THE TOMATO INDUSTRY OF THE ARKANSAS VALLEY. I I 
were from a bed made early in March and transplanted 
to another bed about the middle of April. Some plants 
of medium size, considered of medium quality, were taken 
from the original bed and set at the same time (on ma¬ 
nured land) as those above mentioned. The latter class 
of plants were also put on adjoining land that had not 
been fertilized. The plantings to this time comprised 
27,160 square feet of land. 
May 14th, we set in open field some small transplant¬ 
ed plants together with some from the original bed. 
These were small plants but as good as many that are 
used every year by those growing for canneries. May 
26th, another planting was made with plants from the 
original bed. These plantings were made on land that 
had received no fertilizer for years and comprised six- 
tenths of an acre. 
After the setting of the plants, irrigation was given 
two or three times until the plants were well established, 
after which they were thoroughly cultivated and hoed. 
The next irrigation was June 18th. It was again irrigated 
commencing July 15th, and the water was last applied 
the 20th of August. 
The first ripe fruit was taken July 25th from the 
stocky transplanted vines set on the 7th of May. In a 
few days the purchased plants and the larger ones from 
the original bed were also ripening fruit. 
August 10th, 13 lbs. of ripe fruit were picked from the 
former vines, on the 20th, 54 lbs. were picked and on the 
22nd, 137 lbs. From this time this class of plants were 
yielding in such quantity as to warrant picking and de¬ 
livering to a canning factory. The plants put in the field 
May 14th were not setting fruit until the last week of July, 
at about the same time the transplanted plants on ma¬ 
nured land were ripening fruit. 
The first to ripen of the May 14th planting was the 
transplanted vines, August 25th. The plants put out May 
26th did not ripen fruit until the first week of September. 
August 25th a few ripe tomatoes were taken from the 
plants grown from seed (planting of April 26th.) As in 
1901, plants grown in this way ripened their fruit about the 
same time and yielded about the same as late plants from 
the hotbed. If the season is favorable and the conditions 
are such as to push the plant, ripe fruit can be secured in 
time to get fair returns. The fruit picked from the vines 
set on May 7th amounted to 7,487 lbs. or, at the rate of 
about six tons per acre. The greater portion was picked 
