The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-06
TOMATOES ARE TOPS
Favored
Favored Varieties Prove To Be Easy To- Grow,
 Heavy Bearing And Vitamin- Rich
Prepared by U. s. DepaFtmnet Ol
 Agriculture for NEA Service
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Agriculture Tor NEA service
 No matter how small your vic- tory Garden Is, 1t should have a few tomato plants, People with good-sised gardens will want to allot considerable space to them. The reasons for such emphasis are the many points this native Amer ican vegetable has in it's favor.
 For one thing, the tomato will grow under Q great variety of con- ditions, and almost any thome gar. dener can produce a crop with fer- tile soil and sufAcient moisture. From the standpoint of good nour- ishment, the tomato is tops. It Is one of our richest sources of vita mins A. B, and c. It is likely to be present on the majority of pam try shelves thls winter because it Is only vegetable that can be canned safely without @ steam pressure cooker.
 Over. most of the upper South and the North, the tomato Is suited to spring, summer and autumn cul- ture. Tn the extreme South, it is included in winter garens. Under most conditions, Q liberal applica- ton of manure and commercial fertilizer will sufflce for good crop BUY STARTED PLANTS
 Experienced gardeners often prefer to start their own tomato plants in the house, but the aver- 000 0ikv, ap. es,hs,phoV sxnWeaavAan probably will find 1t more con- venient to purchase strong, healthy plants from @ professional grower.
 It is estimated that under rea- sonbaly favorite conditions, l5 plants will supply one person with all the tomatoes he can eat fresh during the growing season, and produce enough surplus to allow l5-20 quarts to be canned. Twenty quarters are the equivalent of about 30 No. 3 cans from the grocery store.
 For early tomatoes, the varieties recommended are Earllanna, Bonny Best, and Pritchard. For medium and late plantings, the disease.re- Sistant Marglobe, is a good choice, with Rutgers and Stone also recom- mended as sturdy varieties.
 From It's tropical ancestors, the modern tomato has inherited Q sensitiveness to cold,as plants should not be set out until all danger of frost has passed. The Department of Agriculture suggestions for to- mato culture by the home gardener center around stalking and pruning the plants to Q single stem, or two steams at the most.
 Set the plants about two feet apart and train them to stakes four or five feet long and about an inch and half in diameter. Under this plan, the plants are easy to cul- tivate and hte tomatoes, which do not touch the ground, are kept clean and ripen earlier. Tie the main stem to the supporting stake with soft twine or small strips of old cotton cloth. Loop the string around the stake so 1t will not slip down and then tie loosely below leaf node so the steam will be supported but not injured by binding or in any other way.
 CUTWORM COLLARS
 The pruning is a simple matter of pinching out the side shoots as they appear. Pinch them out at the point where they join the main stem. The tomatoes will appear on the opposite side where thsEe Is no leaf.
 Many gardeners take precautions against cutworms by putting paper collars around their tomato plants when setting them out All you need to do this Is a pin and Q strip of paper about four inches wide, so rigid the cutworm can't walk up it.. The collar should go down in the dirt about an inch.
 If tomato plants get good care, they will bear the throughout the season, except where the intense midsummer heat of the South kills them. Tn these areas, gardners plant late crops for fall use.