The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-24
Early Tomatoes.

E>nfIy tomatoes.
If everyone used as many tomatoes as
We do in our family, it would be a diff
cult matter to supply the demand. They
are, however, popular vegetable with
the great majority, says F. ]. Merriam
in Southern Cultivator. From the man
with a small garden or even back yard,
where he can set few plants, to the
market gardener who grows them by the
acre TO supply his city customers, they
are a profitable and delightful vegetable.
As soon as danger of frost is past.
plants may be set in open ground. We
use plants of the Dwarf Champion and
Redheld Beauty for this early crop which
have been started in the greenhouse and
hardened off in cold frames. These plants
were set about four inches apart each
way in the frame, so that when We are
ready to remove them to the field they
may be taken up with a square piece of
earth attached to each plant Moved in
this way we seldom lose a plant. If your
plants have been grown somewhat thick
ly In the bed or box, and ii is impractical
BILE to move them in the manner described
above, be sure that they are saturated
with water before taking them up, so that
the earth will adhere somewhat to the
roots. Then place the plants carefully in
fiat baskets or boxes 20 convey them to
the field
In setting the plants use trowel and
make hole deep enough so the plant
may be set we'll down in the soil. Pour
in about half a pint or a pint of water,
insert the plant and firm the soil around
the stem with both hands. No amount
of after watering will compensate for the
lack of water at the time of setting
Once well done is twice DONE" you know
and il take Mains n the garden
as elsewhere. 1t is q good plan after set
ting 10 go over the field with hoe and
draw a little more soil up around the
plants to steady them If they are large,
and prevent the wind from whipping them
about
Land for toma toes should be well drain
ed and thoroughly broken and fined. Eth
er sandy or clay loan will answer nice
ly 1t will pay to go over the field
number of times with cutaway, smooth
ing harrow and roller in order to fit the
land properly and make the plant food it
contains availa bic. 1t must be so fine and
mellow that the roots will be able to take
hold at once. Then there should be lib
eral quantity of high grade fertilizer used
in the drill. We apply LOCO pounds to the
acre of a fertilizer which analyses am
monia per cent. availa BILE, phosphoric
acid per cent. and potash Z per cent.
An abundant supply of potash in a fer
tiiizer for tomatoes is important to make
the plant strong and healthy and the
fruit firm. 1t is a good plan to make an
additional application of about so pounds
per acre of nitrate of soda, applied a
top dressing around the plants as they
are beginning to bloom.
We lay our rows five feet apart and
apply the fertilizer in the drill by hand,
stirring it into the soil by running once
or twice to the row with a scooter The
plants are then set in this furrow, two
and a half feet apart for the Dwarf
Champion, and three to four feet apart
for the larger growing kinds.
Cultivation commences almost immedi-
ately. 1t should be level and shallow, and
the field worked with cultivator or hoe
at least once week until the vines be-
come too large. The longer they are Gull
tivated, if the work is done shallow, the
longer they will continue to grow.
In marketing the cropsthe tomatoes are
gathered in half bushel baskets, and sort
ed into peck boxes, or six basket twenty
four-quart crates Only smooth, sound to-
matoes should be packed for shipment
The stage of ripeness at which they
should be picked must depend on the dis
lance you intend to ship. Just as they
begin to show signs of coloring is usually
about right For the local market the to-
mato should be ripe when picked or near
ly so. One dollar per bushel is a fair
average price the season through for
choice tomatoes. The cuils may be sold
for making catsup at from % cents to so
cents per bushels.
If you have been troubled with the
Southern blight-a fungus disease which
attacks the plants at the root, when
nearly grown and often full of fruit. de-
stroying them, it appears in day-try
lime. We have had some success in pre-
venting this blight by applying about 30
bushels of lime to the acre broadcast, and
working it into the soil when preparing
our lanr in the early spring.