May  26,  1904 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
459 
tion,  I  cannot  agree  to  any  reduction  of  size,  and  have  not 
only  made  provision  to  open  them  very  wide,  but  have  used 
shding  hinges  so  that  the  ventilators  may  be  taken  off  entirely 
if  necessary.  This  also  affords  facility  for  repairs  or  painting. 
The  house  is  unheated,  but  a  4in  flow  and  return  pipe  connected 
with  a  powerful  boiler  would  add  materially  to  its  value.  This, 
however,  need  not  be  dwelt  upon,  for  the  house  is  so  useful 
without  it  as  in  a  single  season  to  very  well  repay  the  expense 
of  building.  E.  L. 
[Heated  as  suggested  the  house  would  be  admirably  adapted 
for  Cucumbers ;  and  as  wide  again  or  more  would  make  an 
excellent  vinery.  In  its  present  form  unheated  it  would  grow 
Tomatoes  well  in  summer,  very  strong  plants  being  ready  for 
planting  at  the  end  of  IMay  or  early  in  June.  We  remember 
seeing  a  .splendid  crop  of  Tomatoes  on  plants  inserted  at  inter¬ 
vals  along  the  front  of  the  house,  and  a  grand  crop  of  Peaches 
on  trees  trained  to  the  wall.  The  value  of  the  fruit  in  the 
house  was  equal  to  the  entire  cost  of  the  structure.  It  is  not  a 
tenant’s  fixture,  nor  was  it  so  intended,  as  the  bricks  are 
embedded  in  the  soil.  With  a  framework  in  front  stoutly 
attached  to  supporting  pillars  resting  on  slates,  and  strong  iron 
brackets  in  the  wall  in  which  the  supporting  beam  could  rest 
and  be  lifted  out  if  needed,  the  door  frame  screwed,  not  nailed, 
into  wooden  studs  in  the  wall,  and  screws  used  generally  instead 
of  nails,  such  a  house  might  easily  be  made  portable.  If 
heated,  a  conical  bpiler  would  be’  best  in  a  shed  at  the  back, 
not  set  in  brickwork,  but  covered  with  a  cement-like  com¬ 
position  for  conserving  the  heat.  It  may  be  added  that  where 
the  requisite  materials  cannot  be  readily  obtained,  and  a  com¬ 
petent  person  is  not  at  hand  to  put  the  house  together,  it  may 
be  cheaper  to  employ  a  skilled  builder,  and  the  work  will 
certainly  be  done  more  efficiently.] 
- - 
Outdoor  Tomato  Culture. 
Many  things  have  contributed  towards  the  extended  culture 
of  the  Tomato  outdoors  during  recent  years,  including  a  few' 
favourable  seasons,  increased  popidarity  of  the  fruits  for 
culinarj'  and  salad  purposes,  and  the  introduction  of  suitable 
varieties  for  outdoor  culture.  In  short,  the  Tomato  is  no  longer 
a  luxury,  but  a  garden  commodity,  grown  by  almost  everyone 
with  varying  degrees  of  success.  I  remember  the  time  wdren 
Tomatoes  w'ere  almost  exclusively  grown  under  glass,  bqt  now 
things  are  different,  and  capital  results  are  obtained  by  those 
who  will  not  be  denied,  though  they  have  no  glass  accommoda¬ 
tion  for  the  culture  of  the  plants.  I  am  aware  also,  from  per¬ 
sonal  experience,  that  while  some  do  well,  others  only  partially 
succeed  or  entirely  fail,  not  always  because  their  conditions  are 
unfavourable,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  do  not  grasp  the 
important  principles  necessary  to  success,  or  if  they  do,  they 
fail  to  put  the  principles  into  practice. 
W’e  are  now  on  the  threshold,  so  to  speak,  of  the  outdoor 
Tomato  season.  Thousands  of  plants  are  being  raised  in  anti¬ 
cipation  of  the  crop,  so  the  moment  is  opportune  for  a  few 
hints  on  the  w’ay  they  should  be  treated.  The  aim  of  every 
grower  should  be  to  get  early  fruits.  Ripe  Tomatoes  outdoors 
at  the  end  of  July  and  early  in  August  are  acceptable  and 
valuable,  but  how  many  gardens  are  there  in  w'hich  the  fruits 
do  not  begin  to  change  colour  till  September,  or  perhaps  they 
never  ripen  on  the  plants  at  all.  What  makes  the  difference? 
In  a  few'  wmrds  it  is  the  situation,  the  character  of  the  plants 
put  out,  the  after  treatment  they  receive,  and  the  varieties 
grow'ii ;  and  these  important  points  I  w'ill  deal  w'ith  rotatively. 
