The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-22

land for the planting should have been
Moved deeply and should have good
drainage and be properly fertilized as stat
ed above, made perfectly fine and ready to
receive the plants when time comes for
moving plants to the field Have every
thing ready. furrow out deep burrows,
and set the plants down in the bottom of
the furrow.
In taking up the plants to remove to the
field take a strong trowel or spade, and
commence at one end of the bed. and
take the plants up in blocks, for when
roots are pruned, as stated above, they
will form a dense mass of roots and hold
the dirt. and great care should be used
In handling. so as not to get the dirt
knocked off. A good plan is to wet the
led thoroughly before commencing to
take up the plants so that the roots may
hold the SOIL. The plants are set as stat
ed. right In the fresh open burrows.
The burrows should not be opened and
allowed to become dry before the plants
are set. But let all this work be kept
right up together The setting of the
plants should always be done, If possible,
Just before a rain. After the plants are
set this way the cultivation will be an
easy matter, and a crop of tomatoes may
be grown as easily and cheaply as a crop
of corn or potatoes The deep cultivation
of the soil should all be done before the
plants are set, after which shallow cul-
tivation only is needed. This cultivation
can be we'll performed by using our inn
proved horse hoe and cultivators. A few
words here on cultivation will help much
in this work Now, as stated, deep fur
rows should be made, in the bottom of
which the plants should be set, and where
plants are handled and set here di-
rected they should never wilt, but Will
take hold of the soil and grow Immediate
ly, so that the work of cultivation may
commence at once, and where only small
crops of an acre or so are grown the
horse cultivator may be used to good adj
vantage. but where large fields are to be
grown it is economy to use the two-horso
cultivator Work the soil in around the
plants, thus filing up burrows made for
setting and worked out from the plants
as they grow. Where large fields are
being grown 1t is well to have the plants
set so as to cultivate each way, as this
will save all hand hoe work
The soil must never be worked when
VT or when the vines are wet with lew
or rain. This will cause rot and blight.
so cultivate only when the soil Is dry.
Now as to the distance apart to plant
depends largely on the variety and lat
Is wanted. If the vines are to be pruneo
and tied up. three by three feet is ample
room, but with my system of planting as
set forth in this paper where | never
prune or tie up want my plants at least
five by five feet apart each way.
Seed.
I wish next to notice this part of the
crop. There are few crops where seed so
greatly influence the crop, and where
so much depends on the seed as in
the case of the tomato. When we come
to think what a small outlay 1t takes in
cash to buy seed enough to plant an acre
of tomatoes, 1t is strange that growers
will be seeking something oh ap in toma-
to seed.
= ne ounce of good seed If properly
managed. should plant two acres, and the
very best selected tomato seed can be had
at from 40 cents to 50 cents per ounce at
retail. The first cost of the seed is a
very small matter wheR compared with
the cost and time labor and land in
growing worthless stock, for which one
could find no market.
Varieties.
There are now great many good va
rieties being offered so that all tastes and
conditions can be suited Then. too, the
matter of variety will depend largely
upon what is wanted. Now where one is
growing for shipping purposes we have
Red Dwarf Champion for first early.
But unfortunately this variety does not
possess the color wanted in tomatoes in
most of the markets. So that IL can be
recommended only for earliness and for
shipping until a better and more popular
sort comes In. The Acme has long been a
popular variety to grow for shipment but
there are several objections to this va
riety, the first is they are generally too
small, next they are tender skinned and
last they do not bear heavy crops. Now
the grower who Is growing tomatoes for
shipment to our northern markets will
do well to remember that most of these
markets demand the dark purple red
skinned sorts such as the Acme.
Now the best tomato of this class and
one which has given the shippers of the
south so much satisfaction and profit, Is
what is known as Whites Excelsior.
This variety possesses many good and
superior advantages as shipping va
riety, as well as being one of the best
TO grow for home use and near by mar
kets. The fruits of this variety are al
ways large and beautiful in appearance
and hold their size until the end of the
season, and besides these excellent quail
ties the skin is thick and tough. so that
they will stand up In shipment longer
than any other variety These facts are
mentioned here because the grower
should have the best, as the best costs nc
more to grow than does the poor varie-
ties. One other point about this variety
is that the fruits are not only large and
perfectly smooth. but the general appear
ance of the Excelsior with its beautiful
glossy dark purple red color will always
sell them.
Then. too, the quality OF this variety Is
unequaled. So to those who wish to grow
the best and get the best prices, | would
recommend the use of this variety first
of all for both home and for shipping
purposes. After the Excelsior comes on
the market no one wants the Red Dwarf
Champion for shipping. and what is left
of the crop may be sold on the local mar
ket or used at the canning factory Now
few words as to varieties best suited
for canning factories.
For some reason Gamers generally pre-
fer a deep red variety, such as Favorite
and Stone. claiming that the purple sorts
do not hold their color so well when
canned. On investigation, however. we
do not find this to be true as general
rule But to give the Gamers the benefit
of the doubt we can recommend for their
use the following sorts to be grown for
canning factories Improved Matchless,
Stone and Mikado. These are the best
of this color and class of tomatoes. There
Is. however. very little difference between
the Matchless and Stone: a good stock OF
Matchless perhaps Is the best and pre-
ferable to the Stone. The Red Mikadd
should be planted largely by our Gamers,
| for not only is 1t the best favor of any
of Its class but IT comes in late and CON
tinues the season until frost, always
| bearing the largest and prettiest bright
red color of any of the brick red sorts
Now with these varieties well selected,