The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-06-30
The Cultivation of Tomatoes.
Country Gentleman

IIOuutfN heuLleluauI
In the first place the ground must be well
prepared plowed or spaded and
literally MANFRED. The manure should be
spread thick upon the surface before the
blowing or spading is done. Whether you
plant your seed in beds and afterward trans
plant TO rows or SOW your seed in drill and
afterward thin out, you should, in either
case, have your ground we'll MANFRED, but
deeply plowed or spaded. Spading is better
for a small bed. The tomato is not as vora-
cious as some other plants, but it will not do
much without liberal feed" Any good
manure, such as stable, COW lot, fowl house,
or compost of all these, will answer, or
any commercial fertilizer will doubtless do,
though 1 have never had occasion to use the
latter, always being able to get plenty Ct
homemade manure. Having been literally
spread upon the surface before the ground
is plowed or spaded, it becomes well mixed
with the soil when it is being prepared for
planting very common error is made by
young and inexperienced farmers and EAR
deners, in supposing that manure will do
the most good if applied directly to the
causes the plant to "ire" or "burn" when
hot, dry weather sets in. If you stick your
spade into the ground soon after a hard rsin
you will find the earth is quite moist for
several inches down. Try the same expert
ment on a heap of manure, and you will, in
all probability, discover that the water has
not mOistened ii an inch. Hence, the neces-
sity of having your manure thoroughly IN
coIporated with the soil before planting;
because the soil-most soils at least-readily
absorbs moisture and when the naturally
dry manure is well mixed with the soil, II,
too. becomes moist, and Is then available as
plant food.
| SOW tomato seed both in beds, for trans
planting, and also in rows or drills. The
reason L SOW some in beds is to insure
against bad stand in the drills, Another
reason is. that when the plants in the bed
up four or five inches, 1 pick out the
most robust and plant in my select rows.
have bed and select row for each variety
1 plant; generally from three to four kinds.
The next largest and best plants / use in fill
ing up the vacancies that may occur in my
drilled plants. Not many vacancies occur
usually, unless the plants are badly eaten by
| insects, and have never yet been troubled
to any great extent by them. In fact the
large green tomato worm is the only enemy
my p ants have ever had, and he has never
been numerous enough to do much damage.
The select rows above mentioned are those
from which pick my table tomatoes, i. e.,
those for slicing and eating raw. j also Sc
lect the very best specimens from these rows
for seed. For various reasons which l can
not give, prefer saving my own tomato
seed. From the other rows gather such as
We use for cooking up into stews, putting M
in jars for winter use, pickeling, etc., though
| sometimes gather our pickle tomatoes from
the Selects when they are abundant
From the ordinary rows / gather a great
many for the chickens, which they relish
greatly.
Some tomato amateurs trim their vines
down TO only two or three limbs, thus fore
ing the entire strength of the plant into
those limbs. This method gives few toma-
toes, but verv large and luscious. | trim my
select plants a little, but not to the extent
| that i have seen others do. / cut off from
One.third to One-half of the limbs perhaps,
and do not let the plants grow much over
two feet high. This plan gives very large
and fine fruit, though not quite so large
probably as where very close pruning is fol-
lowed ct the greater mum Der of tomatoes
more than compensate for the slight differ
ence in size.
Tomato seed, like ali small seed, should be
covered with shallow, and not sown too
thick. Transplanting should be done, If pos
sible, on the afternoon of rainy day; the
! nearer night, the better. The plants should
stand from two and a half to three feet
apart, in rows of that width. Like most
other vegetables they should be kept clear
of weeds and grass, and the ground should
be stirred frequently with a hoe, garden
pillow or small horse pillow.