The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-24

4 .,Iicit articles for this department.
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VIEWS r,vs Write us of any new discovery
~. ~ YOU have made this season relative to
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r W. will find an answer to his
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WEEKLY NEWS.
.sort Chapters on Vegetable culture
THE TOMATO.
ALLAN slow the growth of what is excel
,-.n said the poet many years ago. and
.sS.o he wrote these words he did not have
',.too,ato in mind, either, but they still
ornlicable to the history of this vegeta-
o., Thirty or forty years ago the tomato
20, little esteemed, but to-day there are
ra-y few that would consider the summer
.u,r snent without the aid Of this delightful
vegetable.
Tbonsands of acres are grown now where
hundred were grown twenty years ago.
War bv year the acreage has been in
c,sasqd until it has become one OF the most
;nDortant crops that the market gardener
=. trocker can plant. Besides the vast
oranti.y required for Immediate use, thou
s.rds If bushels are required in every Sec
,io, bv the various canneries which put
tbsm I'D in a shape that really gives the to-
,csto in season the year round ID those that
like il at all.
The writer in the past twenty years has
c-own many thousands of bushels of to-
Eno,oes and there are but few crops that
have given him more pleasure in growing.
In several instances he has grown $40
bushels per acre OF perfect, well-rlpe1ed
tomatoes, and in one teSt has measured up
over eleven bushels Of fine specimens from
thirty vines. With a good variety, soil
edapted TO the crop and good cultivation
Wusbes are easily made per acre. This
isty no means a maximum crop. Much
more than this can be made on an acre OF
Ane soil with good cultivation. But great
many growers are satisfied with poor crops;
hundred or two bushels seem to satisfy
them. While one is at it, though, it is just
as well to make a big crop as a small one.
OF course big crop cannot be had from
unsuitable soil Poor clay or poor, sandy
soil vii! not produce the tomato satisfacJo-
riIy. It's d great mistake to suppose that
poor land is the best for tomatoes. To-
matoes need as rich land as any other crop.
The soil IN st be rich in the various min
eral elements especially for this crop as for
any other, and it must have a necessary
quantity of nitrogen, too; but when there is
an excess of the latter and a decided
deficiency of the former it will not be- pos
sible to grow large crops of tomatoes. A
humus soil is not essential, but the three
leading elements of nutrition must exist in
suitable quantity to make its culture a sue
cess. One Of the greatest errors with gar
deners is setting too many plants to the
acre Not over 1910 plants should lie set
on an acre. As rule, 5000 will do better
and yield more than 5000 vines. II the
land is level and wis allow of it it is better
to check it SO that the crop can be cultl-
waited with ho,so hoe bothswavs, but this Is
not essential to large crops. The drillplan
requires little more hoeing, however. For
market purposes, for shipping or canning
the medium-sized varieties are to be pre-
ferred generally. There are nearly q hun
deed different named sorts in our cata-
logues, and the novice will be puzzled as to
what variety to select for extensive culture.
Some varieties are much more profitable
than others. There Is everything in GET
ting good variety where one proposes to
ship any distance Some varieties that will
do well for home use will not do at all for
shipment. By all means select variety
that is smooth and ripens we'll up to the
stem, whether it is designed to use only for
home purposes or ship to a distant point.
There Is no excuse now for using inferior
varieties that are hard to peel or ripen uu-
evenly, as we have 50 many good varieties
that are perfect in this respect and every
other.
The Perfection" the Paragon
Beauty" "Acme, "Ignotuuen are all good
and well-approved varieties. For yellow
tomato, which many prefer, the Golden
Green is good kind When one gets hold
of good variety it should be kept by a
careful selection Of seed every wear. For
home use, for use raw, we find the small,
smooth. round kind very desirable kind,
yet 1t will not sell in market like the larger
Kinds. The snail, yellow pear-shaped is
also good for home use, yet it would be folly
lor the market gardener to grow it, The
medium sized, like the Paragon" is to be
preferred. Some would esteem this a large
variety, yet it does not grow to the size that
scme other kinds do.