The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-20

the cantaloupe crop, well ORGANIZED
tomato growers association, where dr.
lots of fancy crops are grown will coz
mand the attention of buyers of the larJe
markets who will not only buy the Grip
at the station, but will also furnish Gratis
or baskets look after cars, freight rats
icing and in fact look after all the d.
tails of gathering picking and shippiny.
Large buyers will not pay attention, 81
a rule, to sections where only a fey
crates of tomatoes are grown, for 1t costs
them as much to visit a section to 1opk
after one car as it does to look after
one hundred cars.
Tomatoes for Canning.
In all sections where there is a wei
organized tomato growers associat ton
there should be a canning plant. for using
up all over-ripe fruit, as well as for can
ming the crop after it becomes too cheap,
to be profitable for shipment.
A good plan is to ship as long as the
price will pay, then can, and there is al
ways the tail end of the crop which may
be used to good profit by canning.
The tomato Is one of the truck crops
that will not come OFF in time to produce
another crop, so we should make the
this everything should be saved Even
where tomatoes are grown for canning,
If the crop is managed properly, the
growers may realize a handsome profit
by selling the first early fruit that ripen,
and can later. Besides 1t Is frequently
the case that it will not pay to start the
canning plant until there is sufficient
fruit to keep it going for the season. SO
that the two businesses OF growing for
shipment and for canning can be very
nicely worked In together.
Causes for Failure.
Among the causes for failure in grow
ing and marketing crops is the fact that
but few growers are willing to do enough
work to make the business success.
They fail to make study Of their soil.
so as to know what plant foods are
needed in order for best results with
their various crops They do not do
things at the right time, put off the
planting OF crops until it Is too late to
, plant to meet the competition of wide
awake growers One of the most Inn
portant matters, that OF plant foods,
and one that the average farmer knows
less about than almost anything else.
they pay but little attention to, and often
for the want of these and a knowledge
of their uses, failures result. Then the
farmer is ready to say that his section
is not adapted for the crops, that he.
through ignorance. has made failure
to grow. Frequently I meet with just
such experiences. Recently I was hold
ing a farmers meeting in one of the
best tomato growing sections in the
southwest, but where all the efforts at
tomato growing had proven either
partial or total failure. While urging
these people to place the tomato In their
list of crops, a grower got up and stated
that he had no luck in growing toma-
toes, said this country here will not grow
good tomatoes. Why he event went on
to say my tomato vines grow from ten
to fifteen feet but never bear any fruit.
This happened to be the growing sea-
son, so / went out with this man to SEQ
what the trouble was. On investigation
found that the soil was highly fertilized
from feeding lots where the cattle were
fed largely on cotton seed meal and
hulls, so that in using this fertilizer
the soil was overfed with nitrogen.
which only produces vine stalk, roots
and foliage in the tomato as well as
in other plants. -esides this. all vine
crops that are overfed with nitrogen,
shed the blooms and fail to fertilize or
to make fruit of any value. frequently
a few fruits may hang on, but these
are generally ill shaped and OF poor quail
ity might continue almost indef-
nitelv such experiences and the failures
of truck growers all over the country.
which have come from simply neglect
in making a study of their business. Of
ten when a failure is made. instead of
locating the cause for failure, and set
ting to work to profit by their expert
ence, many cry out, there is no use to
try; I know that these crops will not
grow on my land.
successful truck farming, fruit and
vegetable growing, depends largely upon
education and there is always ample
| time for the grower to educate him
Ill tan1 af ctlao
and while we may never be able to
know all things, yet we can stock up
with enough knowledge to mako the
business a partial success at least.
Yields and ProfIts.
The only apology l have to offer for
writing on tomato growing is the fact
| that SO far / hold the record OF having
grown the largest yield or crop of to-
matoes ever grown on one acre IN the
,, United States Several years ago raised
on one acre 1900 bushels of fine toma-
toes. The plants used for growing this
crop were grown and managed In every
detail as outlined above. The soil was
clay with porous clay suoson' was
under drained by tile drainage. Tne
year previous the land had been mghly
fortified with barnyard manure, ana
heavy crop of late cabbage grown. This
left the soil in fine condition and no
fertilizer was used except small amount
of well rotted compost, about hand'
full around each plant when set.
,rhe season was an ideal one, and every
condition was as near perfect for grow
ing this crop as could be asked. 1 only
lost about / per cent of plants from IN
sects. and these were quickly replaced.
The plants were set in rows six feet apart
and FIVE and one-half feet apart In the
rows, this giving 1900 plants on the acre.
The average price for which this crop was
sold was 10 cents per bushel. equal TO
5000 for the acre This was a good yield
and a good paying crop But this record
is an exception, and may never be dupli-
Gated. but from 800 to coo bushels OF to-
matoes may be grown from every acre
planted, and from SIS to $500 per acre real
,, lied from the crop. The reader should
keen In mind the fact that the tomato
plant is not exhaustive to Soils but holds
the plant food in the soil and leaves 1t In
fire condition for any crop that IS 10 roi-
low Tomatoes should not be grown con-
| tinuously on the same land, but new helds
| used each year.