Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-07-29
INTENSIVE TRUCK
GARDENING CARRIED
ON BY HO " AR D
BRUCE, AUGUSTA

Intensive truck gardening is seldom
seen in Maine, but from one to Is farm
ers daily are viewing with wonder al
most akin to awe the work along this line
which is being done by Howard Bruce of
Bruce Court opposite the City hospital.
who has over 1000 tomato plants on about
a quarter-acre of land, the plants now
being from three to four feet in height
and loaded with green tomatoes almost
as large as they will be when ripened.
Mr.. Bruce saves space by the novel
method of training his plants to climb
up instead of letting them trail all over
the ground each plant having a white
birch pole for trellis, and Mr.. Bruce
stated that last year his plants grew to
a height of 10 feet and bore in many
cases a half bushel to the plant, produc
ing a bit over three tons in all, which
is readily disposed of to local grocers
at good prices. He cuts back the vines to
prevent too rapid growth. and ties them
TO the poles with soft cord, spaced q
foot or so apart. Last year the vines
were so tall that man in the tomato
"orchard' was invisible from any point
outside it. Mr.. Bruce uses a liquid fer
tilizer formula which he has worked out
himself and which is very effective. He
stated that he occasionally sprays the
vines, and said that the small slugs,
commonly called snails. which often In
jure tomatoes on the ground. Will clmo
to the very tops of the vines. fact not
generally known. Mr.. Bruce is planning
to interest other local people in his
method of growing tomatoes, with the
possible erection of small cannery In
view as he believes that this industry
can be made very profitable in Maine
The soil on which this remarkable gar
den is growing is a clay loan, and IS
peculiarly adapted to this purpose the
varieties on which he is specializing be-
ing the Early Anna, Jewel. trucker
Special and one or two others.
He also stated that as the fruit gets
further from the ground, the seeds are
much less plentiful, and he believes
that in three years time he can pro-
Glce a seedless tomato. The troupe
with the average Maine farmer. SAID
Mr. Bruce, lies in the fact that ne
tries to do too many things at once,
and does not specialize on anything IN
particular. This little truck garden
keeps me busy, and l can take goon
snug salary out of this small plot OF
land each season by taking pains with
the plants. Maine can produce better
tomatoes than any Of the other states,
Just as she produces the finest of ap-
pies, and the demand for tomatoes IS
practically unlimited" He stated that
if tomatoes became cheap at any time
this season, he plans to put up looo
glass jars of the fruit, which he can
dispose of at good prices.
Besides his tomatoes. he has nearly
hree-quarters Of an acre planted to
White Spine cucumbers, and he Is e2-
2erimenting with training these vines
to climb, using wire mesh and wooden
trellises, and he says that this not only
greatly increases his productive area
but that the cucumbers that grow on
the trellis hang down and grow
straight invariably, no crooked ones
being produced. which is a big heip.
He has had "cukes" on the market
for the past two weeks. and fine head
lettuce as we'll. and not only his near
neighbors. but people from way out
in the professional farming districts
are beginning to sit up and take no.
tice Of the methods Of this exponent OF
the real and lucrative art Of intensive
gardening, who gets results.