The suburban citizen., 1900-05-26


grown by constant and thorough sub
irrigation, says the Boston Globe, the
armers who have raised them in Other
Eays for years shook their heads and
said they guessed the doctor was mis-
nken-only that isn't the exact word
;hey used.
But he never intended TO raise them
outdoors in that way. He raises them
n hothouse with sub-irrigation, and
le gets fifteen cents more a pound for
ihem than any other tomatoes on the
Boston market. DIR. Fisher, as his
;itle implies, received his M. D., aud
some years ago started out to practise
medicine, but he soon wearied of his
profession, and found himself out of
sympathy with many of its teachings
and doctrines. Always interested in
she care and culture OF growing things,
mis- scientifically trained mind found
in the realm of plant life feldf for re-
search which he saw might be as ex-
haustive and valuable in its way as
any of the problems of the human
body.
Four years ago he built on his place,
5wo miles from Fitchburg, a hothouse
! I08 feet long and 49, feet wide. He
has experimental and evolved his
theories of fertilizer, aud most of all
oeen happy in the work under his
hand.
! He says that he adopted his present
method of raising tomatoes partly by
accident and partly by working out
his theories to their logical conclu-
sion. For four years now he has been
sending them to market raised by this
method, which is, to say the least,
revolutionary.
The aim of all irrigation is to give
;he plants water when they need it.
1t is the ability to do this that makes
the Arkansas valley apples raised in
| Manzanola and other points, for in
stance, 80 perfect in flavor and ap-
pearance. They are given water when
they need it. In this country the ap-
pie may become "set" on the tree and
begin to develop, and the orchardist
laye to wait for days for a shower to
| give his thirsty trees a very necessary
lrink. There the orchardist turns on
his water when the apple is 'set" and
The result is fair, perfect apple. This,
.hen, is the great advantage of raising
fruit commercially with irrigation. In
Ihe irrigating of trees furrow is
turned alongside the tree about under
the ends Of the branches. Down this
the water Is run for varying lengths
of time and then turned of. The
water sinks into the roots, which drink
it up into the tree.
Tomatoes raised by the acre in that
sountry in heopen are irrigated in the
same way, but with more frequency,
Of course, than apples. The tomato
is vegetable that requires a great
deal of moisture, large per cent OF
its substance being water. DR.. Fisher
came to the conclusion that the tomato
not only needs very frequent drink,
but needs q perpetual one. So hd
went to work on that plan.
About November he plants in a
three-inch pot single tomato seed.
Immediately the pot is set in pan
having water in it. The soil is a pre-
pared one and is enriched with a
chemical fertilizer which the doctor
has perfected and has made for him
according to his own formula. To
ligress for moment, he used to usd
different fertilizers for different plantsI
but now he uses the same fertili-
Ger for all plants and all soils.
The soil he disregards TO some ex1
tent, holding thdt the food should
be such as goes into the making OF
the plant and not into the soil itself
The usual method of raising tomato
plants from the seed is to SOW the seed
in a cold frame or forcing box, and,
when the plants are big enough, 10
"prick them out" which is simply
separating and setting them by them.
selves. The doctors method obviates
this tedious and delicate operation.
Each plant has its own home in the
three-inch pot, aud there it stays and
grows till it is about five weeks old.
Then it is set in the final soil. where
it is to grow to maturity and fruit,
without transplanting or handling.
At all times it is still standing in its
pan OF water and drinking constantly
The receptacle where it finally
grows is bottomless iron box about
six inches deep and with about four
inches of soil in It. Three plants are
set in each box or frame. The end
plants are set twenty.one inches from
the centre plant. This frame is then
set into a shallow tray of water and,
having no bottom, the soil and the
fibrous roots. which soon penetrate
through to the bottom, suck up the
water from the plant constantly.
From then till the fruit is gathered
and the plant is through blossoming
the water is never allowed to remain
out Of the pans. In other words not
a drop Of water ever goes to the sur
face of the soil which supports the
tomatoes, but it is constantly being
supplied as the plant itself demands
it, to the roots.
The luxuriousness of the plants and
the "health" of their foliage Ia testi-