Because of the tropical origin of the tomato it requires a long season
for its growth and development, and on this account it is necessary
in the Northern States, in order to secure paying crops, to resort to
methods which lengthen the growing season. It is much easier for the
gardener to accomplish this while the plant is small than when it is
large, and because early fruits are as a rule more valuable than late
ones it is of advantage to the gardener to secure his crop as early in
the season as practicable. The season is, therefore, lengthened at the
beginning rather than at the end. This is accomplished by sowing seeds
in hotbeds or greenhouses several weeks in advance of the time when
they could be safely planted in the open.
_The Tomato as a Field Crop at the North._--East of the Mississippi
River and north of the latitude of Washington, D. C., the tomato is
handled as an annual, the seeds being sown in hotbeds about the middle
of March. The young plants, as soon as they have developed their
first true leaves, are transplanted to stand about 2 inches apart
each way and are allowed to develop in these quarters until they have
attained a height of from 4 to 6 inches and the leaves begin to crowd
considerably. They are then transplanted to pots, 3 or 4 inches in
diameter.
_Training Plants to Stakes._--For earliest returns it is desirable to
train forced plants to a single stem by tying them to a stake 4 or 5
feet in height. These stakes should be driven firmly into the ground
beside the plants and the plants carefully tied to them to prevent
whipping and to keep the fruits off the ground. All side shoots should
be kept pinched out and only the central leading stem allowed to
develop to bring larger results. If the plants are to be trained in
this way they can be set from 18 inches to 2 feet apart in the row, and
about 3-1/2 to 4 feet between the rows.
_Training Plants on Frames._--Another plan sometimes followed in the
training of tomatoes is to place a flaring frame, about 18 inches
square at the base and 24 inches square at the top over the plants
before they begin to spread. The shoots as they become heavy with fruit
fall over against the sides of the rack and are prevented from coming
in contact with the earth. For a kitchen garden where but few plants
are grown this is a very satisfactory plan. The plants can be set
somewhat closer than is the case where no supports are provided. For
commercial plantations, however, the cost of the frames is prohibitive.
The common commercial practice is to place the plants about 4 feet
apart each way in check rows so as to allow them to be cultivated
in both directions. Under intensive cultivation in a small garden,
however, the first method, that of tying the vines to stakes, will be
found very satisfactory.
Where tomatoes are grown on a large scale and where the product brings
only a small price per bushel, expensive methods of handling and
training can not be profitably followed. The common practice in growing
tomatoes for the general market and for canning purposes in localities
north of New York City is to sow the seed very thinly in a hotbed about
March 15 and allow the plants to grow slowly without transplanting them
until they can be put in the field about June 1. The plants, even with
the most careful attention, when grown under these conditions will
become long and thin stemmed, with a small tuft of leaves at the top.
_Setting the Plants._--Plants more than a foot high which have been
grown under these conditions should be treated somewhat as follows:
Instead of attempting to set the plant deeply and maintain it in an
upright position, remove all except three or four of the top-most
leaves about the growing point. Dig a shallow trench along the row--a
trench 3 or 4 inches deep--slightly sloping from a deep point at one
end to the surface of the ground at the other. Place the bare stem of
the tomato and the root in this trench, with the root in the deepest
portion, cover the stem throughout its length with fresh soil, and
pack this firmly. Under these conditions the plant will take root
throughout the length of the buried stem, and in a short time the added
root system which is thus given the plant will force it into vigorous
growth. Plants of this character which are to be grown on an extensive
scale are never trained. They are allowed to grow at will, and the
fruits are gathered as they ripen without special attention to keep
them off the ground or otherwise to care for them.
_Length of Season._--The season of fruit production is longer in the
higher than in the lower latitudes. This is a rather interesting and
unexpected condition. Normally one would expect to find that the tomato
would begin maturing its fruit earlier and would continue bearing
longer in the latitude of the city of Washington than it would in the
latitude of Boston; but this is not the case. Tomatoes in the latitude
of Washington and south of this point come into bearing, quickly
produce a heavy flush of fruit, and then refuse to do more, and in
order to have a continuous supply throughout the season it is necessary
for market gardeners and truckers to plant seeds in succession so as to
keep up a continuous supply.
_Fertilizers._--Since the tomato is grown exclusively for its fruit,
those fertilizers which induce a large growth of plant and foliage are
not desirable in the production of this crop. Soils vary greatly in
regard to the quantity of available plant food they contain. The use
of a fertilizer is determined largely by the character, mechanical
condition, and composition of the soil. If a soil is deficient in all
the essential elements of plant food--nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric
acid--the application of any one or even two of them will not
materially influence the yield of the crop. On the other hand, on soils
deficient only in potash or phosphoric acid, or both, little would be
gained by adding nitrogen, which is already in excess, to the other
element or elements to be applied. Economy of operation, as well as
the general effect upon the soil, must also be considered. This may be
influenced by the character of the season, but should be based on the
increased yield and increased net receipts of the crop.
