Show A NEW TOMATO CULTURE GUY elliote f about the first of june 19 tho the time to stalo stake your tomatoes speaking gen brally for tho the united states tills this article would have been more timely had it boon been printed a month ago but oven even if it win lie ho for next years operations in ili tomato growing Krou liiK the writer will feel more than compensated pen pon sated satel since for foi nt least agall tomato buot luot lies the plan here sug buy has inon been proven by him to have several advantages some ngo I 1 attempted to prow grow seven acres of tomatoes in ili southern florida bolk county count for tho the 1101 thorn winter inter market tile tho tomatoes were planted plin ted in november it was ns the winter of the great freeze which liichi swept florida from stein to stein and nil frost lines flie first occurred december just on top op of ll 11 balmy christmas elve spent on it the linzza in summer clothes s on oil that day the thermometer in ili tills this froat proof region descended dr to alth a biting northwest wind nand Thoun nh of acres of tomatoes and eggplant egg plant were cut down to ahe ground fortunately tuna tely for my in partner and myself we c were from tile alio region where tack jack frost holds annual sway nud we had maintained a seed eced bod bed in spite of 0 the jeers of our neighbors uy by tho the uso use of fertilizer sacks nil all the bod bed quilts sheets hac and clothing wo we lind had and half a dozen fires to windward wo we managed inana Kod to save bavo some seven or eight thousand young oung tomato plants and thus when the frost king lind had passed on oil ills way a we lad had a start over our neighbors of froni from eighteen to twenty four days dab in growth A SE SECOND COND wo we had visions of wealth instead of seven acres it Is true wo we lind had plants for only about a single acre acio each but wo we expected eight ten or twelve dollars a crate for our tomatoes instead or of two wo or three dollars do llara because nil Florl florida dit had been wiped out in this instance tho the lightning struck twice and lu in february just ay as our plants wore nvere nos blos coming aria beginning to form fault a second and equally severe freeze struck into our midst and again the entire agricultural section of Flor florida lda with tho the exception of a very small acreage on the keys was frozen to the roots however in ili tills this instance the weather bureau was on the lookout and about icino lu in the evening we had information that a severe northwest blizzard was rapidly moving down the state necessity ns as usual proved itself tho the mother of invention and my partner mr bin C G stephenson of herndon va and myself strapped lanterns to our left legs and a big cotton boo boa each tramped up and down on our r long rows of tomatoes nna with a single eliglo dig and pull for each cacti plant cov ered tho the blossoming bloss oming tomatoes with p foot or oc the loose florida upland up land sand in which the winter tomato Is grown dy v two wo we tin had finis lieI our task and wo we thought wo were conle somewhat tired but this raifort was vas nothing to the job of digging out tile plants ou 01 the two succeeding days the finall of my back still creak creaks a la in remembrance of tho the straightening up periods at the cud of each cacti row finally after the two freezes had dono done their worst and tile genial sun suit of southern began to warm warin the air as upon it it a rare day in ili june wo we each found ourselves with about I 1 i of an acre of rather dilapidated but still thrifty and little tomatoes far advanced over those of the surrounding fields PRUNING TOMATO VINES the tomatoes were brg lunIng to throw out numbers of suckers just above each leaf it was my lily till one day to drive th ahr white mare to town and yet gt a supply of grub wo we were camping by cannee I 1 ran across an old stager aliu had drifted down to south florida from the region j of crystal springs aliss lie ile told mo MC or of the methods in that vicinity by which tomatoes were ft err not only advanced in opening froni from live ho to seven days but increased in yield much aluch more labor was ivas but the results were moro more than coin te the plan consisted simply in staking and pruning cadi cacti plant we tried the SOIL me find it repaid us well since my return to the north I 1 have each cacti year followed out this ibis idon although it lins lias been applied simply to it a kardon garden plot of tomatoes it lq Is some what revolutionary and whether it Is