The Republican journal., 1873-01-30
Early Tomato Plants, How to Grow

As some of the readers of the Rural New
Yorker may be in the same fix the coming
spring that was last, as regards knowing
now they are to grow a few early tomato
plants, and have them stocky and tirst-class
plants IN every respect, | will give the de-
tails of how managed to grow few hun
dred to my entire satisfaction. | took a
small box, 1920 inches, inches deep, aud
tilled it with good garden soil and set it on
the kitchen stove-drum, and let it stay there
I'LL the dirt was thoroughly warmed; then
took stick and made marks an inch apart.
IA inches deep in the dirt, crossways of
the box; then scattered tomato seeds quite
thick along the rows, and covered them
about one-quarter 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 a bench
nearly the stove after the seeds We're sown,
ard the following day set on the stove drum
again for the purpose ofkeeping up the heat
in the soil, being careful not to let it get
too hot.
In forty-eight hours from the time the
seed was sown, they had sprouted and
many had broken the ground; a few were
nearly one-half inch high. When the plants
had attained to the height OF two inches |
transplanted them into other boxes about
The plants were left in these boxes until
they had attained a height of four inches
and then transplanted into sort of hot-hed
made as follows: A pit was dug in the
side OF Il hill facing the southeast, six feet
wide by twelve feet long, and posts driven
in the ground at the corners and one at
each side, six feet from either end. On
these posts boards were nailed two feet
high in front and two and one-hat feet high
at the back, giving six inches fall from
back to front. III this frame | put fresh
horse manure mixed with litter-such as is
found at farmers horse-stables--to the
depth Of twelve inches, pressing it down
firmly as / put 1t in ;ithen put on six inches of
good soil and covered the bed with covers
made by stretching and mailing with 10 OF.
tacks, common heavy brown muslin on
light frames 3yG feet These frames were
made of white pine lath, sawed lx3 inches,
halved at the corners and nailed with clinch
nails. Common cut nails heated to near Il
white heat and allowed to cool very slow,
are just as good as the cinch nails sold at
the hardware stores and are much cheaper.
After the covers We're put on board
was laid across the upper ends of them,
reaching from one end of the hot-bed frame
to the other; and also across the lower
ends, to prevent heavy winds from moving
uiSii' SOOu as IlIS SUI III tllt Dttl WIS
sufficiently warmed raked it down smooth
and marked it in rows four and quarter
inches apart, and set 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 a case-knile was drawn
through the soil midway between the plants
each way, about four inches deep; and in
removing the plants no difficulty was eX-
perienced 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 We're
removed to the open ground, the same care
being exercised as regarded watering and
cutting between the rows that had been
when transplanted to the hOt-bed. These
plants were as fine as any | ever saw
grown anywhere, except those grown in a
greenhouse in pots. Tomato plants must
have age in order to produce early toma-
toes. Rural New Yorker.