The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-01-30
to Canning Club Mcn'Wrs
OF 1915.

ever for you to help the club work cf !
your State and county, meanwhile |
learning to do many interesting ard |
valuable things for your home.
Please keep this letter and the ones
which follow. read the instructions
carefully and refer to them from titue
to time. You will thus he sure that
You are following directions. Write
to us if you need fl her information
Rules fer Bcgi ling Work.
1. Secure tent. acre of ground;
this may be 1872 cet long and S3 feet
wide, or any other >nvenient width
and length provide, it contain one
tenth acre or 1856 uare feet.
2. When you have finished your
work next summer, we shall ask YOU
to write history Of it, so begin at
once to keep record. Keep a note
book for the purpose and record (a)
the date. CD kind of work done. (c)
time used.
3. Keep a record of your expenses
charging 10 cents an hour for your
own work, and for all hired work and
supplies, charge the actual cost. Esti-
mate the value of stable manure at
$500 per ton, allowing a good two
horse load for a ton. Charge YOUR
self $1.OO for the rent Of your tenth
acre.
Selection of Soil.
Select a piece of we'll drained sandy
loam soil, preferably one nearly Lowell.
Avoid soil that has been in tomatoes
the previous year, especially if there
has been any disease on the plants, as
some of the diseases live over winter
in the soil. Soil where cotton has
been injured by the nematode or root
knot should also be avoided.
Plow the soil six to eight inches
deep in the fall or early winter and
apply two to three wagon loads Of
well rotted manure to your tenth-acre
plot. Leave the soil rough during
the winter to prevent washing. If
no we'll rottcd manure is available
use coarse manure and apply it be-
fore plowing and turn it under So it
will decay before spring.
Varieties of Tomatoes to Plant.
Where there is any prospect Of An
| early local market for tomatoes il is
advisable to plant about one-fourth of
the plot to an early variety like Earl
lana. Plant the remainder of the
plot to good strain OF Stone tOma-
to. Where no market is available a
| few early tomatoes should be planted
| for home use and the remainder of
the plot planted to the Stone for cam
ming purposes.
Starting the Plants.
To get an early crop it is necessary
to start the plants during the winter
The best method is to SOW the seed
in q hot bed in rows two to three
inches apart, and when the plants
have developed their first true leaves
transplant them to stand about two
inches apart each way. This trans
planting should be done in shallow
boxes filled with good rich soil or di-
rect to another part of the bed. For
the general crop. grown for cannina
purposes, this transplanting is all tina,
is necessary until ready to plant to the
field. For extra early tomatoes it is
! advisable to again transplant the
plants when they reach a height OF
four or five inches. This time plant
in three or four inch flower pots
strawberry boxes or tin cans which
have had the tops and bottoms melted
off, When crown in this way tie
plants can be left in the bed or cold
| frame until the blossoms begin to
open.
Making a Hot Bed.
The hot bed may be made as fol-
lows: Select a we'll drained location
where the bed will be sheltered. pre-
erably on the south side of q build
ing or fence. Make an excavation
eighteen inches deep the size your bed
is to be. Throw in fresh horse ma
nure and pack by tramping. The ma
nure heap should be about even with
the surface of the ground or eighteen
inches deep. The manure furnishes
the heat to start the plants. Put on
top the manure four or five inches of
a good garden loam, which has not
grown any diseased plants, and cover
the bed with glass hot bed sash. If
sash cannot be secured, canvas may
be substituted for the glass. The tenn