1911 . 
THIS RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
497 
NEW PLAN OF TOMATO GROWING. 
Part I. 
Bottomless Paper Pots. —When I be¬ 
gan growing tomatoes for market I 
tried the advertised paper plant pots 
to save one transplanting. I found two 
objections. They do not remain square 
at the top, which makes it difficult to 
fit them closely together in the cold 
frame, and the bottom, being several 
thicknesses of paper, cuts off the capil¬ 
lar}' action, which makes it difficult to 
gauge the moisture properly. I worked 
out a plan that I think is a decided im¬ 
provement. I went to a local printer 
and got the paper, or cardboard as the 
printer calls it, cut '4x23 inches. It is 
about the weight they usually use for 
printing public sale bills, etc., and cost 
$1.50 per 1,000, which is less than half 
what I paid for the others. By folding 
these tightly around a block of wood 
3x3 inches high and four inches high, 
slipping off and putting in a pin, we 
have a square pot with no bottom. 
These are pressed flat and packed 1,000 
in a bunch for convenience, until 
wanted. When ready to use I open, 
give a quick pinch on the corners not 
folded and the box will stand almost 
perfectly square. These fit nicely to¬ 
gether and can be opened, shaped and 
set more rapidly than the others could 
be placed, and are much more conven¬ 
ient. I can carry 1,000 of them in at 
once, while with the others I would have 
15 bushels or more. I place several 
rows at a time, drop a little well-rotted 
manure in each one, press down, then 
fill in the soil with a shovel, set a plant 
in each box, then fill in more soil until 
the boxes cannot be seen. This prevents 
the air from getting in and drying too 
rapidly. When ready for the field I slip 
a trowel under and place them on a 
stone boat to haul out to the field. The 
manure serves every purpose of the 
paper bottom, while it does not inter¬ 
fere with the moisture either going 
down or coming up. It is not so neces¬ 
sary to remove these boxes and if we do 
wish to take them off they are much 
more easily removed than those with 
bottoms. 
Pruning the Vines.— Our greatest 
improvement, however, has been in 
adopting a system of pruning, originated 
a few years ago by J. F. Littooy, then 
of Washington. In that section along 
the Puget Sound it was thought by most 
people that tomatoes could not be 
grown, except a few green ones for 
pickles. A few succeeded in ripening 
some, but they said that the Earliana 
was the only variety that could be 
grown successfully. As the result of a 
little controversy Mr. Littooy got seeds 
from all the varieties he could obtain 
readily, 36 in all, and ripened tomatoes 
from each of them. Others tried his 
pruning system, and soon were grow¬ 
ing tomatoes for the local markets 
which, I think had never been known 
in that section before. There the vines 
grow very rank at the expense of the 
fruit, as they do in the East in cool 
wet seasons, only more so. I begin 
pruning by pinching out the head when 
there are about six well-developed 
leaves, leaving four good leaves. No 
matter if there are blossom buds I pinch 
them out just the same. This may not 
look like getting early tomatoes, but we 
do get more early fruit. The object is 
to start the branches quickly. When 
these are well started if there are more 
than four we take them off, leaving the 
best ones and as well balanced as 
may be. 
Four Limbs Wanted.— Now we want 
just these four limbs and no more 
branches. As they grow they start 
branches from the axil of nearly every 
leaf. These are snapped off. While 
small they break easily. I seldom use a 
knife unless the work has been neglected 
and some of the branches have grown 
six or eight inches. I sometimes find 
blossoms on these large branches, and 
there is a strong inclination to leave 
them on, but there is absolutely nothing 
gained by leaving more than the four 
main limbs; it only increases the work. 
