March. 2, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
419 
time and space, larger pots may be used, putting three 
plants in each. The soil should be light and sandy, a 
good mixture being one consisting of one part loam to 
two of leaf-soil, and one of sand. The plants should 
be kept as near the glass as possible, and after a few 
days a little air should be given on all favourable 
occasions. This will prevent their being drawn, 
and promote a short, sturdy growth, which is of 
much importance in Tomato culture. They will 
soon require shifting into 5-in pots, using the same 
mixture as before. It is not a good plan to use manure 
in the early stages, as it promotes an excessive luxuri¬ 
ance. "We are assuming that this early batch will be 
grown in pots for fruiting, but if for planting out the 
same treatment applies. When they have filled the 
5 -in. pots with roots they should be shifted into those 
in which they are to fruit, 12’s or 16’s being the most 
suitable. A stronger soil should be used at the final 
shift, but care should be taken not to give them too 
much manure until some fruit is set. It is a good plan 
to pot deeply, leaving plenty of space for future top- 
dressings, as the plants require much more food when 
carrying a crop of fruit. 
It is absolutely necessary to admit plenty of air, and 
the temperature should not be too high, 55° being a 
good average. As the flowers expand, they should be 
carefully fertilised, which may be readily done with a 
camel’s-hair brush. This will help the fruit to set, and 
if carefully done, a crop of fruit will be almost a 
certainty. Care must be taken with regard to watering. 
It is a great mistake to suppose that Tomatos will take 
unlimited supplies of moisture. We find here that it 
is much better to keep them rather dry, especially 
during the early stages or until the fruit is set. Then 
they require more liberal supplies, and liquid manure 
may be applied with beneficial results, cow manure and 
soot being excellent. A little artificial manure may 
also be applied, scattering it thinly over the surface 
and watering it in. Any of the various manures may be 
used, but I would mention Thomson’s Vine and Plant 
Manure as of much value for Tomatos, the results, when 
applied to plants in pots carrying a heavy crop of fruit, 
being very good. So far nothing has been said as to 
the training of the plants, but we strongly advocate 
their being trained to a single stem. The results are 
better, and there is much less trouble than when three 
or four shoots are trained up. It is only necessary to 
take off all side shoots as they appear, and keep the 
main stem as strong as possible. Even if wanted for 
planting out to cover walls or other surfaces, we advise 
that only one stem should be allowed to each. They 
are so easily grown, that it is much better to put in a 
larger number. The fruit is undoubtedly finer, and 
there is no trouble with regard to training. With 
reference to 
The Second or Main Batch, 
I would say that the seed should be sown at the 
beginning of March, or earlier if the house in which 
the crop is to be produced is available. The same 
procedure applies to this crop as to the earlier one, 
with regard to sowing and potting, but as the days and 
light increase there is not so much trouble in main¬ 
taining stocky or dwarfy growth. It will not be 
necessary to again refer to the preliminary details, and 
I will at once proceed to say that the young plants 
may safely be transferred from the seed-pan to 5-in. 
pots, three being put in each. They should be placed 
in a warm light pit after they have made a good start, 
where plenty of air may be given. Properly attended 
to they will be ready for planting out in the beds about 
the end of April or early in May. They divide easily 
with care, and it saves much time and labour as 
compared with having them singly, especially where 
large quantities are grown. If required for planting 
out of doors they must be potted singly into forty- 
eights, as it is absolutely necessary to have them of a 
good size before planting, otherwise so much time will 
be lost, an important point in Tomato culture in the 
open. There is considerable risk in growing Tomatos 
out of doors. In favourable seasons, such as 1887, 
they do very well, but in a season like last year they 
will fail more or less completely. As is well known, 
many market growers lost considerable sums of money 
owing to the wet and cold summer. We planted a 
considerable number at Chiswick, but obtained very 
few fruits, and disease made sad havoc among them. 
This was also the case under glass in many places, 
owing to the houses being kept too damp. 
The Large House at Chiswick. 
