THE TOMATO INDUSTRY OF THE ARKANSAS VALLEY. 9 
what effect the hail may have had upon the various dates 
of ripening cannot be told. The total yield of perfect 
fruit was light. It was the intention to have a record of 
each planting, but it was found it would reveal nothing 
owing to the injury of so much fruit by hail. 
Close observation was kept of some tomato fields, 
especially of such as were apt to give some data along 
the lines we were studying. 
March 3rd, Mr. J. H. Crowley put tomato seed in 
hotbed and transplanted to boxes in another bed April 
2nd. These boxes were made of building paper by cut¬ 
ting the desired size, folding and tying with a string. 
The boxes were left on the plants when they were put in 
the field. The plants were set in open field May 14th, at 
which time they were more than a foot in height and 
blooming some. Part of them were put on land that had 
been fertilized with nine loads of sheep manure per acre. 
The other portion was put on the same kind of soil but 
having no fertilizer. The first ripe fruit was taken from 
the vines on manured land July 4th, about three weeks 
earlier than the others. Mr. Crowley estimates the yield 
from the manured land as being about 60 per cent, the 
greater. Wherever the manure was applied there was an 
immense benefit, apparent in the size of the vine and the 
amount of fruit. 
Messrs. Fullmer and Sanders had about four acres 
of tomatoes on alfalfa sod. They made their first plant¬ 
ing in open field about May 10th. Some of the plants 
were potted but the greater portion were from the origin¬ 
al bed. The first ripe fruit was taken July 8th, from the 
potted plants. 
The last week in May another portion of the field 
was set with plants from the original bed. From this 
planting the first ripe fruit was picked the first week in 
September. There was a difference of only three weeks 
in the time of putting the plants in the field, yet there 
was seven weeks difference in the period of ripening. 
The early planting yielded heavily and by the first of 
October was still yielding as well as the later planting. 
Thus we see the tomato will bear a long time if the ertil- 
ity is present to support the plant. 
From the field about 40 tons of fruit was sold, 34 tons 
going to the cannery. It was estimated that the yield 
from the first setting was 12 tons per acre, and from the 
late setting 8 tons per acre. 
The last picking was made October 20th, at which 
