The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-08-21
Tomatoes.

Tomatoes are the crop TOR every body.
They are particularly recommended to
that class who go to farming and gar
dening for pleasure or profit, but who
do not know anything about the bust
ness, and who think it is not necessary
to know anything. The tomato will do
the best with those who do not know
anything about gardening OF anything
we can think of. The man who can
not grow tomatoes would be a curiosi-
ty. Except, however, for his own use,
or unless he is near city market, and
has plenty of land, or is near canning
factory, he will not enter very largely
into their cultivation Every home can
consume large quantities of tomatoes,
if the trouble of canning them is gone
into, and they are so easily grown and
so easily canned that every farmer
should always have supply Of them.
They are grown so plentifUfly, how
ever, that they cannot be said to be a
very profitable crop. Near large cities
they are cultivated for market purposes.
but around such cities as New York and
Philadelphia, the market gardeners do
not grow them. Such gardens are too
rich, and not large enough to grow such
crop. 1t is not very difficult to pro-
duce the plants in hot beds, but that is
the only part OF the work that requires
any special experience at all. The
plants once produced and set out, they
will grow under almost any circum-
stances. Some people endeavor to
make it appear that there is something
of science in their cultivation, but
we were never able to. see it. Among
the scientific growers are those who
attach great importance to topping the
leading shoots, asserting that this will
give larger and earlier crops. But we
do not think that any benefit is derived
from such practice. Grow them in the
easiest possible way is our advice. for
they will not pay for any extraordinary
care, and it IS not really necessary,
either.
1t is not very many years since the
tomato was believed TO be poisonous.
What change has come over us! We
have become almost as great consumers
of the tomato as we are of potatoes.
We have no idea of the quantity that
are yearly canned and consumed, but
it is immense; and when near a can
ming factory the crop IS reasonably
profitable. Tomatoes will grow at the
rate of about five hundred bushels 10
| the acre, and near the Eastern cities
thev will bring about dollar 4 bushel.
That would look profitable. But those
who have tried it say that it is not, at
least in a comparative sense. One
grower reports that on very suitable
soil near New York City, five acres
Welded him annually from fifteen hun
dred to two thousand bushels. But he
said it was losing operation, for to
raise the twenty thousand plants nee
essary for the five acres he had to make
use of four hundred sashes, and he
| found that with far less labor, and in
about the same time it took to produce
the tomato plants, he could have pro-
| duced lettuce that would have sold for
at least two dollars sash. He thus
lost half of the receipts of the tomatoes
in producing the plants alone. How
ever, he might have been so located
that this lettuce would not have yielded
! him so well. while there would have
| been a good demand for tomatoes. But
as rule the crop will not be recon-
mended as an exceedingly profitable
one.
When they are grown for market,
those varieties that can be got into
market the earliest will of course be the
best. 1t is the early vegetable that
pays for growing But in the attempt
to satisfy the desire for any early va
riety, we may often be deceived by
| oloNinp advertisements Peter Hem
derson says that the varieties grown
tNenty years ago are not day behind
those that are put forward as vastly
superior, and he thinks that the ex-
treme point of earliness in the tomato
was reached years ago, and that i'm
provements now are only possible in
size, smoothness and solidity. Western
| RuFdt.