Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-04

Tomatoes.
Considerable difference of opinion ex-
lists as to the best and quickest way of
producing this popular vegetable, and as
it requires nearly i've months to produce
the fruit from the planting of the seeds,
it is very important to truck farmers to
know how best to proceed for the earliest
returns. In wel-regulated hot houses, OF
course, both the plants and the fruit can
be produced at any season; but the aver
age grower has not this advantage, and
completes only with the outdoor prOduc-
tions. Nevertheless, he must have plants
very early IN the spring or ne will be left
at the fruitipg season. How to obtain
these in their best condition for a success
tul crop is the matter of controversy. Hot
beds are often resorted to in February to
give fruit in May and June; but unless
the hotbeds are managed with thorough
knowledge Of their uses, and with perfect
regularity, there may be failure after all.
While they must have heat to grow they
must not be smothered and wilted with it;
nor vet, be so crowded in the beds and
forced to spindling mushroom growth
as to impair their value when produced.
This will surely happen if they are not
allowed sufficient space to spread out
and become stocky and strong, while the
air must be freely admitted when the dan
ger of cold is passed and the sun is per-
mitted to shine upon the glasses in order
to avoid suffOeatOn. OF course, moisture
in the hotbed is essential, as it is to all
plants in all situations, and this means
sufficiency only, avoiding in all cases the
careless habit of flooding the beds and
permitting the water to settle down and
sopping some portions of it. With proper
attention good plants can be raised IN hot
beds, notwithstanding the contrary Opin-
ion Of some Of the disputants alluded to;
but if the grower is not Yersed in their
management, and not very confident Of
ais punctuality IN attention, he may
adopt the less difficult method of sowing
his seed in boxes in the green house, or
under some sheltered situation, where
they can be protected from the cold and
have the benefit of the warm sunshine.
They will not grow as rapidly in this
situation, but they may in every other
In either event, as the point is to get the
plants into bearing as early as possible,
they must be pushed forward from the
start. a successful grower who plants in
shallow boxes in the green house thus de-
scribes his after management of the
plants, which enables him to send toma-
toes into the market two months in adj
vance Of the general crop: "TO get to-
matOes ripe in June, start February 1 to
plant seed. AS soon as the plants are
large enough 10 handle, l transplant them
to other boxes about two inches apart.
When they have made two sets of rough
leaves, cut them al back to the seed
leaf They will soon break strongly and,
generally, with two shoots. BY the time
they are well started in growth,
about the last of March, l put
them in the cold frames six inches apart
each way. Whenever the weather will
permit keep the sashes stripped down
and endeayor to make them grow stout
and bushy, and for week before planting
out l keep them uncovered entirely. The
plants lit from the frames with mass Of
soil about their roots and never think Of
whiting. This method of growing the
plants" concludes the writer, sis
troublesome and expensive. but a differ
ence of two months in getting ripe toma-
toes is worth good deal of trouble and,
to a marketman, will be worth more than
all the rest of the season."
With such care and attention they
grow tomatoes proftablv in the North,
not ripening them before June. Waat
profit should weOt the South compel them
to yield where, as in south Georgia and
Florida, we may actually discard the hot
bed, green house and cold frame, and with
plants raised in the open ground send ripe
tomatoes to market two months ahead of
the most advanced among our Northern
competitorsg But we have to compete
with one another, and hence the impor-
lance of method which enables the
most intelli ent and best workers to out
strip their less energetic neighb0rs and
gather the cream Of the market. 1t is
the same with everything else. He who
best informs himself and most thorough
ly performs his work, is entitled and viii
surely reap the richest reward for his
labor