To  begin  with,  the  Tomato  is  a  sun-ioving  plant,  and  w’armth 
is  conducive  to  its  welfare.  Situation  is  more  important  than 
.soil,  and  there  can  be  no  better  place  for  growing  the  plants 
than  against  a  south  w'all.  Here  the  best  re.suits  are  usually 
obtained,  but  I  am  reminded  that  many  would-be  Tomato 
grow'ers  are  not  in  possession  of  such  facilities.  There  need 
he  no  hesitation,  however,  in  planting  against  a  dividing  fence 
that  catches  the  sunshine,  or  failing  that^  I  would  suggest  a 
warm,  open  position  in  the  garden,  supporting  the  growths  w'ith 
stout  .stakes  in  the  same  way  as  Dahlias  are  treated. 
The  next  thing  is  the  type  of  plant  to  put  out,  and  a  great 
deal  hinges  on  this  as  to  when  fruit  will  be  ready  for  picking. 
AVe  must  remember  that  Tomatoes  cannot  be  planted  outdoors 
before  the  end  of  May  or  early  the  following  month,  and  the 
season  they  have  for  completing  grow'th  and  bearing’  the  crop 
is  necessarily  short,  hence  the  nece.ssity  for  a  good  start.  Perhaps 
only  a  tithe  of  those  who  grow'  Tomatoes  outdoors  have  the 
facilities  for  raising  their  ow'ii  plants,  and  they  have  to  depend 
on  other  .sources,  by  which  means  they  are  often  handicapped 
the  outset.  By  way  of  ilhrstration  let  me  draw  a  comparison. 
Plants  are  raised  from  seeds  sown  under  gla.ss  in  Alarch  and 
duly  transferred  to  small  pots,  say  4in.  In  the.se  they  remain 
till  they  are  planted  outdoors,  but  in  the  meantime  the  re¬ 
ceptacle  has  become  crowded  with  roots,  the  growth  is  stunted, 
and  the  stem  weakly.  The  plant  is  checked  in  infancy,  and 
when  put  out  some  w'eeks  nui.st  elapse  before  it  can  recover 
itself  and  commence  to  grow.  Such  specimens  will  not  produce 
early  fruit,  and  should  be  avoided. 
Consider,  on  the  other  hand,  a  plant  raised  in  the  same 
way,  but  when  the  small  pot  is  full  of  roots  it  is  removed  to  a 
larger  one,  say  Gin,  and  grown  close  to  the  glass  in  a  medium 
temperature  before  being  hardened  off.  Such  a  specimen  is 
sturdy,  strong,  and  growing  when  put  out,  through  having 
suffered  no  check,  and  flower  trusses  will  soon  appear  on  the 
stem.  This  is  the  type  of  plant  to  obtain.  It  may  co.st  more, 
but  it  will  he  the  cheapest  in  the  end.  Those  who  raise  their 
own  plants  will  also  do  w'ell  to  consider  the  significance  of  tho 
above  remarks. 
Xow',  a  word  as  to  general  treatment.  No  one  need  be 
deterred  from  growing  Tomatoes  because  they  do  not  possess 
a  border  in  which  to  plant  them,  as  they  do  equally  well  in 
receptacles  where  the  roots  are  confined.  Excellent  crops  are 
obtained  in  backyards  even,  the  plants  being  grown  in  empty 
boxes  or  lard  pails.  The  best  crop  of  outdoor  Tomatoes  I  have 
seen  were  grown  in  the  latter  receptacles,  and  trained  up  tho 
south  wall  of  a  cottage.  I  do  not  advise  pots  for  outdoors, 
unless  they  can  be  plunged  in  the  ground  up  to  the  rims,  a.s 
the  plants  are  apt  to  suffer  for  want  of  water  in  dry  weather. 
The  soil  should  be  good,  but  not  overrich,  and  nothing  is  better 
than  a  mixture  composed  of  three  parts  fibrous  loam,  one  part 
leaf  mould,  and  a  little  coarse  sand.  The  receptacles  should 
be  well  drained,  and  filled  not  more  than  tlij-ee  parts  full  with 
the  compost,  as  this  will  allow  for  later  top-dressings,  which  are 
highly  beneficial  when  the  boxes  or  tubs  are  filled  with  I'oots. 
The  soil  should  be  made  firm,  and  be  pressed  well  round  the 
balls  when  the  Tomatoes  are  iffanted. 
