The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1909-03-12

ana later to three-1nch and fOur-inch
II occasion demand. AS rule, how
ever, in this climate it will be unpeces-
sary to handle the plants more than
twice. In the absence of pots the
plants may be handled in boxeJ, or
even in the bed; but pot-grown plants
are always preferable, as they are
checked less by removal to the field.
IN the field the plants are set about
four by FIVE feet. Many would plant
closer. but on reasonably rich ground
the plants will cover the whole sur
face if set at this distance.
The plants should be set in the
field as soon as danger from frost il
past. 1t has commonly been taught
that any chill is nearly fatal to young
tomato plants; but, as shown by the
writer's work at Cornell university
and at the Maine experiment station,
a chill is not as fatal to success as is
commonly supposed" At the Maine
station it was found that "in every in
stance. save one, the irst ripe fruits
were obtained from plants set latest"
This fact, however, is not necessarily
an indication of earliness, as the late
set plants were older than is usually
desirable for setting, and the first
fruits were in some cases from BIOS
SONS formed while in the house.
After these had ripened, there was a
long interval before others followed.
without exception the average num-
Der of fruits, and the average weight
of the product per plant, was in direct
ratio with the earliness of setting"
AS stated in bulletin 116 of the West
Virginia station
The notion that tomatoes do better
upon relatively poor soil is erroneous.
While it is doubtful If ar excessively
heavy application of stable manure
would be profitable, a liberal applica-
ton, such as would be given for a
good crop of corn, may nearly al ways
be used with advantage. At the Cor
nell experiment station it was sculd
that "the results obtained with liberal
nanuring, under commercial condi-
tons, certainly show that
good stable manure in abundance
could be used profitably.'
Some of the best tomato soils are
the newly cleared areas designed for
orchard planting. But Oh these same
new soils, an application CT about 500
pounds of a good high-grade complete
fertilizer will usually be found advaa-
tageous.
Trimming the vines in midsummer
as means of Fastening maturity ana
increasing the yield of fruit is fire.
Guently recommended, but very seldom
practiced, even by amateurs in the
writer's experience the results OBJ
tanned justify greater emphasis Of this
point. AS result of two successive
seasons work at the Maine experiment
station it was found that the total in
crease in the number of fruits ma
tured, due to trimming, ranged from
5.5 per cent. to SO per cent. Tho Per-
centage gain by weight was very
marked, and in one instance reached
total Of So per cent. In these trials
the plants were grown under ordinary
field culture. They were started in the
greenhouse April 1. planted in the field
June !, and headed back July "a, All
gust 8, and September 5. At each
trimming the leading branches were
shortened about six inches, and most
Of the side shoots below the first clus.
tiers of fruit were removed, the others
being shortened. The sunlight was
thus freely admitted to the fruit and
picking was rendered much easier.