379 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 22, 1859. 
then, looking at the sky and seeing no clouds, conies to 
the conclusion that in less than two hours the sun will be 
telling powerfully on the house, just comes, to the con¬ 
clusion to let well alone, and give poker, shovel, and 
furnace a rest. The heat getting less and less in the 
heating medium, the sun heat raises the temperature 
slowly. When it gets to 70°, and from that to 75°, 
every alternate sash may he raised an inch or so. If 
the heat still rise after a short time, raise each sash. 
It the heat, hy-and-by, get up to 80°, or above, give 
another inch ; but unless the sun is very powerful—if the 
wind is cold and frosty—that will not often be necessary. 
Here the early air-giving is the safety-valve. No accu¬ 
mulation of greatly-heated vapour can collect at the top I 
of the house. The cold, dry air that enters is heated and 
moistened by passing through the heated air escaping. 
We thus guard against the extremes, which, more than 
anything else, cause young Peach fruit to drop. We can 
thus use the sun as our forcing medium, and save our 
coals and shovels into the bargain. If, after such a bright 
morning, the day should turn out cloudy, boisterous, and 
stormy, then we can light our fire, whenever there is 
occasion for it. 
Early air-giving is of importance in all weathers. In 
mild, warm weather, it may, and should be, given freely. 
In severe frosts, and very cold winds, accompanied i 
with a rather bright sun, I would give a little early; 
and content myself with that little, if possible, if I had . 
to damp the floors of the house, cool the artificial heating 
medium, and even slightly shade. It may thus be laid j 
down as a general rule, that great heat from fuel and 
great heat from the sun should never act together. This 
acting in unison, and this carelessness in air-giving, have 
caused many a young Peach to fall that otherwise might 
have refreshed and delighted the proprietor who paid for 
all the outlay. 
The foundation, then, of successful forcing, is the 
proper management of the fireplace. When wo see 
great fires in bright, sunny days, and a house half 
uncovered in consequence—when we find dampers out 
when they ought to be in, and furnace and ash-pit doors 
open when they ought to be shut, and huge fires 
blazing—when the heat is thus forced to spend itself 
on the outside atmosphere, we may just ask ourselves, 
if here there are many sure tokens of anxious thought 
or careful reflection. The waste is often no trifle to those 
at a distance from a coal field. The injury to the plants 
cultivated is often a more serious affair. This seems 
an age for statistics. It would be very interesting to 
have a census of all the young gardeners who made it an [ 
invariable practice to examine the heat of their house, ; 
the temperature of the heating medium by feeling it, the 
thermometer out of doors, and the state of the sky, 
before touching a poker or a shovel. A clever gardener 
once showed me an essay, dwelling on the importance of , 
these trifles. He had never seen them alluded to, as a 
matter of course. Are we greatly improved in attention ; 
to these essential trifles now? 1L Eisp. 
TOMATO CULTURE. 
To those who have not attended to Mr. Keane’s in¬ 
structions, so seasonably given, for sowing the seed of 
this plant, no time must now be lost. In fact, it must 
be hastened on by the warmest corner of the hotbed ; and 
as soon as the plants are large enough to handle (which 
is very soon after they are up), they may be potted at 
once, three into a pot, and again placed in heat for a few 
days, to be afterwards gradually hardened off; and it 
they have become pot-bound before finally planting out, 
so much the better, as they will come sooner into bearing. 
The plant, being from the tropics, cannot bear cold ; the 
planting-out, therefore, must not take place until all 
danger from frost is over, or some covering provided to 
protect it. In other respects, the plant thrives well in most 
places, and becomes rampant and gross in proportion to the 
richness of the soil in which it is planted, and the moistness 
of the season. But means must be taken to check this, or 
a superabundance of wood will be the consequence, and 
the produce of fruit small and very late-. Perhaps one of 
the best ways to guard against this evil, is to sink a large 
flower-pot at the spot where the plant is to be placed, and 
put the plant in it, stopping most of the holes at bottom ; 
as a vigorous-growing plant like the Tomato will find its 
way through the bottom of this pot, and, to a certain 
extent, ramble abroad for a more extended living ; but it 
is more easily checked in so doing,—the pot itself' forming 
a considerable check. A partial substitute for this is to 
cut through the roots with a spade, at a little distance 
from the collar, at times during the growing season, if 
there is reason to think it is becoming too gross ; but if 
it is bearing well, let it alone. 
The situation proper for the Tomato has, perhaps, 
more to do with its success than the soil. Against a wall 
facing the south, is, undoubtedly, the best one for it; and 
it is commonly planted against any vacant space amongst 
the fruit trees, and, sometimes, to the detriment of the 
latter. This should not be, especially as the Tomato will 
grow where trees of any size will not. Against a low 
wall, or wooden paling, they often do very well; and, in 
fine seasons, they ripen very well in the open border, 
tied up something like the Dahlia. That they are not 
so early this way, as against a wall, may reasonably be 
expected ; but fine, weli-ripened fruit, are often produced 
before frost sets in. "Where great quantities are wanted, 
and wall-spaces scarce and otherwise employed, plant a 
few plants on a south border; and if the season, more 
especially the autumn, be a fine, dry one, it is likely the 
produce may be very satisfactory. 
During the period of its growth, stopping rampant 
shoots will encourage the flowering-buds and promote 
its fruitfulness ; but the plant must be allowed a little 
time to exhaust its superabundant vigour before it is 
too closely snubbed in ; and after that, stop as often as you 
like. Generally three or four main stems may be trained 
up,—say a yard high, or so, and the laterals from them 
produce the fruit—other considerations being favourable. 
The soil most suitable for the Tomato cannot well be too 
dry : and, I believe, if it never rained during the whole 
summer, they would not take any harm. In fact, it is 
the superabundance of moisture that is so fatal to their 
fruitfulness. Stiff, retentive clays only prolong the 
growing season beyond the proper time ; while a shallow 
soil, that can be reached by the sun’s rays, is the one most 
suitable for this tropical plant; and plenty of stones, and 
other opening material, seem to be best for its roots to 
ramble in. 
It is needless mentioning varieties, as the common 
largo red one is the kind generally grown ; but there is a 
yellow one, which some admire, and there is a small red, 
said to exceed the large one in flavour, or some other 
quality; but the first-named is the more useful. It is 
proper here to observe, that seeds of this ought to be 
saved only from the largest fruit; and if they are not to 
send to any distance, and only for home use, they keep 
well in dry sand, the pulp decaying during the winter. 
Damaged fruit (if large) will do as well as any; and a 
small flower-pot will contain seeds sufficient for most 
ordinary growers, no washing or dressing being reqidred. 
I know from experience the seeds grow better; but 
they are much hardier than they arc generally supposed 
to be; for I have known decayed fruit, rotted on the 
ground, send up quantities of plants the ensuing season. 
I have known these self-sovra plants ripen fruit, too, the 
same year ; but the quantity, of course, was not so great 
as those forwarded by artificial means. I mention it 
here to prove that, after all, the ripening of the Tomato, 
in favourable seasons, is not a difficult affair. In adverse 
seasons, with a cold, stiff’ soil, and moist or late situation, 
