touch the root of the latter, 
it increases the odour of the floAvers. The roses 
thus produced Avill have, they say, an odour much 
stronger and more agreeable than snch ns hav'e 
not been so treated, and the water distilled from 
those roses is A'ery superior to that prepared 
by means of ordinary rose leaves. 
The green ears of maize or Indian corn form 
a most delicious A Cgetable. The cobs should be 
plucked just as the styles, that elegant silky- 
looking appendage to the ears are beginning to 
turn brown and Avither. The corn is then of a 
delicate cream colour. The cobs are stripped 
of tlieir covering and boiled for about three 
([uarters of an hour, and eaten with a little 
butter, pepper, and salt. 
Tobacco AA'ater for killing insects, Ac., is made 
by putting a pound of tobacco into four gallons 
of lioiling Avater, and placing the vessel over a 
slow fire Avhere the Avater Avill continue Avarm 
for some time. 
Plants cannot liA'e indefinitely depriA'ed of their 
leaves. Hence preventing their appearance above 
the surface will kill them sooner or later. 
Plants hav'e greater need for their leaves, and 
can be more easily killed in the groAV'ing season 
than otherAAnse. Cultivation in a dry time is most 
injurious to Aveeds and beneficial to crops. 
Avoid the introduction of Aveeds in manure 
or litter from AA'eedy surroundings. 
After a crop has been reaped, instead of 
allowing the land to groA\^ up to weeds it i.s 
often Avell to soav some crop to cover the ground 
and keep them dOAA’ii. 
Give eA'ery part of the farm clean cultivation. 
If the ground is kept AA'ell occupied AV'ith 
other crojAs, Aveeds Avill give much less trouble. 
Keep meadoAvs and roadsides Avell Aveeiled. 
♦ 
THE POULTEY YARD. 
By Aba. 
Poultry Keepiuy (aid Manayem-ent. 
The adA'antages of poultry keeping are very 
great, as most of my readers knoAv, and if one 
has the time to take good care of foAvls, they 
can bo made as profitable as any other business. 
It is, hoAvever, very foolish to sujipose that 
immense profits could be made by keeping fowls, 
and those Avho have started with this idea in 
mind have very naturally met Avith disappoint- 
ment and given up poultry-keeping in disgust. 
In poulti'y-raising as in many other kinds of 
business, a strict attention to details is necessary 
in order to insure success. The jioultry-keeper 
