THE TOMATO. 
339 
A few ripe fruit may be had from these com¬ 
paratively early-raised plants before they are 
wanted, but the bulk will ripen more slowly 
and keep a long time after they are ripe, 
whereas later-raised plants will not only pro¬ 
duce lighter crops, but will also very probably 
become badly diseased before much of the fruit 
has ripened. 
Tomato plants can be propagated from cut¬ 
tings as well as from seed, but few nowadays 
adopt the former practice, seedlings proving 
quite as productive, or even more so, than 
plants raised from cuttings; they are also less 
liable to be affected by disease. 
When pot-plants are to be prepared in the 
open, use the 10-inch size with one plant in 
each, and arrange them 14 inches apart in 
rows about 3 feet apart on a hard bottom, 
Fig. 1116.—Tomato—Peachblow. 
placing a bamboo or other stake 4 feet high 
to each. Give a rich top-dressing after the 
soil is well filled with roots, and keep well 
supplied with water and liquid manure. No 
side-shoots should be allowed to form, and the 
one leading growth must be secured to the 
stake. 
Late in the summer some of the lower older 
leaves should be reduced to about half their 
size, and when the plants are carefully trans¬ 
ferred to the house or houses, they may be 
stood rather more closely together than for¬ 
merly, or even between or among older 
Tomato plants that have been cleared of their 
lower clusters of fruit and leaves. Those 
planted under glass early in July may either 
be treated similarly to earlier batches, plant¬ 
ing them in rows across the house or houses, 
or the roofs of small houses may be covered 
with them. A few plants might be allowed 
to spread over a roof, the extension system 
answering well for these late crops. Some 
that have already borne good crops are some¬ 
times roughly pruned, and a number of side- 
shoots laid in from them in an irregular 
fashion. These leading growths should not 
be allowed in their turn to form any side- 
shoots, but ought to be trained thinly, or 
about 12 inches apart, clusters of fruit form¬ 
ing on them to their entire length. The 
greater portion of old plants from the borders 
or ridges should be removed; a top-dressing 
with some rich compost and applications of 
liquid manure are good for these old plants, 
whilst young ones put out thickly ought not to 
be starved. 
Late Tomatoes are also grown in boxes on 
the back shelves of vineries, and fruited down 
