The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-03-01
TOMATO CLUB WORK.
Letter and Circular of Instructions
From the Agent i'm Charge of Girls
Clubs i'm Sumter County.
Sumter. $. c., Feb 26, 1913

Sumter. 5. c., Feb PC, 1913.
My Dear Young Friend:
] l have just heard from Washington
saying that the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture would soon send
out instructions to all members of the
Girls Tomato Clubs. However, it is
now time to plant tomatoes in this
part of the country So I'm having
| published a part of a letter thai Is
being used by some Of our South Car
olina and Florida girls. l hope you
will study it carefully If you dc, you
will learn a great deal about raising
tomatoes. Ask your teacher and par
ent to help you carry out the in
structions given therein.
The government will not send out
seed this year, you will have to buy
your own seeds. You may get them
from Cuttino q Mcknight, Sumter, S.
c. They have ordered the following
varieties; Stone, Acme, Brama, and
Ponderosa from T. w. Wood & Sons,
Richmond, Va. You may buy one Of
these varieties or June Pink, Brimmer
or in fact any tested variety from a
reliable house. You should get your
seed now and plant them in soil in
within the five years.
Let us all come together and try to
make the largest, the best, and the
most tomatoes in Sumter county this
year.
Please write to me when you need
anything. / will answer your letter
as soon as possible, and shall also be
glad to hear from you regarding prog
ress you are making.
With best wishes, 1 am,
Yours respectfully
MARY LENNON,
Collaboration Sumter County, S. c.
Following are elections for plant
ing:
Advice to Tomato Club Members.
Gainesville, Fla, Jan. 4, 1913.
Tomato Culture in Florida.
Tomatoes form one OF the staple |
food products. They are used in |
some form in almost every Ameri-
can home. Home grown tomatoes |
may be served fresh or canned, in |
every rural home every day in the !
year, and surplus home canned to- !
matoes find a ready market because |
of their superior flavor and full pack |
The abundant use of tomatoes in |
the home, either fresh in season, or |
canned throughout the remainder of |
the year, affords variety for the ta-
bic and may add materially to the |
health of the family. The sales |
from the surplus fresh or canned to-
matoes may provide funds with |
which to purchase many needed |
home comforts.
Through the work and influence |
OF the Girls Gardening and Canning
Clubs of Florida we hope to ilave |
every rural home in the state supplied |
throughout the whole year with home
grown and home-canned tomatoes,
with an ample surplus TO sell TO those |
who live in town or city.
The following instructions for
growing tomatoes in Florida were |
prepared for the use of the members |
of the Girls Gardening and Can
ming Clubs of the State. 1t is ne. |
possible in a single short article to |
prepare rules in detail exactly APP |
plicable TO all sections of the State, |
and. therefore, we have endeavored |
to prepare general guide to toma-
to culture.
The tomato grows well on a varie-
~ of soils, as black muck, stiff clay, |
and light sand provided good drain
age, thorough cultivation, and a suf- |
fcient amount of perfectly balanced |
liZer are given. The best yields !
are usually gotten from rich sandy, |
or sandy loan soils, underlaid by
we'll drained subsoil of somewhat
closer texture. 1t is one of the few
truck crops that grows we'll on new
ly cleared land.