55 2 
TUB GARDENING WORLD, 
AugUSt 22, 1908. 
Tomato Culture Under Glass 
(Concluded Jromf. 535J. 
tion, and seeing space is greatly limited 
in town gardens it is practically impos¬ 
sible to cultivate and get a thorough ac¬ 
quaintance with the many hundred varie¬ 
ties grown up and down the country. 
We presume Mr. Campbell desired 
them for bedding purposes, but this is 
not stated. From this point of view four 
leading yellow varieties are Kingcup, 
Royal Sovereign, Klondyke, and Bullion. 
Almost every cultivator continues to grow 
this latter variety, although it has been 
in cultivation for a great many years; not¬ 
withstanding we know it is an.excellent 
sort, we should give up its place to some 
of the varieties having flowers of better 
shape. As a pale yellow Ardwell Gem 
should take a similar place to Commodore 
Nutt on account of its wiry habit and 
continuous flowering. In the way of 
whites there is an endless variety to 
choose from, including such splendid 
sorts as White Empress, Countess of 
Hopetoun, Snowflake and Seagull or 
Swan. At the same time Marchioness 
makes a strong claim for attention, but 
Snowflake is an improvement upon it. 
Some would have a strong word for 
Purity, which is very profuse and con¬ 
tinuous, but the 'flowers are moderate 
in size, and the plant rather tall, especi¬ 
ally in shade. Four splendid blue varie¬ 
ties, all excellent for bedding purposes, 
are Blue Duchess, rich blue; Admiral of 
the Blue, dark blue and of splendid tex¬ 
ture ; True Blue, an early flower of 
indigo-blue; and Blue Gown, mauve- 
blue. Various other blues could be men¬ 
tioned. More or less popular and more 
or less admired are Archbald Grant, 
violet-blue; Rolph, grey-blue; and Mag¬ 
gie Mott, lavender-blue. These three we 
have seen used to excellent purpose, but 
for general, all-round purposes and their 
differences in colour, the first four men¬ 
tioned are difficult to beat. Individual 
taste has much to do with any selection, 
beyond the fact that certain varieties can 
be seen to be excellent for bedding pur¬ 
poses on account of their early flowering, 
continuous blooming, and their general 
effectiveness. 
It is suggested that Hop-growers should 
substitute the cultivation of the Logan¬ 
berry for Hops. One Middlesex grower 
has already successfully experimented 
with the fruit. 
Hungarian Forests. 
From a beautifully illustrated hand¬ 
book which is freely distributed in the 
Agricultural Section of the Hungarian 
Exhibition at Earl’s Court, it is interest¬ 
ing to learn that, notwithstanding the 
enormous area of forests in Hungary 
(more than 35,000 square miles), the Gov¬ 
ernment is extending and renewing them 
on a large "scale. In the State forest- 
nurseries, a stock of two hundred million 
young trees is maintained from which 
over forty million are transferred to the 
state forests annually, besides ten to 
twelve million sold at a low rate to pri¬ 
vate persons. In addition, the Hungarian 
State possesses many fruit nursery farms 
from which about four million young 
trees are yearly distributed to parish 
communities and others. There is much 
in the book referred to which will inter¬ 
est others than agriculturalists, and from 
it many useful lessons may be learned. 
Respecting varieties to plant outdoors 
most of us have our favourites, but as our 
summers are usually so short an early 
ripening variety should have preference, 
such as Early Ruby, Laxton’s Open-air, 
and lHackwood Park among the reds, 
while Golden Jubilee, Golden Nugget and 
Golden Queen are the best yellows. The 
latter are usually smaller fruits and are 
used for dessert principally. 
Tomatos Under Glass. 
This paper would be incomplete did it 
not touch upon Tomato growing under 
glass, and that it is a paying line can be 
seen by some of our Salterton friends who 
have recently erected structures for this 
purpose. Excellent crops are grown in 
unheated houses from early summer up to 
late autumn, but doubtless the best pay¬ 
ing crop is that which can be ripened at 
the end of April, and the two following 
months. Our leading market men who 
cater for Covent Garden must sow every 
month of the vear, as no sooner is one 
crop exhausted than the plants are 
cleared out, the old soil removed, new 
compost brought in, and a fresh batch 
of plants set out immediately, and pro¬ 
bably with one or two trusses of flower 
on them. 
