1 8 C01.0RAD0 AGRICU1.TURAL College 
tities of tomatoes at Fort Lewis with little trouble. Success with 
this crop depends upon the selection of early varieties and proper 
handling. The warmest, sunniest location in the garden should be 
chosen for planting to tomatoes, and the soil should not be too 
rich. The plants should not be over irrigated, but given just 
enough water to keep them growing. 
Seed should be sown about April 1st, and a hotbed is very de- 
sirable for this purpose, although plants may be grown in the 
window of the living room or kitchen. Planting earlier than the 
first of April is not recommended as the plants become stunted 
before time to put them in the fields. Small boxes of soil make 
convenient places for planting the seed. When the plants have 
formed the second pair of leaves they should be transplanted into 
other boxes of soil, giving them about two inches apart each way. 
As the plants should be well developed and of good size when 
planted outdoors, they ought to be given still another transplant- 
ing when they have begun to crowd. If six-inch paper or clay 
pots can be used for this, better results will be obtained as the 
plants will then not have their roots disturbed when set outdoors. 
These pots may be secured from the nearest florist or may be 
ordered from seed houses. Since the home garden does not re- 
quire a large number of plants this is not an expensive item. Clay 
pots may be used for ‘years, but the less expensive paper ones will 
last only one season. 
The plants should be grown with as little check as possible 
until about June 15th when they should be planted in their per- 
manent places in the garden. If transplanted without disturbing 
the root system, the plant will grow off without a check. Four 
feet apart each way is about the right distance to set the plants. 
If the points mentioned above are observed success will fol- 
low. There seems to be a slight advantage in the matter of earli- 
ness, in training the plants to a single stem. This is accomplished 
by pinching out lateral branches when just starting. The single- j 
stemed plant so obtained should be tied to a stake to hold it up, as ! 
it will reach a height of four to six feet, before the season is over, j 
It may be stopped at any desired height by pinching out the tip. j 
Only the earliest varieties of tomatoes should be tried. Spark’s ; 
Earliana has always given us the earliest fruits, though some 
others are just about as early. Of these the following have proven : 
most desirable: I. X. L., Prosperity, King of the Earlies, Bur- 
bank, Earliest of All. Chalk’s Early Jewel and John Baer, both 
much grown in Colorado, have not succeeded at Fort Lewis. 
We have been able to grow the large bell peppers with less 
trouble than tomatoes. The plants may be handled the same asj 
tomatoes, except that it is not necessary to transplant into pots 
