Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-01-15
RAISING MID WINTER TOMATOES
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

WEST PALM BEACH Fla, Jan. L.
Here, in the midwinter truck garden of
the eastern portion of the United States,
the tomato is hailed as the King of Veg
etables 1t is possible to net a profit
of 81, 800 from single acre OF tomatoes
in one year. 1t has been done. This
seems a great deal of money to make on
one acre, but it doesn't sound at all i'm
probable to the man who pays eighty
cents a portion for tomato salad in his
New York restaurant. The man who pays
eighty cents for one tomato may be in
clined to the opinion that the Florida
tomato grower ought to be content with
a little less profit. But the Florida growei,
naturally, takes another view of the
case
Not every acre Of tomatoes nets 81. 500
a year. Some of them do not make $1oo
1t all depends upon the man who grows
the vegetables. There is plenty OF good
truck gardening land, but those parcels
which are convenient TO the railroad and
which have the necessary transportation
and packing facilities are not to be had
for a song. When the land is purchased
il requires money and time to clear IL
and grub il. Then 1t must be prepared
for seed, and expensive fertilizer used In
scientific chemical proportions Then the
tomatoes are planted.
Every morning the farmer must be up
betimes on the lookout for enemies Man
is not the only animal who likes toma-
toes. The rats are a great pest. Grains
of corn carefully boiled in solution OF
paris green, are scattered between the
rows of tomatoes. They finish the rats,
but there will be more rats next week
and there must be more paris green hon.
inv FIR them eat.
Cotton seed meal, carefully mixed with
arsenic, must be sifted under the plant
where the weight of the tomato is bend
ing il nearly to the earth. That Is TO
furnish the earthworms such feast that
they will die happy without going INTO
the salad course. Then there are the
land-crabs; little fellows. but very fond
of tomato plants and tomatoes. The farm
er must provide himself with supply
of little pills of calcium carbide, each
about the size Of a pea. Then he must
peer all around under his precious to-
rnato plants for crab holes. When he
finds one, in goes a pill and the hole Is
sopped up with a clod. The calcium car
bide. coming in contact with the mois-
ture of the earth. forms a gas which
penetrates to all parts of Mr.. Crabs sub
terranean abode and painlessly launches
him into announcer WOTlu WHERE lhcEc may
be tomatoes, but where there is no mar
ket for the Florida grown variety.
After one has done all these things,
and has done them every day for weeks.
and after he has fought a winning bat
tie with the millions of weeds that vex
the farmer in this land of luxuriant veg
citation; after he has gathered each to-
mato as carefully as If he were TAX
ing a baby from its crib: after he has
wrapped that tomato in tissue paper and
laid it in specially prepared crate; and
then, after he has shipped it away to the
lobster palace zone of New York, he is
apt to think that he deserves a good
round sum as a reward for his zeal AMI
vigilance. 1t is almost enough to recon-
cile one to the tariff of eighty cents
portion on midwinter tomato salad. .si
Some growers here permit their vines
to run out on the ground and they lose
much by rot Some do not fertilize prop
arly Some fail to take good care of keep
out the insect pests. Some do not pick
the fruit at the exact moment.
Tomato growers OF this class are Just