CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
453 
largest yields of which I have personal knowledge and 
which ran from 1,000 to 1,200 bushels of fruit (accept- 
able for canning, and at least two-thirds of it of prime 
market quality) an acre, four were grown on soils classed 
as clay loam, two on heavy clay — one so heavy that clay 
for making brick was subsequently taken from the very 
spot which yielded the most and best fruit — one on what 
had been a black ash swamp, one on a sandy muck, two 
on a sandy loam and one on a light sand made very rich 
by heavy annual manuring for several years. They 
were all perfectly watered and drained, in good heart, 
liberally fertilized with manures of proved right propor- 
tions for each field, and above all, the fields were put into 
and kept in perfect tilth by methods suited to each case.” 
Sandy soils are, of course, especially desirable for the 
early crop; they are also injured less by tramping over 
the ground when gathering the crop in wet weather, and 
the cost of tillage is not so great as in clay soils. In In- 
diana (Ind. Sta. Bill. 144, p. 512) “the highest yields are 
being secured on sandy loam soils well drained, and 
comparatively rich in plant food. On the heavier soils 
the yields have not been so large as on the lighter types, 
although the tomatoes are usually more firm and meaty, 
which it is considered makes them better adapted for 
canning. On lighter soils, as a rule, the fruits are more 
juicy and the meat is less solid.” While the sandy types 
are perhaps preferred in all of the states, large areas are 
often grown on heavy soils. In any case, however, the 
drainage must be perfect if large yields are expected. 
There is abundant evidence that the fruits of many 
varieties, especially the early ones, are smoother and 
more symmetrical when grown on sandy soils. 
For the early crop, location and exposure should be 
carefully considered. Protection from the north and 
west winds is a great advantage and southern slopes 
favor early maturity. 