As a general rule, readily soluble, "quick-acting" fertilizers which
produce an early growth and early ripening of the crop are most
desirable. Heavy dressings of stable manure tend to produce too much
vine, and are seldom or never employed. If stable manure is used it is
at a moderate rate, usually not more than one or two shovelfuls to a
plant. This, if well decomposed and thoroughly incorporated with the
soil, is very stimulating to the young plant and consequently very
beneficial. Any fertilizer used should be applied, in part at least, at
the time the plants are transplanted to the field.
_Cultivation._--As soon as the young seedling plants from the hotbed
or greenhouse are transferred to the field they should be given clean
cultivation with implements which stir the surface of the soil but
do not produce ridges or furrows. When the plants are set in check
rows 4 feet apart each way it is possible in field culture to keep
the plantation almost free from weeds by the use of horse hoes. If,
however, the plants are set so that cultivation can be carried on only
in one direction, hand hoeing will be necessary to keep down weeds
between the plants in the row. Where land is not expensive, and where
labor costs heavily, the cost of producing a crop of tomatoes can
be decidedly lessened by planting in check rows and carrying on the
cultivation by horsepower.
The grower should bear in mind, however, that the object of cultivation
is not merely to kill weeds. The destruction of weeds is an important
factor and in itself sufficient to justify clean culture, but the
preservation of a soil mulch for the purpose of husbanding the moisture
of the soil during periods of drought is of even greater value. With
care in the choice of implements both results can be attained with the
same expenditure of labor.
_Harvesting and Marketing._--The fruits should be gathered two or three
times a week if the tomato is grown as a truck crop. When used for
canning purposes the harvesting periods need not be quite so close, and
when the fruits are to be shipped some distance they should be gathered
as soon as partially colored, instead of allowing them to become
colored on the vine. The fruit of the tomato is velvet green up to the
time the ripening process begins, and at this stage, if the products
are to be shipped long distances, the fruits should be harvested. For
home markets, however, the fruits should be allowed to ripen upon the
plant.
In harvesting, none except sound fruits of a similar stage of maturity
should be harvested and packed in any one receptacle. Leaky fruits and
deformed fruits should be rejected. In packing tomatoes for the market,
those that are symmetrical in form and uniform in size and of a like
degree of ripeness should be selected for filling any one receptacle.
_Varieties for the North._--There are a large number of sorts of
tomatoes, each one possessing some points of merit or difference
which distinguish it from all others. These differences enable the
intelligent cultivator to select sorts for special purposes, as well
as for special soils and climates. The varying demands of the markets
and the different soil and climatic conditions presented in the various
sections of the United States where the tomato is grown can only be
satisfied by a variety list as variable as are the conditions.
Early ripening sorts are frequently irregular in shape, have
comparatively thin walls, large seed cavities, and numerous seeds. The
fruit is apt to color and ripen unevenly, remaining green around the
stem, or to contain a hard green core. Later-ripening sorts, while not
all superior to the others, have as a rule thicker and firmer walls,
smaller seed cavities, and few seeds.
The most highly developed varieties now make few seeds and ripen
evenly. These characteristics of the fruits are important factors in
determining their fitness for special purposes. Medium-sized, smooth,
spherical fruits, which ripen evenly and have small seed cavities
and thick walls are especially suited to long-distance shipment.
These qualities should enter into every sort selected to the greatest
possible degree consistent with earliness, lateness, heavy yield, or
any other special quality which gives the variety a marked commercial
advantage. The following list is made up of varieties possessing some
markedly distinct character, such as earliness, great size, purple,
red, or yellow color, dwarf habit, etc.:
_Early Ripening Varieties._--Sparks' Earliana, Atlantic Prize, Early
Freedom.
_Large-Fruited Varieties._--Ponderosa, Beefsteak.
_Purple-Fruited Varieties._--Beauty, Acme, Imperial.
_Red-Fruited Varieties._--Favorite (late), Honor Bright, Matchless,
Stone, Royal Red, New Jersey.
_Yellow-Fruited Varieties._--Golden Queen, Lemon Blush.
_Dwarf or Tree Types._--Dwarf Champion, Station Upright Tree,
Aristocrat.
_Potato-Leaf Types._--Livingston's Potato-Leaf, Mikado, Turner's Hybrid.
_The Tomato as a Field Crop at the South._--Commercial tomato growing
in the Southern States is almost exclusively confined to the production
of tomatoes at a season when they can not be grown at the North, except
in greenhouses. On this account the commercial production of this crop
is restricted to areas where there is very little, if any, freezing
during the winter months.
