Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-26
TOMATOES,

Forty years ago this favorite vegetable
was raised more as a thing of beauty than
of use. Love apples, golden apples, pOmi
doro, pomi dGmOre we've the names by
which it was called, and finally the word
tomato, derived from tOmGtlS, name APP
piled to several species of SOIGnlup by the
Mexicans, was adopted. The fruit is sup
posed 10 have originated in South America,
a country where so many Of our choice
fruits and vegetables are indigenous.
The tomato, like the Irish potato, has
been greatly improved by cultivation, and
every year brings some improved variety on
the market. We find the Tilden altogeth-
er to be preferred to any other variety for
two reasons: first, the interior is soft,
pulpy, juicy and well filed; and, second, it
will bear in open garden culture
in the latitude of Nashville, from the
10th of June until the 18th of October, if
properly planted and treated.
The plants should be grown in hot bed,
the seed sown about the first of March. BY
the goth of April they are ready to trans
plant into open ground. Nothing will be
gained in the earliness of maturity by set
ting out sooner than this, as the cool morn
iugs will give them back-set from which
they will not recover for several weeks, if
ever.
a good, rich, deep black soil should be
selected for the tomato. Holes should be
dug at the distance of four feet apart, to
the depth of 20 inches, and filed nearly to
the surface of the ground with we'll rotted
scEapings from the barn yard. This is
much better than the strong stable manure.
Above these holes, so filed, a broad hill
rising three inches above the surface, should
be made from the richest loan in the gar
den. One plant to the hill is all that is
necessary, and this may be set out any
evening by opening the hill with the hands,
pouring in a small quantity of water, into
WHY set the plant and then drawing back
the loose soil. The succeeding day it should
be shaded. The rows should be six feet
apart, which will give twenty-four square
feet for each plant. So soon as the plant
begins to grow, it ought to be worked by
keeping the soil about it loose, and
when it attainE a height of eighteen
inches, a broad, fiat ridge must be thrown
up to the plants which, if the land be finely
pulverized, will retain moisture throughout
the entire summer. No other working is
auired. After this ridge is made, brush
six or eight feet long must be stuck all
around the plant in circle of three feet in
diameter. The more bushy the brush the
better, as the prongs hold up and support
the vine as it grows in hight. The prongs
should not project out farther than one foot
from the main body of the brush. In case
brush is not convenient, a framework may
be made by setting up posts six feet high on
each side of the row and eight feet apart.
Four longitudinal Stats should be fastened.
TO these scantlings at perpendicular dis
lance of eighteen inches apart, the first be-
ing that distance from the ground. These
stated rows, so constructed, are placed three
feet apart, or one and a half from the Vlnes'
Gross pieces may then be placed wherever
the vines may need support. A very good
way to support vines is to take barrel hoops
and nail to them few upright pieces, thus
making frame that may be set over each
vine.
Tomato vines thus planted will grow to
an immense size and furnish a succession
of crops throughout the season. We have
tried The Trophy, the Perfected, the Apple,
the Peach, ETC., etc, but we have never
seen any variety at once so good and so
proli6c In our climate as the Tilden.