VEGETABLE GARDENING 
462 
some tests at the stations are not favorable. The objec- 
tion usually raised is, the expense of single-stem training. 
More plants are required to the acre; stakes must be pro- 
vided, placed, removed after harvest and stored for the 
next crop ; the axillary buds must be pinched out weekly 
and the plants tied to the stakes. These operations in- 
volve considerable labor and no grower should adopt the 
system unless he is certain of the required labor. 
Single-stem training is practiced most extensively in 
the vicinity of Marietta, O. Probably 500 acres were 
staked in that region in the summer of 1910. In one field 
one often sees 20,000 to 30,000 plants, and at the height 
of the season, 10 or more cars are shipped in a day, all 
of the crop having been grown by this method. The 
pink tomatoes — Beauty, Acme, Globe, and June Pink — 
are the most popular varieties at Marietta. The strong, 
vigorous plants are set in check rows about 4 feet apart 
and the plants 30 inches apart in the row, 4,000 to 5,000 
plants being generally set to the acre. The stakes are 
from 1 to i l /> inches in diameter and 5 feet long, and are 
driven in the ground when the plants are set. They are 
split by hand from oak, since split stakes are stronger and 
more durable than sawed ones. The average cost of 
these stakes at Marietta is about I cent each. The plant 
is tied to the stake as soon as possible after planting. 
All side buds are nipped as soon as they appear. The 
plant is nipped when it reaches the top of the stake. It 
is supported by tying with coarse twine or raffia at four 
different places. 
It is estimated that the average yield in the Marietta 
region is from 10 to 15 pounds, and that re- 
ceipts run from 5 to 13 cents a plant. The tomatoes 
are packed in splint baskets holding 25 to 35 pounds, 
and shipped in refrigerator cars. Nearly all sales are 
made through the local association. 
Another plan used sometimes, especially when there 