_Time of Planting._--At the extreme southern limit of the commercial
cultivation of this crop in Florida the plants are grown so as to be
ready for setting in the open about December 1. The date of seed sowing
advances as the cultivation of the crop progresses northward, so that
in northern Florida the seeds are sown early in January and the young
plants placed in the field in March. Where frost conditions do not form
barriers against the production of seedling plants in the open, the
seed beds for the young plants are prepared in some sheltered situation
where partial shade can be given and where the seed bed can be
frequently watered. The young plants, as soon as they have attained the
proper size--that is, from 6 to 10 inches in height--are transferred
to the field in practically the same manner as are the hotbed-grown
plants produced for general field culture at the North, and except for
a specially early crop they are not transplanted or potted. The young
seedlings in the cold frame will require careful attention in the way
of watering and ventilation; otherwise many plants will be lost by
damping off or from sun-scorching during bright days unless the sash
are lifted or entirely removed.
_Yield._--The yield of fruit in the South, under the conditions
mentioned, is much less than it is in regions having the long growing
periods characteristic of higher latitudes. Yields vary from 75 to 250
bushels to the acre, but the high price obtained for the fruits which
are thus produced at a season when the sole competition comes from the
products of northern greenhouses renders the crop, when well handled,
very remunerative.
_Soil._--The soil which is preferred for the production of this crop
is one which contains a comparatively high percentage of sand. In
this region sandy loam or a sandy soil is preferred to bottom land
for the cultivation of tomatoes. An area with a gentle slope to the
south is considered more desirable than that with other exposure. If a
wind-break can be secured along the north and west sides of the area
very early crops can frequently be preserved through a wind-storm when
the temperature, while not low enough to freeze the plants, will, when
accompanied by a high wind, chill and destroy them.
_Varieties for the South._--In the South, where the tomato is handled
as a short-season crop, certain varieties are found to give best
results in certain districts. Along the Atlantic seaboard the growers
of tomatoes use such sorts as Beauty, Stone, Perfection, Aristocrat,
and Paragon. In the truck regions of eastern Texas the Dwarf Champion
is perhaps more universally grown than any other variety, but in this
same region the Success is found to be a more profitable late-season or
fall crop than the Champion.
_Forcing Tomatoes._--In the forcing of plants, which means the growing
of a plant out of its natural season and in an artificial environment,
the first requirement for success is a properly constructed protective
structure or greenhouse. Because of the tropical nature of the tomato
more than ordinary provisions must be made in order to meet the demands
of this crop. In the forcing of most vegetables a lower temperature
and benches without bottom heat are satisfactory, but with the tomato
the house must be piped so as to maintain a minimum temperature of 65
degrees F., and the benches should be so constructed as to admit of
applying bottom heat.
_Type of Greenhouse._--The type of house that is generally employed for
the forcing of tomatoes is the even-span or a three-fourths span house.
If the even-span house is used it is preferable to have the ridge
running north and south; if the three-fourths span house is employed
it is best to have the long side sloping toward the south. The tomato
when grown in the forcing house, because of its long fruiting season
and the fact that its clusters of fruit are borne one above the other,
requires a considerable amount of head room. Low houses are therefore
not desirable in the production of this crop. The side walls of a house
designed for the forcing of tomatoes should be at least 4 feet in
height, and the distance from the top of the middle bench to the ridge
of the house should be at least 10 feet.
_Soil._--The soil for the production of this crop should be well
decomposed loam, made, if possible, from sods from an old pasture, the
soil of which is a rather light clay loam or a heavy sandy loam. With
this should be incorporated about one-fourth its bulk of well-rotted
stable manure, preferably cow manure. By composting these two materials
for from four to six months before they are required for use a very
satisfactory soil for the forcing of tomatoes will result. Care should
be exercised to allow the soil that is used for forcing tomatoes to
be frozen each year. The depth of soil required for the successful
growth of tomatoes is considerably more than that employed for roses,
although the temperature and other requirements are very similar to
those demanded by the rose. While 4 or 5 inches of soil are adequate
to produce a crop of roses, the soil for tomatoes should be at least 6
or 8 inches in depth; 8 inches is preferable. It is not well to allow
the soil to remain in the greenhouse longer than a single season.
It becomes somewhat exhausted and is likely to become infested with
injurious forms of life, particularly nematodes, which cause root-knots
upon the tomato plants, thus defeating the work of the gardener. This
trouble, however, can be easily overcome by subjecting the soil to
freezing.