It may prove interesting if I give the course pursued 
in the management of the large house of Tomatos grown 
here last season, which proved very successful, as those 
who saw the house can testify. The seed was sown at 
the time already mentioned, namely, early in March, 
and the treatment already described was followed to the 
letter. The seedlings were put in 5-in. pots, three in 
each, and kept growing in these in a warm frame, until 
they were planted out about May 3rd. The beds were 
filled with garden soil, brought from the kitchen 
garden. It was a light loam, and a very little ordinary 
stable manure was dug in. Without any other 
preparation the plants were put out, the house was 
kept closed for a few days, with the result that they 
started, and made rapid progress. Plenty of air was 
admitted on all favourable occasions, but no fire-heat 
was used from the time of planting until the cold 
nights in September, when a little was employed. The 
top ventilators were kept open every night and the 
house kept dry. In fact, after they were well started 
no water was applied until the first bunch of fruit was 
of considerable size. Then a good soaking was given, 
and this sufficed for quite a month or more. We found 
this the best plan, for the plants made very vigorous 
growth, and what is of more importance, the fruit set 
well. In fact, the first flowers were nearly all set, the 
fruit resting on the ground. We claim that fertilising 
was the means of setting them, and they were 
attended every day, with the result that very 
few flowers failed to set. This will show how important 
artificial fertilisation is in the successful culture of the 
Tomato. There were 460 plants, and two men could 
fertilise the flowers expanded at any one time in an 
hour. They were all grown with single stems, and 
reached a height ranging from 12 ft. to 14 ft., carrying 
fruit nearly the whole length. The first fruit was cut 
on August 1st, and the last on December 28th. Over 
2 tons of fruit were gathered altogether, and the value 
of it was over £100. The prices realised in the 
market was, during August and September, 5 d. perlb. for 
the smaller, and 6 cl. per lb. for larger fruits ; during 
October and November the price was 3d. to Is. per lb.; 
and in December the price advanced to Is. 3d. per lb. 
No doubt the bad season helped the price to a consider¬ 
able extent, but it will show what can be done even in 
a bad season, under proper management. No disease 
made its appearance, excepting the black spot, which 
appeared on a few fruits, but none at all on the plants; 
this we attribute to the atmosphere being kept dry and 
a little air being always admitted to the house. The 
sorts planted were Perfection, which is one of the best, 
many fruits of this variety weighing over 18 ozs. each, 
the heaviest being Ham Green Favourite, Horsford’s 
Prelude, and Laxton’s Open Air, which was the first to 
ripen, with several others. 
Diseases and Insects. 
Before speaking of the best varieties 1 will briefly refer 
to the diseases, of which there are several. The worst 
is, perhaps, the one that resembles the Potato disease, 
and, like that, it generally appears on the leaves first, 
in the shape of small brown spots. The leaves soon 
die ; the disease appears to run through the stem, and 
it soon destroys the plant. The only remedy is to 
destroy the plants by burning, for so far there does not 
appear to be any other means of destroying it. As 
already stated, a damp, close atmosphere is favourable 
to the disease spreading, therefore it will be found 
much the safest course to maintain as dry an atmo¬ 
sphere as possible, consistently with the requirements 
of the plants. As you all know, it makes its appear¬ 
ance in the open air if the season is at all wet and cold, 
such as last year, when it destroyed nearly all the 
plants in the open, and this clearly shows what to do 
under glass to prevent it. Another important point is 
not to save seed from plants that have been attacked 
by disease. Another disease is the black spot, which, 
unlike the former, does not attack the plant, but only 
the fruit. It first appears just on the surface, and 
causes it to ripen prematurely. The part affected rots, 
but does not generally spread over the whole of the 
fruit. This, as far as we have seen, is not so serious as 
the first-mentioned, and it is easily detected. The 
best thing to do is to take off all affected fruits and 
destroy them at once. Of insects which attack the 
Tomato, the most troublesome is the white-fly, which 
appears to increase very rapidly, and to be most 
troublesome towards the end of the season. It can be 
destroyed by fumigation, but care must be taken not 
to overdo it. Green-fly also makes its appearance 
sometimes, and may easily be destroyed by the same 
means. 
The Best Yarieties. 
In passing on to consider a few of the best varieties, I 
would refer to the fact that a trial of about eighty-six 
reputed sorts was made in the gardens here during 1887. 