On each of these four limbs we find 
three leaves, then a cluster of fruit, 
three more leaves, another fruit cluster, 
etc. When the third cluster is well set 
to fruit the rule is to pinch off the end, 
leaving two leaves above the last clus¬ 
ter. But in my practice I often find by 
this time the plant is too busy maturing 
the fruit to make much more vine, so 
let the tips take care of themselves. We 
have 12 fruit clusters on the vine which 
is plenty. I remove no leaves, but treat 
all branches as weeds, and it is im¬ 
portant that they be removed while 
small, that all the vigor of the plant 
may go to making fruit. I use no sup¬ 
ports. The tomatoes are all exposed to 
the sun and the picker can see all the 
ripe ones without moving any vines. I 
think sometimes that it would pay us to 
prune for the convenience of picking 
alone. I can start my plants about 10 
days earlier, for, when headed out, we 
can hold them in the cold frame that 
much longer, as they cannot grow tall 
and spindly, and we have the branches 
well started when they go to the field, so 
that we get blossoms as soon as on 
plants not pruned, and have four clus¬ 
ters instead of one; each of these will 
produce full clusters of fruit. The first 
blossoms that appear in the center of a 
plant seldom produce good fruit and if 
they do there is too long a space be¬ 
tween that and the next ones. Even 
with plants of the same age, while it is 
possible to get the first ripe tomatoes 
sometimes without pruning, I know I 
get far more real early by pruning them. 
It is necessary to go over the patch 
about three times, sometimes more. 
When a branch is broken off they 
never start another from the same place, 
and we have that much of the vine fin¬ 
ished. When we have gone all over the 
vine we care not how much it rains or 
how rich the soil is; they must make 
tomatoes if they grow at all, for they 
cannot grow more vine. With this sys¬ 
tem there is no danger of getting the 
soil too rich with anything like a bal¬ 
anced fertilizer. I prune both early and 
late varieties and can ripen 90 per cent 
or more of the late ones every year, 
even when many are complaining that 
they can’t get half their crop to ripen. 
1 have tried staking and pruning to a 
single stem, but it is more work and less 
tomatoes. b. v. egbert. 
Pennsylvania. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
It. X.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
‘ square deal." See guarantee editorial page. 
REASONED IT OUT 
And Found a Change in Food Put 
Him Right. 
A man does not count as wasted the 
time he spends in thinking over his busi¬ 
ness, but he seems loth to give the same 
sort of careful attention to himself and 
to his health. And yet his business would 
be worth little without good health to 
care for it. A business man tells how he 
did himself good by carefully thinking 
over his physical condition, investigating 
to find out what was needed, and then 
changing to the right food. 
"For some years I had been bothered 
a great deal after meals. My food seemed 
to lay like lead in my stomach, produc¬ 
ing heaviness and dullness and some¬ 
times positive pain. Of course this ren¬ 
dered me more or less unfit for busi¬ 
ness, and I made up my mind that 
something would have to be done. 
"Reflection led me to the conclusion 
that over-eating, filling the stomach with 
indigestible food, was responsible for 
many of the ills that human flesh en¬ 
dures, and that I was punishing myself 
in that way—that was what was making 
me so dull, heavy and uncomfortable, 
and unfit for business after meals. I con¬ 
cluded to try Grape-Nuts food to see 
what it could do for me. 
"I have been using it for some months 
now, and am glad to say that I do not 
suffer any longer after meals; my food 
seems to assimilate easily and perfectly, 
and to do the work for which it was in¬ 
tended. 
“I have regained my normal weight, 
and find that business is a pleasure once 
more—can take more interest in it, and 
my mind is clearer and more alert.” 
Name given by Postum Co., Battle 
Creek, Mich. 
Read "The Road to Wellville,” in 
pkgs. "There’s a Reason.” 
Ever read the above letter ? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, true, and full of human interest. 
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY 
Potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloups, 
small fruits, orchards, can be sprayed , at 
slight; comparative cost for protection against 
blight, bugs, scale, etc..with an "IKON AGE" 
SPRAYER. Also, actually increases the 
yield. The machine is adjustable to various 
width rows —solution thoroughly mixed— 
delivered in a fine spray that covers the plant 
—single or double acting pumps—three. fout> six or seven 
rows— one or two horses—55 or 100 gallon steel or wood 
tanks. Has orchard attachment and many others. 
