466 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 5 
Rural isms ■ 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Our Latest Experience With Toma¬ 
toes. —Having had good success in pre¬ 
vious attempts to grow Winter tomatoes 
in a comparatively low temperature, 
ranging from 40 degrees on cold nights 
to 80 in bright sunshine, with an aver¬ 
age not exceeding 50 degrees, we in¬ 
creased the number of plants last Fall 
to 24, placing 12 singly in 14-inch pots 
spaced two feet apart each way on the 
floor of the greenhouse, six in 12-inch 
pots on an end bench, two feet high, and 
six in a border, one foot wide and eight 
inches deep, against the north wall, in 
the most favorable position of all as re¬ 
gards light and freedom from cold-air 
currents. The seeds were planted Au¬ 
gust 20, the young plants soon pricked 
out into two-inch pots, and subsequent¬ 
ly shifted to four and six-inch sizes as 
growth progressed. The variety was a 
selected Lorillard, crossed in repeated 
generations with Dwarf Champion, and 
later with Sutton’s Best of All. The 
idea has been to increase size of fruit 
and general productiveness, while gain¬ 
ing a more compact plant. The latter 
desired feature, in this case, is a com¬ 
plete failure, the plants after six years’ 
breeding being phenomenally tall grow¬ 
ers, but size and productiveness under 
adverse conditions have been clearly 
gained, though at the expense of the at¬ 
tractive uniformity of color found in the 
Lorillard. Crimson fruited plants still 
occasionally appear as a result of the 
Dwarf Champion influence, though seed 
selection is rigidly made from plants 
bearing bright scarlet fruits. This seems 
the more singular as the result of the 
first cross-pollination between Lorillard 
and Dwarf Champion was the brilliant 
scarlet-fruited dwarf Quarter Century, 
now becoming a standard garden va¬ 
riety in many localities. During the sec¬ 
ond week of October a final selection 
was made, and the plants transferred to 
permanent quarters, merely filling pot¬ 
ting compost level about the six-inch 
ball of earth and roots, leaving the ad¬ 
ditional space to be filled by repeated 
top-dressings as growth progressed. All 
made a good start, and commenced to 
bloom in November, the first fruits be¬ 
ginning to ripen by Christmas. We 
wanted a practical test of the earning 
capacity of these 24 plants under local 
conditions, and disposed of the toma¬ 
toes as they ripened to a local grocer, 
receiving the uniform price of 20 cents 
a pound throughout the season, which 
lasted until nearly May 1. The total 
number of pounds sold was 148, averag¬ 
ing five tomatoes to the pound, for 
which the sum of $29.60 was received. 
This is a less amount than might have 
been realized from good crops of rad¬ 
ishes or lettuce from the same space, 
but our market for such products is 
usually over-supplied, making shipments 
to distant points a necessity. The yield 
of six pounds of marketable fruits to a 
plant is very moderate, and does not 
equal the best averages. We have grown 
10 pounds to a plant when a single row 
bordered the north wall of the green¬ 
house, and received unobstructed light, 
but when standing several rows deep 
many blooms are certain to fail during 
the short gloomy days of midwinter. 
These plants grew vigorously from the 
start, and as soon as roots appeared near 
the surface a top-dressing of good soil 
containing about one-third old rotted 
manure was applied. Later, when fair¬ 
ly set with fruits, applications were 
given of various liquid fertilizers, occa¬ 
sionally fortified with a half-ounce of 
nitrate of soda to the gallon. Tomatoes 
will always respond to judicious appli¬ 
cations of nitrogen if given in an avail¬ 
able form. 
The promising start of these plants 
was offset by severe attacks of Tomato 
blight caused by infection of a brown 
mildew, Cladosporium fulvum, always 
common in tomato houses, and especial¬ 
ly prevalent in late Winter. It grows 
in velvety patches on the older leaves, 
causing them to shrivel up and die. It 
seldom kills a plant outright, but great¬ 
ly weakens it,and reduces the yield when 
at all severe. The experiment station 
people claim that Bordeaux Mixture or 
a solution of potassium sulphide, one 
ounce to two gallons of water, will pre¬ 
vent attacks of this troublesome fungus, 
but it is quite certain nothing will clear 
the plants when it is once established. 
Bordeaux is troublesome to use in con¬ 
fined quarters in a greenhouse, and the 
potassium sulphide solution has the ob¬ 
jection of blackening white paint wher¬ 
ever it touches. Dry Bordeaux and pow¬ 
dered sulphur applications are useless, 
but something may be done in hindering 
the spread of the trouble by keeping the 
heating pipes painted with a wash of 
lime thickened with a liberal proportion 
of sulphur. Once established on fruit¬ 
ing plants about the only thing of any 
real use, aside from coating the heating 
pipes as above, is to cut away the af¬ 
fected foliage as fast as the disease 
spreads. It is quite remarkable how 
rapidly the new growth advances under 
this apparently severe treatment if the 
plants are well and continuously fed 
with soluble nitrates. We cut diseased 
leaves away by the bushel, repeatedly 
baring the stems, almost to the growing 
tip, and yet the new growth quickly 
pushed forth and the plants kept on 
bearing, producing the finest fruits at 
the end of the season. The debilitating 
effect, however, was apparent in the di¬ 
minished total weight of product. This 
harsh defoliation had the effect of un¬ 
duly stimulating vine growth, and we 
found it necessary in February to take 
down the canes, which had been trained 
to a single stem about a vertical cord 
suspended from the sash bars in the 
usual manner, presenting the appear¬ 
ance of bare stems five to eight feet 
high with a tuft of young and still 
healthy leaves near the glass, the dis¬ 
eased foliage having been cut away be¬ 
low. A framework of light poles was 
arranged about three feet from the floor, 
the leafless canes lashed horizontally to 
the poles for an average distance of four 
feet, and the growing tips directed up 
as before. During this apparently sim¬ 
ple operation several vines were twist¬ 
ed or so sharply bent as to split open, 
but they continued growing and bearing 
fully as well as the uninjured ones, the 
wounds healing very quickly. In due 
time these foreshortened vines again 
reached the glass, and were then 
stopped by pinching out the tips, after a 
total growth of 12 to 14 feet. 
