100S. J 
THE RURAL NEW-VORKER 
103 
A DUCK OF A SWEET POTATO. Fig. 81. 
ible evidence to offer except the silent evidence of 
the plant itself as I see it at work, I am inclined to 
believe the successful early tomato grower of the fu¬ 
ture must produce a more natural plant; sow his 
seed about March 1 to 4 for this section, transplant 
to cold frames one month later, and grow as near natu¬ 
rally as possible. The last cold backward Spring 
demonstrated forcibly what can be done in this way. 
Most of the growers bad made up their minds to be¬ 
gin operations later. They did so; that was added 
to by cold and inclement weather, thus causing slower 
growth. Many of the plants that were set in this vi¬ 
cinity were not half the size of former years; never¬ 
theless there was one of the largest tomato crops 
harvested that ever grew in old Monmouth. Some 
one will say they were not early. Granted, but the 
volume of crop more than made up for what was 
lacking in earliness. I do not want to be understood 
as advocating late crops in preference to early ones, 
but I firmly believe the zealousness of the grower in 
his efforts to beat his fellow man and grow a very 
large woody plant should be discouraged. The little 
evidence at hand seems to point strongly toward a 
plant of smaller size, vigorous and full of growth at 
time of setting in the field. Then bring it to a suc¬ 
cessful finish by judicious and intelligent cultivation. 
It will put more dollars in the grower’s pocket than 
will the overgrown stunted woody plant that has 
been so largely set. The above has been my observa¬ 
tion, and practice seems so far to confirm it. 
I am also of the belief that plants grown from 
early-sown seed where they have to be grown in 
dark, cloudy weather and long nights, kept shut up 
pasture lots that have not been broken up for several 
years. Ground of this kind usually gives the best re¬ 
sults for growing vine fruits, and when planted to 
watermelons and thoroughly cultivated, leaving but one 
vine to each hill, the result is sometimes surprising in 
the yield of large melons. But where the correspond¬ 
ent desires to raise a few large specimens, perhaps a 
dozen hills or less, that are well prepared, will be suffi¬ 
cient. In this case I would advise selecting a warm ex¬ 
posure and dig holes for the hills about the same as 
for planting trees, excepting they should be placed 
closer together. At a distance of 10 feet each way 
after removing some of the clay or subsoil it should 
be leplaced by friable sods and well composted horse 
manure to within three or four inches of the surface. 
As young watermelon plants delight in a rich sandy 
loam this should be obtained and the hills formed with 
it, each sloping to the south, thus affording ample pro¬ 
tection to the young plants. Seed from the large vari¬ 
eties should be planted about the first ot May in this 
locality, and a liberal quantity used so as to insure a 
good start from the first planting; then gradually thin 
to one vine to each hill. Stir the soil often around 
tin plants and cultivate thoroughly. When the young 
melons begin to form remove all but the two that ap¬ 
pear to be the most thrifty. When these two are well 
advanced and when it can be determined which of the 
two is the more promising, cut the inferior one from 
the vine and allow no others to grow during the sea¬ 
son. It is sometimes surprising to see how fast a 
melon or cucumber will, grow after the one below it 
or nearest roots of the plant has been removed. Water¬ 
melons, when setting fruit, use a great 
deal of water, and a most excellent 
way to supply them is to use a weak 
solution of manure water, pouring at 
least a pailful around each hill two or 
three times a week; if the drainage has 
been made thorough under the hill and 
the solution weak there will be no in¬ 
jury to the plants. Some of the largest 
specimens I have ever seen were pro¬ 
duced about as described. 
Monmouth Co., N. J. t. m. white. 
in the house or beds for fear cold air will blast them, 
are one of the main causes of blight. Another is that 
after transplanting to cold frames and plants begin 
growth soon they get so large before it is time to se' 
in the field they have to be checked in growth. An¬ 
other thing is quite largely done, and that is trim¬ 
ming of the leaves in the cold frames to keep the 
plant from shading itself and the soil, causing it to 
run up and become too tall. All this is contrary to 
nature, and one and all of the above tend to put the 
plant in just the right condition to receive blight 
germs once they come floating along. Last season in¬ 
dicated that this is the case; we had very little blight, 
and yet it was in some fields, and where found was 
invariably on plants that were old and woody and 
had been held back. I offer this not as conclusive 
evidence that my belief is correct, but as something 
for every tomato grower to consider and- experiment 
for himself. c. c. hulsakt. 
MONEY IN CURRANTS. 
I have been recpiested by several cor¬ 
respondents to name the variety of cur¬ 
rant mentioned on page 59. The name 
is Pomona, and I was also requested to 
give a short history of the plantation. 
