Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-08-19
TOMATO GROWING.
tTImes-Dispatch Narm Colnmn. J

Portions of Virginia grow large
quantities of tomatoes for canning
and also for market as fresh fruit.
| We have had opportunity to visit
many fields under cultivation in this
crop, and in the majority of cases
have been surprised that farmers or
truckers are content with the very
meagre results obtained. 1t is not
the opportune season to discuss the
culture of this crop in detail, but
some observations at this tim, may
be the more impressive as the farmer
gathers his slight crop.
The tomato plant is perhaps above
all our truck crops grass feeder,
and can thrive anywhere given proper
conditions. After one has grown
crops of fifteen to twenty tons of
fruit per acre (600-S0O bushels), it
seems pitiable to look upon the crops
of four to six tons (16o 240 bushels)
per acre, which are the rule over the
State. take 40 pounds as bushel
of tomatoes. 1t would be far better
for factory men if they bought all
fruit by weight instead of by bushel
box.)
The vines on the average field of
tomatoes look like poor starved DO
tato plants, not making sufficient
growth to cover the soil, instead of
the rank, luxuriant vines with abun-
dant foliage which is typical of well
grown plants. What is the trouble?
Lack of humus (decaying organic
matter) in the soil. The tomato
plant makes the most pitiable growth
of all our truck crops when placed
on hot, bare soil devoid of organic
matter, but in this very same situa-
tion give ita liberal mulch of rotted
manure when the plants are set and
good culture after, and the result is
almost miracle compared with
starved plant only rod away. This
plant revels in moist loamy soils, and
with proper mulch the vines will
soon SO cover the ground as to assist
in maintaining cool and moist con-
ditions, which are very beneficial to it.
A hot, parched field with skeleton
tomato plants, almost devoid of
foliage, supporting a few pounds of
lily matured fruit, is an all too fire.
quent sight in travelling about the
State. But how is one to obtain
manure enough to mulch a crop of
any sixes This is a question for
eAch individual farm, but right or
ganization of mixed farming will
furnish some manure, and the point
on which We wish to lay stress is,
would it not be far better to grow
good crop on one acre, say 500 |
bushels of fruit which is not an ex-
treme crop, than to work several
acres in bad farming to secure the
same amount? Sow crimson clover
in the corn, let this grow rank, turn
under IN spring twenty days before
time to plant the tomato crop, and |
reduce the soil to finest possible
tilth before setting out the plants.
A small amount of mulch will suf-
flee for such land.
There is one real danger in such |
plan, vizi the cut worms. But if |
the land is plowed twenty days in
advance of planting and we'll worked |
with disk and drag harrows several
times and the crop planted bit late,
the worms will give little trouble. |
When land is brought up to fine con-
dition with common clover or COW
peas one can grow tomatoes by the
use of chemical fertilizers without
mulch. This is the time of year to
settle the preliminaries of next years |
tomato crop. No farmer or trucker
should be satisfied with crop of |
less than fifteen pounds per plant, |
and twenty pounds is attainable.