The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-04-05
CHAMPION TOMATO
RAISER TELLS
HER STORY
Iowa Young Woman Encounters Difficult
ties in Making Fine
Record.

L
ming clubs was the best of the thousands
made by members in the 80 northern
states. Miss Parsons obtained yield OF
5,3lS pounds of tomatoes from her one.
tenth of an acre plot. Her costs were
| $l5.Gl, and her net profits were $ll5.57
Her costs cover every item of expense in
raising the crop, including rent of land
her own time ESTIMATED at 10 cents an
hour fertilizers and sprays. She de-
scribes some of her difficulties in obtain
ing this result, as follows:
Il decided | would try and have ripe
tomatoes very early and so obtain good
prices for them. So in the latter part of
February | planted the early variety in
three boxes which placed on a shelf in
front of the south windows in the dining
room. In short time they came through
and grew rapidly. But they began to
grow tall and spindly. so in the latter
part of March transferred part of them
into small pasteboard boxes, one plant
in each. By doing this | could move
them to the open without disturbing the
roots, and hindering the development of
the plants. Then as soon as it was warm
enough set the rest in cold frame,
four inches apart each way. In the first
of April planted the late variety in the
hot bed. Those in the cold frame and in
the pasteboard boxes developed a great
amount of roots and were very strong,
some of them in bloom, when transplant
ed them to the open on May %. The plants
in the hot bed did not develop such
strong roots, and because of this fact,
and also that it was very dry. | lost
quite few of them when transplanted
Them After filling in for the fourth time
a few vacant places still remained, as it
was almost impossible to get them start
ed because of the early drought. In all
| had over 600 plants.
81 hoed them after each rain and
whenever thought it necessary. As we
moved to this place this spring, and the
garden was not plowed in the fall, many
weed seeds were not destroyed. and Il
iad verv hard time keeping the weeds
down. The plants did not grow very
large, and as il continued very dry, | de.
cided il not best TO stake the plants.
The plants did not make a very great
growth and very few needed pruning. |
hoed them until the tomatoes began TO !
ripen and the plants were too large.
81 picked my first ripe tomatoe on the
9th of July. From then on the pckings
every two or three days grew larger. At
first ! received 10 cents pound, but 1
soon the price began to fall so that after |
the lst of September received only two
cents pound. As my father runs
dairy, he took the tomatoes with him
and sold them very easily TO the hotels,
restaurants and milk customers. He was
able To sell almost all of them until the
green ones were gathered. As long as We
could get a dollar a bushel for the toma-
toes fresh and ms we were so very busy
with the work OF dairy, | thought il
best not 20 can them"
after school began I was kept very
busy in picking the tomatoes. For sew
eral weeks il took me three evenings Of
the week 10 get over the entire patch and
often gathereu over 10 bushels. During
the second and third weeks OF September
we had so much rainy weather that
could not gather the tomatoes, and after
the rains they began to ripcn so rapidly
that many of them split. ON the 18th
and 18th OF October ! had To gather the
green tomatoes. ! gathered 0s3 pounds.
There WAS no sale for those We used all
We could and | gave some TO the neigh
bors. and still great many went 10
waste. a. they were wet when they were
gathered. aud AS it turned warm again. /.
they rotted very fast. A. we had great I
deal Of company this summer. and he
cause our other garden vegetables were
- q. =. .,,,I a. ,,at,a1 Kxa ,tsa1 ttnr. 10
mafocs fresh.
Il made a collection Of canned fruits.
vegetables. and meats. "a hrh consisted of
he following. Tomatoes, beets white \
wax beans. green poddcd beans. celery
arrots. picked onions, beet greens.
pumpk in. shcled beans, pears. apples
nlum-. peaches, cherries. strawberries
-sspbcrries, white and purple grapes.
iausaee, chicken, corn, watermelon
PICKLES and gooseberries. I exhibited
bis collection az the state fair aud won
first, second, aud = fourth on il and
NJ other club work. ! DID all this can.
ling hy the cold packed. bot water bath
irocess J also canned. alone. % quarts
i windfal apples, 10 quarts OF goose
lerries. siN pints ~ heets. lO0 quarts Of
omatoes. | al-o helped with the can.
ing Of the straWbcrries. cherries. peaches.
omato butter and oatsup, apple iellies
nd goo-cbcrry jam.
And 49, 10 my other cluhwork. viii saw
hat I WAS az Dcs Moincs during the
tate fair. and hclped 10 record and care
ar the exhibits cent IN BY club members.
al-o gave q canning demonstration for
be county Teachers meeting At Clarinda
n the 2Gth Of September. The demon.
tfation uas held IN tho domestic sci-
nee rooms az the high school building. I
nak nv own Gamer. tomatoes and ap-
les. and most 10 the other necessities.
esiaes most 81 my collection 10 show
BE- different things one can conserve BY
BIZ method. ,
As summary ] win state thst nv
spcnses were 1851 and my profit
1857. besides winning az IN prizes ~
1e state fair. have enjoyed this work
Though i has been long and sometiHe-
ht luffe-oFne u has leen a way hv
lifh ] could not 0nir have my own
sandiue MONEY and paw my expenses ~ I
- Farm cafnr. bat also have bark Z
ssnunt Of sGo-
An1fhar rneular ~ the garden aui
snnfnr flniss IN THE mortilrrn states uhgss /.
ark % wnrflv ~ sfeNial menfinn. q
- Sara Dlakinzon IT SharTisriile IA
b. 7rrn fret prize IN Der state with
s7urd of ts6 founfs IN her ore -tertn
en- aere. Der custs wcre si2.E7s hrr