IBONACB arm and^Gardeo Tool* 
aro practical, affective, economical 
They give permanent satisfac¬ 
tion. We have been making 
the dependable kind for 75 VA 
years. Formulas for 
solutions furnished on >> . 
application. Write for 
our 1 free Anniversary 
Catalog; showing pota- __ 
to machinery, horse hoes, cultivators and complete line^ 
of garden drills, wheel hoes, orchard tools, etc. ^ [ 
BATEMAN M’F’G CO. Box 1029 Grenloch, N. J.l 
You Nail Users — 
Look closely at this illustration. 
See how the fibres of wood are hooked 
down, firmly holding the fresh driven nail. 
But unless this nail is proof against rust the 
hole will be enlarged. Frost and moisture 
penetrate. The wood fibres decay. The nail 
loosens and literally falls out. 
Now multiply what happens to one nail by 
what happens to all the nails in your roof, 
fence or clapboarding. 
And you have the reason why work nailed 
with ordinary steel and wire nails, thinly coated 
nails and “galvanized ” nails, does not last. 
And you have the reason, too, why it is nat 
economy to use such nails. 
By paying a little more you can get “MIFCo” 
heavy zinc coated nails. 
Every hundredweight of these enduring 
nails is coated with 12 pounds of pure zinc. 
And zinc, like copper, is indestructible. 
Builders’ stories and the drawn nails them¬ 
selves prove that “MIFCo” nails, driven 
in shingles 29 years ago, are free from rust. 
You who use nails — farmers, builders and 
architects — don’t spend a cent for any nails 
till you learn all about “MIFCo” brand. 
If your hardware dealer isn’t supplied send 
us your name and address. 
We’ll send the nearest dealer’s name and an 
interesting booklet. 
MALLEABLE IRON FITTINGS CO., Branford, Ct. 
Cents a Rod 
i For 18-ln. 14 3-4e for 22-ln. Hog [B=IS=IB=8 
; Fence; 15c for 2G-lnch; 18 8-le 
. for 32-lnch; 25e for a 47-inch ^ ! 
’ Farm Fence. 48-lneh Poultry jk 1 
1 fence 28 l-2e. Sold on 30 days 
■trial. 80 rod spool Ideal Barb [ 
1 Wire $1.45 Catalogue free. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
AMERICAN 
Steel Fence Post 
Cheaper Than Wood 
and More Durable 
Many years of experimenting 
with metal fence posts have 
developed this post. It is 
now thoroughly practical, fill¬ 
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farm, in the town, for rail¬ 
roads and wherever fence posts 
are used. 
Made of tough steel, heavily 
zinc coated. Durability 
proven by us—ten years’ ac¬ 
tual use showing good as new. 
Means a big reduction in 
fence cost and maintenance. 
40-page catalog sent free, fully 
illustrating and describing. Send 
for it. 
Sold by dealers everywhere. Ask 
dealer to show samples and quote 
prices, or write us direct. 
American Steel 6 Wire Co. 
Chicago : 
115 Adams Street 
Denver: 
First Nat. Bank Bldg. 
New York: 
SO Church Street 
San Francisco: 
16 th and Folsom Sts. 
FROST 
WIRE FENCES 
A Heavy Fence made of Hard wire, 
built with one purpose lu view, 
that of lasting and satisfactory 
service. No repairs. Free cirtalog 
upon request. Ask your dealer. 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE CO. 0 
Box 230 MUNCIE, INO. 
6=1 
DE^FARM 
EALTH and peace join 
hands to bring happiness 
to all while prosperity shines brightly ’round 
the farm fenced with 
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In quality of material, method of construdion, durability 
with real service, as well as in distinctive appearance, 
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Electrically Welded 
at the joints, these are the fence’s strongest parts. “ One 
solid piece of metal ” aptly phrases it. Through the hard¬ 
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and firm. 
Open Hearth Wire, made from our own formula and perfectly galvan¬ 
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Manufacturers of “Pittsburgh Perfect ” Brands of Barbed Wire; LOOK FC.. 
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and “Pittsburgh Perfect” Electrically Welded Fence 
