Show hasten 1 as ee n T tomatoes om aa topp kj k J by use of bertt fertilizer 11 zer plants need long season and right aids to hurry their growth fertilize tomatoes to hasten their maturity advises fa F 0 underwood of the vegetable gardening department of the state college of grecul ture at ithaca N Y tile the tomato he points out requires a long season to mature a full crop so that anything a grower can do to ripen them la is apt to mean a bigger total yield professor underwood says that many points have to he considered in fertilizing the crop such as type of farming and soil previous crop grown and fertilizer used money returns and the cost of the fertilizing materials plant food needed tomatoes need some of all the plant foods for their best development nitrogen Is needed early in the season to help develop a good vine to carry the fruit though too much nitrogen may produce too rank a leaf growth at the expense of fruit some potash la is also needed but phosphorus la is particularly needed to get large yields and ripen the fruit before frosts in the fall if a grower says professor 1711 derwood Is applying manure lh ih ally say eay at the rate of twelve or twenty tons an acre he is probably supplying enough nitrogen and potash but additional phosphorus will probably pay phosphorus increases the fruit and seed parts of plants and acid phosphate Is the th best source applied at the rate of from five hundred to a thousand pounds to the acre it should give good yields on sandy soils or on other soils where little or no manure Is used complete fertilizers usually pay the 4 12 4 or ir 5 10 5 are arc both good the former on the heavier types while the 5 10 5 makes a good mixture for soils less well stocked with nitrogen and potash though tile 2810 2 8 10 Is often used a 4 12 4 seems better for the crop the 2 per tent cent of f ammonia in the former mixture Is probably derived derive from some borne organic chemical which will be slowly available to the tomatoes tomatoes need nitrogen early in tile the season and riot not when the tha fruit Is forming fertilizer pays exact amounts will depend upon individual soils and cash returns but the tomato crop will usually pay for additional fertilizer up to 1000 1600 pounds to the acre although good crops are grown with less in addition to proper fertilizers however the plants must be well grown and must be set tit nt the proper time soil and conditions also play their part parl |