The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-10-10

The tomato is very easily grown,
requiring little expert knowledge. In
growing the tomato either for home
use or for market, three points are
chiefly essential-quality, appearance
and productiveness; also another fea-
ture is looked for-that is, firmness or
solidity, insuring good shipping quail
ity. The novice in gardening should
bear in mind that considerable warmth
Is required to develop the finest flavor
and richest color In the ripened fruit,
and when planted in cool locations
care should be taken to select varieties
which are hardy, sure setting and early
ripening. A great deal can be accom-
plished with a little extra care In
training the vines to trellises or other
supports, so that the fruits will be ex-
posed to the sunlight in such locations.
South Florida can grow the tomato
to perfection, with a shipping season
from December until May, at which
time the crop as far north as Georgia
begins to ripen, and is pushed for
ward to the market, crowding the
Florida crop out.
A very rich soil is not desirable for
tomatoes, as If too rich, the fruit does
in moderately rich soil. However,
there should be a fair coat Of we'll
rotted stable manure spread upon the
soil and plowed or dug under to set
ting out the plants and then thorough
ly narrowed.
Preparing the Field.
A sandy loan needs very little prep
aration before transplanting. All dead
roots, brush, or other debris should be
removed so that 1t will not interfere
with later cultivation. A 2-horse plow
may then be used to open out double
furrow where the row is to stand, and
the fertilizer worked in this furrow.
A portion of it being scattered in the
bottom and some of the soil worked
on to this. then apply another portion
of the fertilizer and work more son
into the furrow, and so on until all the
fertilizer has been used. If the plants
are to be put in checks to 4 feet
square, the fertilizer can be put IN
these checks. If the season is quite
moist the ground will be ready to re-
ceive the plants in a week after fer-
tilizing. If, however, the soil remains
unusually dry it may be much longer
Seed.
There are a great many seedsmeh
in this country, and very little atten-
ton should be paid to the many glow
mig descriptions given in catalogs. In
selecting seedsmen from whom to pro-
cure seed, first find out whether they
make tomato growing specially, or
whether it is a secondary matter with
them. Whenever possible procure your
seed from the scotsman that makes
speciality of the tomato.
And when you have found a Well
established variety that gives excel
lent results, do not be in hurry TO
discard II for something else that has
not been tried. Sow the seed in drills
in hot bed OF cold frame, about three
fourths of an inch deep, about two to
the inch: and the drills about three
aIlnxufT1cr q hnlIf ounce
of seed to a space six feet square.
This area will allow the plants to grow
up stout and vigorous without trans
planting, so that when the proper time
comes they can be dug from the beds
and planted directly in the hill.
Soil and Location.
The soil should be a warm sandy
loam with a siope to the south. While
this is not always obtainable, it is very
desirable to have at least a general
slope in this direction. Practical tests
made prove that soil that has a south
ern slope will be five to six degrees
warmer than that which has a north
ern slope. In case of a crop for a late
market, clay soil will be found well
adapted to tomato growing. A very
important point in locating a tomato
field is that we should see to having
a good wind-break to the north, east
and west. A great many cold winds
that are not severe enough TO freeze
will be harmful to the plants. It is
not an uncommon thing to find that
the only tomato plants which survived
the cold spell are those that Were
sheltered from the wind by a dense
hammock or grove.
Setting Out.
Before setting out the plants 1t is
a good idea to harden them off, but
this must be done carefully. 1t is not
a good practice to withhold the moist