Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1912-03-23

Dorhood. Generally speaking, the planlI
should be set about ten weeks before one
, expects to commence picking.
The requirements Tor successful trans
planting are good healthy plants, vel
grown aud not over grOWDj u soil tnat il
} IN excellent ttlth ana Is moist, not muddy
u cloudy day, or day in which the plants
do not wilt easily.
The plants when pulled" from the
seed beds, must not have ell their fine
roots broken eff. The beds should be
thoroughly vet down before ''pullIng" in
order that the root system be disturbed
as little as possible. Plants should not be
dropped too far ahead of the setter.
If by proper handling the plants can be
transferred frem seed bed to their places
in the field without willing, larger itld
will result. However, in most cases the
plants alttr "pnlling" had best be heeled
In, in the shade until they recover from
tie shock of pulling" The ''stockier"
for transplantIng, the greater will be your
yield.
Generally speaking the plants should
be set fl. 4 IT,, although the distance
may vary with the soil. Leave drive
way every 20rows for convenience in haul
ing baskets.
CULTIVATION AND MOISTURE
Constant cultivation Is the Key note OI
SUCCESS III maturing crop vi tomatoes.
| Cultivate as SOIL do possible alter the
plants are set. Cultivate ueep the first
Eiue anu cluse - The plants, successive
Guilty. aElO should gradually become
more swallow and IRrther away from tine
plant. Cultivate alter eaCu rain, aud III
Time of drOuth cultivate every week or
oftener. Keep a good dust mulch over
the ground 10 prevent evaporation VI
moisture. The mau who culLivates only
90 keep down weeds lsn't much Ut faI-
| mer.
Keep the cultivation going as long as
the spread vi the vines Ia lie row WILL
permit. AT tile last cultivation seed tue
ground down 10 crimson clover, III order
that Ihe land Will be doing something
after the tomato crop is eff. If your to-
matOes have been grown properly, the
crop Will suffer no Ill effects from the
clover. II constant cultivation has been
neglected and the plants are under-slzed
anu unhealthy, tue clover will take too
much moisture from the tomatoes aud
materially lessen the yield.
SEED
the tomato grower must LAY more at
trhtIun ~ nIs eeeu III the 1nEure than he |
IAs III tue p.sI. A good, strong vigorous |
healthy plant, grown under ordinary
cUudIIIUus, CAL come only from goC u |
seed. miniature seed eau be utilized ior |
early plauts, but the seedlings need more
care than the ordinary grower cares to |
give.
As We shall show later iu this paper,
there Is marked difference in the ~beaI-
Ing quaIIIIes OI different varieties of tUma- |
toes, hence II DehUOVes the grower TO |
know that ILLS seed Is pure rs 10 variety. |
ln must locations the seed is purchased |
thTOue the canner, who purchases it in /
DulK from the seedsman. Too often this /
bulk seed ls "canIery rum, and several /
varieties may be grown from the same lot /
OF seed. During the past summer we had /
occasion tU Inspect load of tomatoes
grown from cannery seed, and supposed
10 be Matchless. We louud four VarIrties
on casual inspectlOn-Stone, Matchless,
Great BIB. and one unknown. We learn
ed the source Of the seed from the Gamer
1t was bought in bulk from a scotsman
not a thousand miles from here. The
grower can i'll afford to grow plants from
such seed. One OF the leading Expert.
ment Stations has been testing strains of
seed of the same variety from different
seedsmen. They have had some remark
able results with cabbage, but tomato
seed has not seemed to have shown the
same degree of variation.
We would strongly advise the tomato
grower to save his own seed. By such a
practice be can easily raise the average
yield of the tomato crop upon his farm.
Well grown seed that is carefully cared
for will remain good for about four years.
This fact makes it possible to save enough
seed in one year to last for several crops.
One should count upon about two ou noes
OF seed per acre. A good sample OF seed
should show 80 per cent. or above germi-
nation. Count out 100 seeds and place
them between moist blotters in a warm
room; 80 seeds should have germinated
al the end OF eight days.
We would here call to your attention
the value of planting seed obtained from
crossing varieties of tomatoes. Many
years ago Darwin showed the advantages
Of planting crossed seeds, but farmers and
gardeners have been slow to apply the
facts that Darwin brought out. The ef
Iect of crossing is that plants grown from
crossed seed grow more vigorously, flower
more profusely, and fruit more abundant .
y. The corn grower is just beginning to ]
ind out that ne can increase his corn crop !
Oy using crossed seed OF the first genera :
lion go why should not tomato growers do .
the same thingP To be absolutely sure
hat the cross is made, of course, itsis nee
;essary to hand pollinate, but for COM /,
mercial purposes if two good varieties CT
Stone and Matchless-afe
planted so that their branches intermingle
,he seed in most cases will be crossed.
Enough seed can be crossed and saved in ;
'ne year to last three Or four years, thus +
'endering it Unnecessary to perform the op- 7
,ration each year. First generation seed
Ihonld be used in all cases, as the second
generation will split up in several ways. q
VARIETIES
Previous mention has been made of the n
Inference in yield Of different varieties of b
The Delaware Experiment. ii
station has been growing and testing a Q
arge number Of tomato varieties for the D
'ast three years. It is our purpose to b
i've yon the average yields per. acre il
i those which are most suitable for can Of
ling purposes. Stone grown from seed =
purchased from the Livingston Seed Co.
ach year has been used as a standard
With which all varieties have been COM
Iared.
tone average for three years.. 10 tons
1atchless, averages for 2 years.. l0a tons
q