The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1906-06-15
A NEW TOMATO CULTURE.
GUN ELLIOTT MITCHELL.

About the frst Of June d the time
to stake your tomatoes. speaking gen.
orally for the United States, This
article would have been more timely
mad It been printed a month ago, but
even II 1t can be remembered for next
years operations In tomato growing,
the writer will feel more than COM
pensated, since for at least small
tomato patches the plan here sug.
gested has been proven by him to have
several advantages.
Some years ago attempted to grow
seven acres Of tomatoes in Southern
Florida-Polk County-for the north
ern winter market. The tomatoes
were planted in November. It was the
winter Of the great freeze, which swept
Florida from stem to stern and Obliter-
ated all frost lines"-the first &C.
Cured December 18th. just on top of
q balmy Christmas Eve spent on the
piazza In summer clothes. On that
day, the thermometer In this frost
proof" region descended to 18F. with
biting northwest wind. Thousands
OF acres OF tomatoes and eggplant |
were cut down to the ground. For
tunately for my partner and myself we |
We're from the region where Jack Frost |
holds annual sway and we had main
tained seed bed In spite Of the jeers
of our neighbOrs. BY the use Of fer
tilizer sacks, all the bed quilts, sheets
and clothing we had, and half a dozen
fires to windward, we managed to
save some seven or eight thousand
young tomato plants, and thus when
the frost king had passed on his way,
we had start over our neighbors Of
from eighteen to twenty-four days in
growth.
A SECOND FREEZE.
We had visions Of wealth. Instead
OF seven acres, 1t Is true. we had
plants for only about single acre
each, but we expected eight ten or
twelve dollars crate for our toma-
toes, instead Of two or three dollars,
because all Florida had been wiped
out. Unfortunately, in this instance,
the lightning struck twice, and In Feb
ruary, just as our plants were bios '
soming and beginning to form fruit, 2
a second and equally severe freeze q
struck into our midst, and again the
entire agricultural section of Florida, =
with the exception of very small y
acreage on the southwest keys. was =
frozen to the roots. However, in this y
Instance the Weather Bureau was on y
The lookout, and about nine o'clock in I,
The evening we had information that 81
4 severe northwest blizzard was rapid
" moving down the State. .
Necessity, as usual, proved itself ii
he mother Of invention, and my part n
1er, Mr.. G. G. Stephenson, of Hernd0n, N
Va, and myself strapped lanterns to n
our left legs, and with big cotton n
zoe each, tramped up and down our n,
ong rows of tomatoes and with r,
single dig and pull, for each plant, COW q
red the blossoming tomatoes with !,
nearly a square foot of the loose u
Florida upland sand, In which the y!
winter tomato is grown. u
BY two o'clock we had finished our T.
ask, and we thought we were some Vi
What tired; but this effort was nothing =,
o the job Of digging out the plants on 60
he two succeeding days. The small g,
f my back still creaks in remem- ~
rance Of the Strengthening up periods ",
t the end of each row. in
Finally. after the two freezes had us
one their worst, and the genial sun m
f Southern Florida began to warm th
be air, as upon rare day in June, we
ach found ourselves with about y of
n acre Of rather dilapidated but still !.
hrifty and little damaged tomatoes, s sn
ar advanced over those of the sur nv
ounding fields. =.
PRUNING TOMATO VINES. he
The tomatoes were beginning to re-
brow out numbers of axillary suckers ru
lst above each leaf. 1t was my turn, tn
ne day, to drive the white mare to st,
,wn and get supply Of grub-we ca
vere camping. By chance, / ran I'M
cross an old stager who had drifted alb
own to South Florida from the region err
40 m...,.,,,' -