The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-05-12
Co-operated Tomato Experiments.


The Department of Agricultural Elk
tension of the New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station calls attention to a
series of experiments with tomatoes
which will be carried on this wear in
Burlington county. OF these expert
ments, four will have to do with tomato
fertilizers, seven with varieties. Ac-
acknowledgement is due to r. c. Chance
Sons of Mount Holly for assistance in
the mutation of this work and for help
ful advice in planning the detail.
with the thought that the fertilizer
question is one of the first to come up for
solution by every tomato grower, the
station has arranged four experiments
with fertilizers, including about thirty
i've small plots. Three of these, upon
the farms of Harvey Lewis, Joseph Shep-
pard and +. X. Clark lie between Mount
Holly and Burlington, the fourth being
upon the land of Edward M. Comfort,
near Masonville. Credit is due to these
men for their Willingness to take up the
work. The most profitable method of
using commercial fertilizers is subject
that comes up very frequently at farm
ers' meetings. To throw some light on
this matter, some of the plots will be
treated by applications in the hill, Others
by broadcast applications, and, still
Others by combinations of the two. 1t is
believed that the last method will prove
the best when amounts less than four
and five hundred pounds are used, but
that larger amounts will give as good
results when broadcasted only. Prob
ably for early tomatoes also the hill or
row method, at least for part of the
whole amount, is preferable TO the broad
casting plan. Rates of application vary
ing from 500 to 1900 pounds will also be
tried, as will various mixtures high or
low in nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and
potash. This last test may show what
effect these elements have on habits of
growth, time of bearing, and quality of
fruit, these qualities of the plants being
thought to vary withfertilizer treatment.
The experiments with Messrs. Comfort
and Clark are in large measure dupli-
Gates of each other, the aim being to test
out the values of the chief commercial
forms of nitrogen. The mixtures ap-
piled to the plots are alike in all respects
except from the form of the nitrogen.
The sources of nitrogen used are nitrate
of soda, sulphate of ammonia, dried
blood, tankage and fish scrap. All of
these find their way into the various
commercial fertilizers, and for that
reason the grower ought to know what
each one is good for. Especially for the
Nomenclature of fertilizer this knowledge
should be of great value.
/ This by no means eXhausts the sub
ject of fertilizers for tomatoes, but it may
answer some of the commoner questions.
The forms of phosphoric acid and pot
ash, as well as of nitrogen, are deserving
of attention. 1t cannot be expected
either, that the experience of one year
NvIl a n
be remembered that fertilizers behave
differently in hot and cold seasons, wet
and dry seasons, on rich and poor soils,
and that their profitable use depends
much upon the degree of acidity of the
soil and the amount of organic matter it
contains, as well as upon innumerable
other factors. 1t is hoped that from the
four experiments outlined above, and
from the seven other similar experiments
that are to be carried on in other parts of
the state this year, considerable body
of information will be secured that will
permit of the drawing of at least a few
general conclusions. If the work can be
continued for several years to include
seasons of different growing qualities,
the final verdict on tomato fertilizers
should be of much value.
Another matter of constant interest tC
tomato growers is Inat OF VarlelleS, GOOD
and bad. The common experience in
dictates that there is no one best variety
but that two or three are on par when
all kinds of seasons are considered. II
is known also that certain varieties have
certain pecularities as to soil require
ments, but this matter needs much more
study than has ever been given to it
The seven variety test in Burlington
county, each including the same ten
varieties, together with an equal mum
Der of tests in other localities, and a
study of twenty varieties ON the Expert
ment station farm, should throw much
light on variety adaptations. We may
never be able to say which is the best
variety for all situations, but it will be
possible after several years test to recon-
mend some that are promising for speci
fled conditions.
In order to make this tomato work o.
greater interest to the growers of Bur
lington county it is the purpose of the
Experiment Station to report through
the papers the progress not only of thes,
experiments, but of the others nea
Lambertville, Iona and Carmel. Thu
cooperation of tomato growers in sup
plying additional information on tn
behavior of the cannery crop, as well a
the early crop, will be appreciated.