On comparison it was found that out of that number 
only twenty-seven were considered really distinct; these 
included many of the small types, which are useless to 
grow except for ornamental purposes. In selecting 
varieties one has to be guided by circumstances, and 
more especially as to the purpose for which they are 
required, but for general purposes, as well as special, 
Perfection stands at the head of the list. The fruits 
are large, round, smooth, somewhat flattened, of good 
colour and substance, an excellent cropper, free and 
vigorous ingrowth. Hackwood Park Prolific is another 
good variety, which is largely grown, and deservedly 
so. It is of a somewhat different habit to Perfection, 
the bunches of fruit being more loose, and the fruits 
having a small hole in the centre. Hathaway’s Excel¬ 
sior has fruit of medium size, quite smooth, and of 
good colour. Advancer is a better type of this, as it 
sets more freely, and is not quite so vigorous in growth. 
We find Hathaway’s rather too vigorous. Trophy is 
another very good variety, and somewhat after the 
style of Hackwood Park. These are some of the best 
of the large, smooth kinds ; there are many more, but 
these are sufficient if we add Ham Green Favourite, 
which is one of the best of the new Tomatos. The 
fruits are medium to large, smooth, and of good colour. 
They are deeper than Perfection, being slightly pointed; 
the fruit also sets very freely, and is also a decided 
acquisition. It has been grown here three seasons, and 
has proved to be a really good Tomato. Another type 
of fruit is the Large Red, which is largely cultivated 
by the market growers. The fruits are flattened, and 
somewhat corrugated, which is an objection. There is 
also the Early Red, which is a smaller and firmer kind of 
the Large Red, though earlier. To this class Laxton’s 
Open-Air belongs. It is undoubtedly very early, but 
there is not substance enough in the fruit for it to 
become very popular. Acme or Dedham Favourite 
types produce very fine fruits, and of good quality, but 
the colour is against them for market purposes, though 
for private use, where colour is not an object, they are 
undoubtedly good. 
Of smaller varieties the best is undoubtedly Hors¬ 
ford’s Prelude, which is most prolific, and sets more 
freely than any we know ; the fruits small to medium- 
size, smooth, clear, and of fine flavour. Of plum-shaped 
varieties, Chiswick Red is perhaps the freest, though 
the quality is quite second-rate. Nisbet’s Victoria is 
one of the best of this class, and another one is Tennis 
Ball. The fruits are medium-sized, very solid, and of 
fairly good quality. Of yellow Tomatos the best is 
Golden Queen, which has fruits of fair size, smooth, 
round, and of a deep yellow colour. Prince of Orange 
is another good sort, the fruits being flattened and 
slightly corrugated, and the colour is very clear. 
Greengage, though small, is one of the best flavoured 
of this type. The yellow Tomatos should be more 
extensively grown than they are, especially where they 
are required for salads or to be eaten uncooked, as they 
are sweeter and more delicately flavoured than the red 
kinds. They are largely used in America, and they 
also make an excellent jam. We find that anyone who 
has once tasted them generally asks for them again. I 
do not consider the very large varieties worth growing, 
as they are so coarse and ugly, but if very large fruits 
are wanted, irrespective of shape, President Garfield, 
Hepper’s Goliath, and the Mikado may be mentioned. 
OTES FROM SCOTLAND. 
Cardiff Castle Cucumber.— One of the most 
noteworthy points of excellence in this well-known 
Cucumber is its remarkably hardy and prolific cha¬ 
racter. It is specially adapted for cultivation in frames 
for summer supply, as 1 had a good opportunity of 
proving last season. A bed of stable manure and leaves 
was made up early in spring, for the purpose of raising 
and growing on half-hardy annuals, and by the time 
the Cucumbers were planted, the heat had, of course, 
declined considerably. On that account I was not over 
sanguine of successful results, but was agreeably disap¬ 
pointed, as despite the cold sunless weather we had for 
a long time, the plants came into a bearing condition 
quickly, and afforded a good supply till October. They 
were regularly supplied with liquid manure in a tepid 
condition, timely attention being also given to the 
removal of all surplus fruits, which otherwise overtax 
the energies of the plants. By growing a plant or two 
of Cardiff Castle as a succession to other sorts that may 
be grown for an early supply in the forcing house, a 
few plants raised from cuttings will come sooner into 
bearing for the frame than seedlings. Before the 
cuttings become pot-bound, they should be shifted into 
5 -in. pots preparatory to planting out, otherwise it is 
needless to say they will receive a check, which will be 
inimical to their future vigour and fertility. It is also 
of importance that the plants should be carefully 
attended to with tepid water while they are in pots, 
and the soil warmed previous to planting them in the 
frame.— D. Mackie, Ayrshire. 