It was planted six years ago. The last 
three years I have a record of the yield 
as follows: 1905, four tons 300 pounds; 
1906, five tons GOO pounds; 1907, eight 
tons 200 pounds. The article referred 
to was correct with the exception that 
the price per pound was 5 y 2 cents in¬ 
stead of 5J4 cents. The gross receipts for the year 
1907 were $891. The expenses were $231.70, leaving 
a net return of $659.30. The amount of fertilizer 
used was 200 pounds nitrate of soda, 700 pounds acid 
phosphate and 400 pounds muriate of potash. I will 
reduce the fertilizer the coming year to 100 pounds 
of nitrate of soda, 500 pounds of acid phosphate and 
200 pounds muriate of potash. The Pomona currant 
sets more fruit buds than any other currant that I 
have ever grown; it will stand forcing where the Fay 
GROWING BIG MELONS. 
THE EARLY TOMATO PLANT. 
Experience From New Jersey. 
The production of early tomatoes for the many 
markets within our reach for three or four decades 
ONE WAV TO SELL VEGETABLES. Fig. 80. 
in this and many other of the tide-water sections 
of our State has been fraught with so much keen 
interest by growers that it is becoming a science 
and an art to produce this crop and make it yield 
a maximum harvest. Thirty or more years ago, 
when the writer first began growing early tomatoes, 
we had varieties that would produce a 
crop sometime during the season un¬ 
der almost any method of handling, 
but we did not have quality. We had 
principally skin, seeds and water. As 
time passed and other and better var¬ 
ieties were introduced it soon became 
apparent to the thinking farmer that 
growing this crop and getting best re¬ 
sults was to be no longer child’s play. 
The grower had to have a better knowl¬ 
edge of the plant and its requirements. 
Every grower began work on his own 
responsibility; one or two would come 
out at the end of the race away ahead 
of his fellows, every other grower 
wanted his method at once, and the suc¬ 
cessful ones naturally thought they had 
solved the problem and knew it all, only 
to be disappointed in the near future by 
having some other grower come out 
ahead. Discussions followed, arguments 
were entered into and all sorts of con¬ 
clusions guessed at. Many were quite 
successful, and those most so were grow¬ 
ing a very large plant. If a grower was 
quite successful for some years he would keep trying 
to produce a larger plant each season; it eventually 
went so far that plants were taken to the field from 
cold frames a foot high, and in many instances as 
stout as one’s small finger, and with from one to 
five young tomatoes formed. This fruit set would 
always stick, and the grower would think he was 
exactly right, and begin to brag to his fellows how 
far ahead he was with his crop. That did not last 
long; blight began to appear and play havoc among 
the plants. 
Another thing was discovered. The plants that 
were the most forward and held the most of the 
crown set of fruit invariably produced the smallest 
crop as a whole, and many times blight seized the 
plants, causing additional loss. This was carried to 
such an extreme that from sowing seeds about April 
5 to 7 30 years ago it was gradually changed till al¬ 
most all growers sowed the early tomato seed as 
early, as February 23 to 25. These young plants 
would be ready for transplanting in one month, and 
must be bandied when ready; ofttimes it would be 
cold, and young plants would get chilled in handling 
but would grow and get large enough for the field 
long before it was time to put them out; hence they 
had to be held, this being done by stripping off the 
glass and exposing to the cold winds of early Spring. 
^ et with all this study and supposed knowledge 
gained the crop was annually decreasing in volume. 
J he advocate of a large plant with age was slow to 
accept any suggestion that plants were too large or 
Stunted by holding, or were too long in beds; he did 
not want to accept that, nevertheless an object lesson 
would appear somewhere in every neighborhood on 
some grower’s farm where, seeds had been sown later 
and transplanting to cold frames done likewise later, 
and many times set in field later would yield a much 
larger crop and show less leaf or stem blight. The 
writer has been watching this matter of size and age 
of plant for some years, and while I have no tang¬ 
I would like (o know how to grow large watermelons. 
What kind of manure is best, and how to prepare the soil 
In the best way? f, g. 
Abseeon, N. J. 
Watermelons always succeed best on new or virgin 
soil. Those large Georgia melons, and also those from 
North and South Carolina, that are always so attrac¬ 
tive in our northern markets, are usually grown on new 
lands that were recently cleared of timber. Land of 
this kind is quite easily brought to a state of cultivation 
by first growing a crop of oats, corn and cotton. These 
are followed by planting such crops as potatoes, both 
white and sweet, and watermelons, and they are so 
well adapted to soil of this nature that they grow 
almost absolutely perfect. But we cannot always have 
the advantage in every locality of such suitable soil, and 
we are therefore obliged to resort to or prepare such 
ground as will nearest approach them for commercial 
culture. 1 his will be found in young clover sod or 
AN AGENT OF THE APPLE CONSUMERS’ LEAGUE. 
Fig. 82. 
and Wilder will run to wood with heavy fertilizing. 
I have the San Jose scale under control by using the 
lime-sulphur wash under the direction of Mr. B. D. 
Van Buren, our local examiner for this distret, who 
is doing valuable work for the fruit growers of 
Niagara County. frank l. young. 
