TREATMENT OF TOMATOES. 
63 1 
ARTICLE V. 
ON THE TREATMENT OF THE LOVE-APPLE, OR TOMATOES, 
CAPSICUMS, AND NASTURTIUMS. 
BY SAGE. 
In the beginning of March, the seeds of the Tomatoes, (Lycopersi- 
cum esculentum of Dunal; Solanum lycopersicum of Lin,) should 
he sown in pots of rich mould, aud covered about half an inch deep 
with the same, well sifted; these pots should he placed in a melon 
or cucumber frame, and duly watered, until the seeds begin to vege¬ 
tate, when they should be removed into the pinery or stove, and as 
soon as the plants appear in second leaf pot them off in rich mould, 
either a single plant in each small pot to be repotted again in a short 
time, or three planted in a pot about six inches diameter, and five 
inches deep. When potted give them a gentle watering, and place 
them in a shady part of the house, for a few days. When they have 
begun to grow, remove them to a more exposed situation, or they 
will be liable to draw; care must be taken not to allow that destruc¬ 
tive insect, the red spider (Acarus) to retard the growth of the plants, 
but as soon as any are observed, syringe the plants occasionally with 
a weak solution of sulphur and tobacco water; also sprinkle them 
over head every morning and night with clear water They should 
remain in the hot-house until the beginning of May, and then be 
removed to an airy part of the greenhouse, allowing them a regular 
supply of water as well as air. When the weather becomes settled, 
perhaps about the last week in May, prepare the interstices between 
the wall trees on either a south or east aspect, by removing the sub¬ 
soil to the depth of eighteen inches, and filling the holes up with 
good melon earth, then turn the plants out of the pots, press the 
soil of the border ■ finally about their roots, and give them a good 
watering. No further attention is requisite except sheltering them 
with mats if the nights prove very cold, both now and in the autumn 
displacing all foreright and other superfluous shoots, and regularly 
nailing them to the wall as they advance in growth. When the frosts 
of autumn begin to appear, gather the fruit in bunches, with part of 
the stem adhering to them, and hang them up in the stove to ripen. 
There are three varieties of this Lycopersicum grown, the red, yel¬ 
low, and white fruited, but the former is in the greatest estimation 
for all culinary purposes. Nasturtium or Indian Cress (Tropseolum 
