. Agriculture; a text for the school and the farm . s the crop to mature before freezing in the fall. Transplanting.—Have the seed bed well prepared by-deep spading or plowing, thoroughly manured with a well-rotted barnyard manure, and well pulverized. The platshould be marked off in rows three or four feet apart, accord-ing to the variety of tomatoes grow^n. The large hardy vari-eties will require a distance of four feet each way, whilethe dwarf varieties will do well three feet apart. In trans-planting, have the holes opened up, remove the plants fromcold-frames or hotbed without injuring th
. Agriculture; a text for the school and the farm . s the crop to mature before freezing in the fall. Transplanting.—Have the seed bed well prepared by-deep spading or plowing, thoroughly manured with a well-rotted barnyard manure, and well pulverized. The platshould be marked off in rows three or four feet apart, accord-ing to the variety of tomatoes grow^n. The large hardy vari-eties will require a distance of four feet each way, whilethe dwarf varieties will do well three feet apart. In trans-planting, have the holes opened up, remove the plants fromcold-frames or hotbed without injuring the roots. Allowenough soil to accompany the roots so that the plant maygo on growing without pause. Pruning.—Much of the success of the tomato cropdepends on proper pruning and staking. Tomatoes areespecially liable to fungous and bacterial diseases, and there-fore need to be kept from the ground and given an abun- THE TOMATO 203 dance of sunlight. The vines should be pruned at the timeof transplanting or afterward by pinching- off the suckers,. A plot of tomatoes showing the result of careful pruning and, staking. or secondary leaf buds, found in the axils of the will cause the plant to grow tall instead of spreadingout. After each vine has developed four or five clusters 204 AGRICULTURE of fruit the top bud should be pinched off to prevent theplant from growing too high. Staking.—The method of pruning described requiresstaking to support the vines. For this purpose a single;stake may be driven beside each hill, or a continuous meshedwire or other form of fence may be used. Soft twine orcloth should be used for tying the vines. No loop shouldbe drawn tightly around the plant. Spraying.—^The tomato vines should be thoroughlysprayed with Bordeaux mixture several times during theseason. The first spray should be given about the time thefirst fruit begins to form, or even earlier if the season iswarm and moist. This will prevent the plants from beingattacked by
Size: 1497px × 1669px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
