Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-27

popularity during tle past zen vi
twelve years as has the tomato This
is due, no doubt to the wonderful i'm
provement made in this favorite fruit
over the old garden variety.
While it is considered early to put
out plants for the main crop, we advise
uutting out a few plants at this time
and giving protection at night is
necessary. CornucopiaS made OF heavy
paper will answer nicely for covering
for the young plants. Tomatoes delight
in IA sandy, loamy soil that is well
drained. We have secured excellent
results, however, from plants that were
grown in an ordinary garden soil that
contained at least one-third ashes.
Last season we produced the best
shaped and most perfect fruit from
plants grown to single stems, and we
want to suggest to those who care TO
take the time and pains to produce
something out of the ordinary to grow
the plants to single stems. 1t does not
matter much what variety you wish to
grow We made it a point today to
visit the local seedsmen to make note
of the different varieties of plants
offered, and a better selection of Varie-
ties could not be made for growing to
single stems, unless it were with one
exception, and that is the Dwarf
Champion, or what is commonly known
this one variety hid not take kindly to
the necessary pruning. However, we
should never omit this valuable va
riety from our garden, owing to the
ease of handling the strong, stocky
plants and the uniform sized, solid
meated fruits that they produce.
An open. sunny situation is best
suited for growing tomatoes. Mix thor
oughly with the soil, where the plants
f., 1A -Af GhnNrDlfI11 n
coal ashes, or air-slaked lime. If
plants are to be grown single stems
place three feet apart, giving each
plant a stout stake six feet high. All
side shoots, or laterals, as they are
called, must be pinched out as soon as
they appear. This operation must be
kept up regularly each week, SO that
all of the strength of the plant is
thrown into the main stem, for the
earlier production of fruit flowers. If
the side shoots are left, the plants soon
become a tangled mass of growth
which yields smaller number OF
fruits and of irregular size.
The best time to give special atteo-
ton to the plants, if heavy crop o
fruit is to be obtained, Us when they
are in bloom. Bees and other insects
are not fond of tomatoes, and the pls-
tils are therefore more or less depend
ent on the wind for having the pollen
dust blown upon their sticky surfaces.
As one can never be sure that the pol
len will find its proper place by aid of
the wind, it is s,afe to look after the
fertilization of the flowers. 1t is
common practice among gardeners to
strike the stake to which the plant is
tied sharply, so as to cause the pollen
to be distributed; this can be done
each day when the plants are in bloom,
and midday is the better time. The
better and surer way. however is to
brush the trusses of flowers lightly
with a soft camels' hair brush. This
plan is slower than the jarrng of the
plants but a heavier crop of fruit is
generally the reward.
Tie the plant to the stake as soon as
it is a foot high and tie every week
thereafter as the growth advances.
Cotton CLOTH torn in strips an inch
wide makes excellent material for
tying plants.
1t is a common practice with many
to cut off the leaves of the plants be-
fore the fruit has attained half its size.
II must be understood that the leaves
have their work to perform in manu-
featuring food for the plants, and if
this work is, interfered with, the plant
and the fruit will suffer in proportion.
We find that certain varieties bear
an over amount of heavy leaves, and
we consider it n benefit to remove
few of these after the fruit is we'll
formed in order to permit free access
of air and sunlight.