In February the dreaded “White fly,” 
a minute little milk-white scale insect, 
usually common in houses where toma¬ 
toes or other semi-tropical plants are 
grown, appeared in great numbers. The 
immature White fly is a scale-like body 
clustering on the under surfaces of the 
leaves, while the adult form flies freely 
about like a gnat. The scales do not 
greatly injure the foliage unless in over¬ 
whelming numbers, but copiously secrete 
a honey-like liquid which falls on vine 
and fruit, encouraging the growth of 
sticky molds, which in turn are likely 
to excite decay. They appear almost 
immune to any insecticide spray that 
may be safely applied to tomatoes and 
other soft-leaved plants, and the most 
effectual relief is gained by cutting 
away and destroying the foliage most 
affected. Tobacco fumigation, regular¬ 
ly maintained, considerably disturbs the 
adult flies, a heavy “smoke” bringing 
thousands to the ground, but when ap- 
If you want a harvesting machine that 
is reliable—one that will work success¬ 
fully in all conditions of grain—buy the 
McCormick.— Adv. 
plied within the limits of safety to fo¬ 
liage nearly always fails to kill. With 
care in examining all soft-leaved plants 
and destroying every visible scale clus¬ 
ter a glasshouse may be quite free from 
this pest the greater part of a Winter, 
but as leaf growth crowds all available 
space some individuals are likely to es¬ 
cape observation, and a rapid increase 
soon takes place. We seldom hear of a 
tomato house clear of the infliction some 
time during the growing season. Most 
growers agree that tomatoes are not 
profitable as grown in Winter in this 
latitude at a less average price than 25 
cents a pound, and we are inclined to 
agree with the conclusion. They are 
interesting and satisfactory to grow for 
home use if a proper equipment can be 
had. Improved methods of culture and 
the development of varieties adapted to 
fruiting under Winter glasshouse condi¬ 
tions may further cheapen the cost of 
pioduction. The quality of perfect 
glass-grown tomatoes is so high and the 
fruit so acceptable to nearby consumers 
in comparison with the southern pro¬ 
duct received during Winter that a 
ready sale is quite certain in any pros¬ 
perous locality. We found consumers 
readily paid 30 cents a pound for our 
product, and highly praised the quality, 
but we wished to ascertain the actual 
earning capacity of our plants under the 
ordinary conditions of trade. The total 
product, counting the tomatoes used on 
the table, amounted to 180 pounds, with 
several pounds of immature fruits when 
the vines were taken down in May. The 
plants in 14-inch pots produced the best 
fruits, those in the border coming next; 
12-inch pots do not give sufficient root 
room, the fruits being smaller, though 
freely produced. By the end of the sea¬ 
son repeated top-dressings had filled the 
pots nearly full. Without constant feed¬ 
ing our plants could scarcely have sur¬ 
vived the attacks of mildew and insect 
parasite. w. v. f. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee8th page. 
PAYING 
PER ANNUM 
5 % 
on Sums of 
$50.00 and 
Upward , 
Reckoned 
from Day of 
Deposit and 
P’d Quarter¬ 
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T h i s Com pan y ope rates 
in improved Real Estate 
in New York, where true 
values are known and 
where there is no ele¬ 
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risk. We pay depositors 
a fair interest. While 
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nine years increased 
our assets to over 
$1,600,000. Surplus of over $186,000. 
H'e Khali welcome the opportunity to furnish 
prospective depositors with further information. 
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1134-5 Broadway, New York 
ELECTRIC 
FOR STRENGTH 
You are through with 
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ELECTRIC WHEEL CO., BOX 88. QUINCY, ILLINOIS.- 
The Gem Full-Circle Baler, lightest, strongest, cheapest 
baler. Made of wrought steel. Operated by 1 or 2 horses. 
Bales 10 to 15 tons a day. Sold on 5 days' trial. Catalogue 
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Before Buying a New Harness 
Send 4c. postage for Illustrated Catalogue; full 
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double Oak Leather Harness direct 
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KING HARNESS CO., 
610 Church St., Owego, N. Y. 
TarWersi 
can save money by using and make money 
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WATER. 
If you want water only when the wind blows a windmill will do your work 
and cost less money than our ltider and Ericsson Hot-Air Pumps, but If yon want 
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Rider-Ericsson Engine Company, 
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New York State Fair 
Grand Horse Show 
Will rival anything ever given at a State Fair. 
The finest horses used for coaching and equestrian 
purposes will be In the show ring Many of the 
equipages shown at the New York Horse Show will 
be seen at the Fair. 
The Agricultural Exhibits 
Will be one of the greatest attractions of the Fair. 
The frultshow will be worth traveling a longdistance 
to see. 
The Live Stock 
The finest breeds of cattle, sheep and swine will be on 
exhibition. The most noted stock farms will compete 
for the prizes The remarkable exhibit of last year 
will be greatly exceeded this year both in numbers 
and quality. Stock buildings thoroughly disinfected 
Grand Circuit Races 
Promise to produce some of the most interesting 
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country will compete for the large purses. 
September 8 to 13, 1902. 
GENERAL ADMISSION, 25 CENTS. 
Send for Prize List. S. C. SHAVER, Secretary. 
$6( 
),0( 
)0 
IN 
PREMIUMS 
AND 
PURSES 
$6( 
),0( 
)0 
