The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1906-03-15
GROWING TOMATOES
FOR CANNING FACTORY
Our Cobb County Farm
ers are Given lnfOrma-
ton.

Considerable interest is being mani
tested in the tomato crop, especially
since the establishment Of numbers OF
canning factories in the different local
tiles throughout the South. This is a
crop which the farmer can grow ION
the side" as it were, wherever he is so
situated as to be able to contract his
crop of fruit with factory, and when
properly managed, it will prove quite
profitable.
The price which canning fsctory is
able to offer you for your tomatoes may
seem small in comparison TO that OBJ
tanned by many truck farmers who ship
their tomatoes to northern markets,
hat you must remember that it is sure.
You run no risk Of loss, and there is no
freight or express charges being
charged up against you. Moreover,
the factory will consume the whole of
your crop, while if you were shipping
to distant markets, the price there
might break so that it would not pay
you to chip, and half or two-thirds of
yoor crop go to waste in the field.
The writer has had that to happen
here near Atlanta, where he is sup
posed to have a good local market.
Nearly every year we lose hundred or
more bushels of tomatoes, which we
would be very glad to sell to a cannery
at 25c. per bushel. The way to do is to
figure on the cost of growing the .crop,
the probable yield, and the net profit
per acre at the price offered,
With proper attention, you ought to
raise 200 bushels of tomatoes per acre
and these at % cents per bushel, would
bring you as much as 500 pound bale
of cotton at 10 cents per pound. On
the other hand, it will cost you no
more, If as much, to grow the tomatoes
as it will the cotton.
Now few words about how to grow
the crop. 1t will hardly pay you to go
to the expense of starting your plants
in hot seed bed or greenhouse, as the
market gardener does neither will it
be necessary for you can grow an ex-
cellent crop by planting your seed di-
rectly in the field where you intend
your plants to grow.
The first thing is to select your land
You want sandy loan, we'll filled with
vegetable matter, and if you have it &
second year new ground, this will fur
nish ideal conditions, Any land that
will make good corn, say 90 bushels
per acre will do, and second bottom,
well rdained, or sandy flat, will serve
nicely.
Next prepare your land very much as
you would for corn. 1t ought to be
broken deeply broadcast, and we'll har-
rowed to make fine seed bed. Then
lay off your rows four feet apart, and
apply 600 lbsof complete highgradeIfer-
tilizer per acre by the drill. This fer
tiliZer should analyze about per cent.
phosphoric said, 4 per cent. ammonia,
and 6 per cent. or per cent. potash.
If the land is very sandy, use per cent
potash. If it contains great deal of
clay, use per cent,
If you cannot purchase a ready mixed
fertilizer having a similar analysis,
better mix it yourself. The ordinary
cotton fertilizer usually sold 1922 or
1922 will not answer. You may be
able to purchase SD, and if so, this
will answer fairly well. If you mix
your fertilizer yourself. use the follow
ing formula:
1000 lbs. Acid Phosphate.
POO lbs, Nitrate of Soda.
$50 lbs. Cotton Seed Meal
240 lbs. Muriate of Potash.
This will give you ton of fertilizer
with the proper analysis, and if, as we
stated, you have sandy land, add lit
tie more muriate of potash, say so lbs.
to the ton, which will give you the ad-
ditional per cent. of potash. Use 600
lbs. per acre in the drill.