AA’hen  planted  in  open  borders  the  existing  soil,  if  fairly 
good,  will  suit  Tomatoes,  but  if  very  light  or  poor,  it  is  advis¬ 
able  to  spread  a  dressing  of  loam  on  the  surface,  and  dig  it  in. 
Too  rich  soil  is  conducive  to  rank  growth,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  vigour  of  the  plants  must  not  be  retarded  by  poverty. 
A  good  deal  has  been  written  about  the  feeding  of  Tomatoes, 
hut,  as  a  rule,  no  stimulants  are  required  until  the  early  flowers 
are  set  and  the  fruit  is  swelling.  At  this  stage  and  onwards 
diluted  liquid  manure  may  be  given  every  other  time  the  plants 
are  watered,  and  a  mulching  of  half-decayed  manure  over  the 
roots  will  help  to  conserve  the  moisture.  Artificials  may  be 
also  used  for  forming  liquid  manure,  and  also  for  dusting  over 
the  roots  prior  to  watering. 
When  Tomatoes  are  grown  in  tubs  or  pails,  the  latter  should 
be  placed  close  together,  and  they  will  accommodate  one  plant 
each;  when  again.st  a  wall,  2ft  is  a  good  distance  to  allow 
between  them,  and  when  out  in  the  open  I  would  suggest  a 
yard  apart,  with  4ft  between  the  rows,  and  in  the  latter  case  a 
strong  stake  should  be  fixed  in  the  ground  for  each  plant  before 
it  is  put  out.  In  too  many  cases  Tomatoes  suffer  through  over¬ 
crowding  of  the  shoots.  Superfluous  growths  remain  un¬ 
removed,  the  flowers  are  hidden  among  the  leaves,  and  for  the 
want  of  the  sunshine  which  cannot  reach  them,  they  fall  off 
instead  of  setting  and  forming  fruit.  For  this  reason  I  advo¬ 
cate  the  single  stem  system  of  training,  which  consists  of  keep¬ 
ing  each  plant  to  one  stem  by  pinching  off  the  side  growths  as 
they  appear  at  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  The  pinching  should 
be  done  regularly,  as  the  plants  are  of  quick  growth  and  suffer 
from  the  consequences  when  side  shoots  are  allowed  to  extend 
freely,  and  are  then  removed  wholesale. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  sea.son  the  plants  may  be  partly 
denuded  of  their  leaves  in  order  to  expose  the  fruit  as  much  as 
possible.  AA’hen  the  latter  is  partially  coloured,  it  may  be 
picked  off  and  placed  in  a  window  where  the  increased  warmth 
will  improve  the  flavour.  In  cold,  sunless  seasons  the  fruits 
are  apt  to  be  affected  by  what  is  called  the  “  black  spot  ” 
disea.se — (Cladosporium  fulvum).  A  .soft  spot  like  a  bruise 
appears  on  the  fruit,  which  quickly  extends  and  causes  decay. 
A  close  look-out  shoidd  be  kept  for  this  trouble,  and  all  affected 
specimens  be  picked  off  and  burnt. 
A^arieties  of  Tomatoes  have  appeared  in  such  numbers  of 
recent  years  that  their  name  is  legion,  and  selection  becomes 
difficult.  Experience  has  taught  me,  however,  that  good, 
naturally  early  varieties  are  be.st  for  outdoors,  and  a  favourite 
with  me  is  Sutton’s  Earlie.st  of  All.  It  is  a  most  reliable 
Tomato,  and  a  heavy  cropper.  Carter’s  Outdoor  is  also  excel¬ 
lent,  and  by  the  way  it  fruits  in  the  open,  it  is  quite  true  to 
its  name.  I  can  also  .speak  well  of  Sutton’s  Al,  Holmes’s 
Supreme,  Frogmore  Selected.  Ail  the  above  are  red  Tomatoes, 
and,  in  my  opinion,  they  are  better  than  the  yellow  varieties 
for  outdoor  culture. 
In  conclusion,  let  me  add  that  the  unfavourable  conditions 
of  la.st  .summer  taught  us  how  much  the  weatilier  lias  to  do  with 
the  success  of  Tomato  culture  in  the  open.  AA'arm,  sunny 
seasons  are  naturally  conducive  to  the  best  results,  but  unless 
the  grower  does  his  part  by  following  correct  principles  of  cul¬ 
ture,  he  cannot  expect  to  get  Tomatoes  at  all  in  a  poor  .season, 
or  the  best  returns  for  his  trouble  and  outlay  even  when  natural 
conditions  are  favourable.  —  G.  H.  H. 