practicable or where ou u are raising ten or twenty ac acil r es s 0 ot f till sd It inglet darrei ply rocks arho W in ners nt ima ison squat bartlen Cart len new tork poultry I 1 show V 0 0 5 7 4 A waite k first prize ilea at boston ioos V A 13 vegetable I 1 am not prepared to say pruning and cultivating tint that 1 i of all 1111 nere in ili florida kept me ine hustling as aa I 1 had nover never hustled before but ns as a garden proposition where you are rals raising from fifty to one hundred plants it lias has proven itself nn nil oat of culture the directions are these simple in the extreme but requiring rather close attention ns as well started the tomato Is a n ral rapid ld grower by the tinie time the plant forms leq first bloss blossoms have lieve a alini slake alx sl feet in ili length in florida MO ave wed pine sticks about one inch square with ali a crowbar or a heavy stake your our tomato firmly take an ordinary p piece acce of grocers soft cotton twine and tio the stem stein close cloo to tile the stake wo we experimented peritus cited with tape and heavy cord but found that tile ordinary he cent a ball white twine sufficed and that there wag no danger of injuring the alio stem vt ut tho the plant then go through the rows and pull off every bueker Bue kor leaving of course the blossom stem steins in other oilier words simply train the tomato vine to a single steni stem and as need bo be tie it up close to tile sta atako 0 during tho the season of growth three or four til ties s will suf suffice lice we tried using d n sharp knife to cut off the suckers in ili the belief that yanking them off on by tile the lingers fingers would injure the main stein but eventually came back to thu the crystal springs method where everything la Is done couo by the fingers flu gois glingle Sl SING INGLE LI STEM PLANTS thoro there will lie be strong temptation should the vines gnei got get three four or 01 no five ilis days start and one of tile the suckers or brandies branches becomes almost as big na as the main steil to let it grow in tile belief tint that it will injure the vino via to remove it but such RIK II mistakes bo be ruthlessly once well ivell started tile tol comito lomito linto Is one of the toughest hosi nna and lest gro growing wint vegetables egl talles a i horse call aln step on oil one wl thoin ell bailing ing ang it and there need bo be no fear almut tearing out even th alie L large sueh ers cra which have developed alo eloped four C n w A A X N 0 A A TOMATOES TRAINED TO SINGLE STEMS after photograph loaves and even incipient blossom clusters however it Is of courar better to keep heel the vines pruned primed down closer advantages UP OF THU tuo the result will lc be that tle the vine will grow up to the top tol of tuo the stake stocky end strong the single leaves will develop hugely and a great ui moisture mols turo and sustenance which the roots collect instead producing ten or twelve pounds of useless growth will go largely formation of fruit clusters Clust cra of tomatoes will liang thickly against the stake bauke they 11 1 ll I secure the alio full benefit of oc tho the suns genial warmth there will bo be no rotting the che ripe fruit can bo be seen been at t a glance the tomatoes will be and there will bo be few it any ry small ones tho the yield per vino vine will bo 13 is as heavy or heavier vallo if tho the fiut ing ly Is made with this la in view tile hie vines can bo be set considerably clos cloi r its ay the moisture mols turo requirement will be tar far liisa less than under tho the usual method where a groat great amount of loaf leaf ly ilir produced it if the ground Is 13 rich and the plant grows luxuriantly its entire strength can be 10 thrown into tile fruit by pinching out the top butt after tho the vino vine has reached the height of tho the stake another advantage of atals method or of culture Is 13 that for a couple of weeks after tho the ordinary tomato crop even if I 1 7 k n 71 1 p A M 1 C maff xv 14 I 1 Z r va 14 SHIPMENT OF CHICAGO PLYMOUTH ROCKS nocks AS RECEIVED AT SYDNEY AUSTRALIA tied up in the usual method Is laid hy tile pardoner gardener with a wheel loo boo can pass through the rows of staked tomatoes and with ills his hoe set very shallow can keep heep down dowil any weeds which may rob the planel of their full share or of moisture hows of tomatoes grown in this li manner anner I 1 present one of the most attractive sights imaginable than a tomato patch they look 1001 like a young orchard laden with a plethora of ripening or green fruit |