The method of sowing the seed is the 
same as adopted for the outdoor crop, 
early February being a good date for the 
first sowing, and excellent crops can be 
grown in pots 10 to 12 inches in diameter, 
providing a light airy house be at com¬ 
mand. Tomatos do not require a great 
amount of root space; I have seen ex¬ 
traordinary crops ripened with the roots 
confined in quite narrow boxes or borders, 
but the feeding of the plants must be of 
the best, as soon as the first few fruits 
are set, and the plants examined two or 
three times a day in bright weather 
during summer as to water. Perfect 
drainage must be ensured where the 
plants require so much water, and the in¬ 
terior of the house covered with wire 
trellis within a foot of the glass roof, so 
that every gleam of light and sunshine 
can reach the plants. 
I think I said previously that a rich 
compost is not required, but as the plants 
come into bearing they may be top-dressed 
with a fairly rich compost; this in con¬ 
junction with manurial waterings will 
sustain the plants until the last fruits 
have ripened. Keep the plants to the 
single cordon, and all side growths 
pinched out as for the outdoor crop, 
although some cultivators pinch the plants 
when about eight inches high and take up 
two shoots. The bine, that is, the leading 
growths, need not be more than 20 inches 
asunder; mine are but 18 inches as a 
rule. Where there is a nice length of 
rafter, say ten or twelve feet, there is no 
need to stop the leading growths until 
they reach the top, although some pinch 
out the points at each leaf above a flower 
truss, thinking the fruit swells away 
faster, and train up a fresh leader each 
time, but I fail to see the wisdom of it. 
During spring and summer, the fruits 
set verv freely under good treatment and 
require a little thinning, especially those 
varieties that carry large trusses of fruit. 
It is better to have from four to six 
medium fruits than a dozen of small 
ones; hence the advantage of reducing 
the number, which should be done in its 
early stage, and not left until some are 
beginning to colour. 
At the time of the year mentioned, 
abundance of fresh air must be admitted 
to the plants. Artificial heat can be dis¬ 
pensed with from the end of April, 
closing towards 4 p.m. with plenty of 
moisture around the underneath parts, 
but little or nothing overhead unless red 
spider attacks the foliage near the hot 
water pipes, when heavy syringing must 
be given to rid the plants of this pest. 
Luckily with plants grown under glass 
enemies of Tomatos are very few, the tiny 
white fly proving the most troublesome. 
These are persistent in their attacks, and 
weekly fumigation with XL-A 11 , or a 
similar nicotine preparation will keep 
them down if not entirely annihilate 
them. 
Winter Crops.. 
The foregoing remarks have dealt with 
spring and summer crops. We will now 
turn our attention to a winter supply of 
this most nutritious vegetable. The "end 
of July and the first half of August is a 
suitable date to sow seeds, avoiding 
much artificial heat, and growing the 
plants as sturdily and as hardy as 
possible, repotting as they become 
fit, using a similar soil as before 
mentioned, and placing them in their 
winter quarters as soon as they are given 
their final shift into 10 or 12 inch pots. 
Some growers plant them out on mounds 
similar to Cucumbers and Melons, but as 
root action is slow during winter, I con¬ 
sider the plants are more under command 
of the cultivator when grown under the 
pot system as regards the application ot 
water — no mean factor in the manage¬ 
ment of winter Tomatos. It must only! 
be given when really necessary, affording 
weak guano, or other approved stimulant, 
such as drainings from the stable or 
cow-shed. A supply, once, or at the most 
twice, a week will be often enough during 
November and the two succeeding 
months. The best position for these win¬ 
ter plants will be on a lean-to roof facing 
south, or on a span-roof structure whose 
ends face north and south respectively. 
Keep the bine tied to the trellis, and as; 
the flowers expand, touch each one 
lightly with a camel hair brush at mid¬ 
day, to assist fertilisation, or the crop may 
be light. An average night temperature 
of 55 degrees should be maintained, a 
degree or two either way according to 
external conditions mattering but little, 
with a rise of from 5 to 10 degrees by day, 
will meet the requirements of winter 
Tomatos, admitting a chink of air for an 
hour or so about mid-day when the! 
weather is favourable. 
A mild bottom heat is an advantage 
for the winter crop, but not absolutely! 
necessary. We stand ours on a tier of 
bricks, and fill in between with fresh! 
leaves, bringing them to the rim of the 1 
pot, which means that the pots are 
