Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-03-14
Early Tomato Plants How to Grow.

AS some person may be in the
same fix the coming spring as | was
last, as regards knowing how they
arc to grow few early tomato
plants, and have them stocky and
tirst-class plants in every respect, |
will give the details of how / man
aged to grow few hundred to my
entire satisfaction. took y small
box, - by 20, six inches deep, and
filled IL with good garden soil, and
put it on the kitchen stove-drum,
and let it stay there till the dirt was
thoroughly warmed; then took
stick and made marks an inch apart,
A inches deep in the dirt, cross
ways of tbs box; then scattered to-
mato seeds quite thick along the
rows, and covered them about one
fourth Of an inch deep; then took
newspaper and wet it and covered
the box, to prevent the dirt from
getting dry on top. The box. was
set on bench near the stove after
the seeds were sown, and the follow
ing day set on the stove-drum again
for the purpose of keeping up the
heat in the soil, being careful not to
let 1t get too hot.
In torty-cight hours from the time
the seed was sown, they had sprout-
ed. and many had broken the ground;
a few were near one half inch high.
When the plants had attained to the
height Of two inches, | transplanted
them into other boxes about one and
a half inches apart each way. The
plaAts were left in these boxes till
they had attained height Of four
inches, and then transplanted into Il
sort of ho,-bed made as follows: A
pit was dug in the side of u hill
facing the southeast, feet wide
by ~ feet long, and posts driven in
the ground at the corners, and one
on each side 6 feet from either end.
On these posts boards are nailed
feet high in front and % feet high
at the back, giving 6. inches fall
from back to front. In this frame
| put fresh horsc-manure, mixed
with litter-such as is found at
farmers horse stables-to the depth
of II inches, pressing it down firm
ly as l put it in; then put on inches
of good soil and covered the bed
with covers, made by stretching
and mailing with tcn-ounce lacks,
common heavy brown muslin on
light frames, 3 by 6 feet. These
frames were made Of white-pine
lath, sawed by inches, halved
at the corners and nailed with
clinch-nails. Common cut nails
heated to near a white heat and al
lowed to cool very slowly, are just
as good as the clinch-nails sold at
the hardware store, and are much
cheaper.
After the covers were put on,
q board was put on the upper ends
of them, reaching from one end of
hot bed frame to the other; and al
so across the lower ends, to prevent
heavy winds from moving thcm.-
AS soon as the soil in the bed was
sufficiently warmed, | rakcd it down
smooth and marked in rows A inch
es apart, and set the plants the
same distance apart in the rows
Before removing the plants from
the boxes the soil was thoroughly |
wet, in order to cause as much soil |
as possible to stick to the roots
Then 4 case knife was drawn
through the soil midway between
the plants each way, about four in
ches deep; and in removing the
plants no difficulty was experienced
in keeping the dirt about their
roots. After being transplanted
and the covers put on, no care
whatever was given them, except
an occasional watering. About the
Goth of May the plants were re-
moved to the open ground, the same
care being exercised as regarded
and cutting between the
rows, that had been exercl sed when
to the hot bed. These
plants were as fine as any / ever
saw grown anywhere, except those
grown in greenhouse in potts.
Tomato plants must have age in
order TO produce early tomatoes.-
Cor Rurol Neac Yorker.