_Seedling Plants._--Two types of plants are used for forcing
purposes--seedling plants and cutting plants. The former are, of
course, seedlings grown from seed especially sown for the purpose of
raising plants to be grown in a greenhouse. It is customary in the
latitude of New York and northward to sow the seed for a forcing crop
of tomatoes in the month of August. The young seedling plants, as soon
as they develop the first true leaves, are then transplanted from
the seed bed to small pots, preferably 3-inch pots. They are planted
deeply at this time and are kept growing rapidly but not sufficiently
to produce a soft, succulent growth. As soon as the 3-inch pots are
filled with roots the plants are shifted to 4-inch pots, and when the
plants have attained a height of 12 or 15 inches, and have developed
their first blossoms, they are usually placed on the benches of the
greenhouse, where they are to produce their crop. The plants are then
set 15 or 18 inches apart each way in a soil prepared as previously
described.
_Cutting Plants._--Cuttings should be taken from strong, healthy,
vigorous-growing plants in the field, and placed in the cutting bed
about the last of August, where they will quickly take root. As soon
as the roots have developed to a length of from one-half to 1 inch the
young plants are shifted to 3 or 4 inch pots, where they are allowed
to develop until the blossom buds are well formed or the blossoms have
expanded, when they should be planted on the bench where they are to
mature their crop, in like manner as noted for seedling plants.
_Pollination._--In the field, where the tomato plants are exposed to
the action of wind and to the visits of insects, no special attention
is necessary in order to secure the pollination of the flowers and the
setting of the fruits. Under the conditions existing in a greenhouse,
however, it is necessary to artificially pollinate the flowers of the
tomato; otherwise only a very small percentage of fruits will set and
the object of the work will be defeated. It is therefore necessary to
allow the temperature of the house to become quite high in the middle
of the day on bright sunshiny days while the plants are in bloom, and
to pass through the house at this time with a little stick, 18 inches
or 2 feet in length, with which to strike the supporting strings or
wires and thus to set the plants in motion and liberate the pollen and
cause it to fertilize the flowers. A more satisfactory way, however,
is to use a watch glass, 1-1/4 or 1-12 inches in diameter, embedded in
putty, at the end of a handle composed of a light material, preferably
white pine, which shall be 12 or 18 inches long. Grasp this spatula
in the left hand and, with a light pine stick of equal length in the
right hand, pass through the house, tapping each open flower lightly
with the wand, at the same time holding the watch glass under the
flowers to catch the pollen. Before removing the watch glass from
this position lift it sufficiently to cause the stigma of the flower
to dip into the pollen contained in the glass. By carefully going
through the house from day to day during the blooming period nearly 90
per cent of the blossoms which develop can be caused to set. During
dark, cloudy, stormy weather, however, a smaller percentage of plants
will be fertilized than during bright, comparatively dry weather. The
conditions in the greenhouse can not be modified so as to entirely
overcome the adverse conditions existing on the outside, although with
care much can be done in this direction.
_Manuring._--It is desirable to keep plants of the tomato which are
designed for forcing growing at a moderately rapid rate throughout
the whole forcing period. Growth should be strong and robust at all
times, yet slow enough to produce close-jointed plants which bear their
fruit clusters at near intervals. There is considerable difference in
varieties of tomatoes in this respect, and those which naturally bear
their fruit clusters close together should be selected for forcing
purposes. The manuring of the plants should, therefore, take a form
which will be conducive to this strong, vigorous growth, yet not
sufficiently heavy to produce plants which run to wood at the expense
of fruit bearing.
_Ventilating and Watering._--If careful attention is given to keeping
the plants in a healthy condition by never allowing them to suffer from
overwatering or from becoming too dry, and if sufficient ventilation
is given without allowing draughts of cold air upon the plants, much
can be done to prevent the development of mildew. If the plants are
to be sprayed it should be done once a week or once in ten days, and
then only in the mornings of bright days. Ordinarily, however, the
atmosphere of the house should be kept dry rather than moist, as a very
moist atmosphere is liable to produce a soft, succulent growth, which
brings on a disease known to gardeners as oedema. This, however, can
be prevented by care in keeping the house rather dry. The temperature
of the house, too, should not be allowed to fluctuate through too wide
a range. The night temperature for tomatoes should range between 65°
and 68° F., while the day temperature should run from 70° to 80° F.
_Varieties for Forcing._--The comparatively limited use of tomatoes
for forcing purposes in this country has not resulted in the development
of many sorts especially suited for this purpose. The Lorillard
is the one American sort which is now almost exclusively confined
to this use, and it is perhaps more generally cultivated in forcing
houses than any other single variety.
_The Tomato as a Field Crop for Canneries._--Owing to the fact that in
canned tomatoes it is difficult for the average consumer to note any
deficiencies in the appearance of the original fruit, many labor under
the delusion that any variety will answer for this purpose. This is a
mistaken idea, as quality in canned goods is now an important factor,
and it is quite as necessary that a good quality of product should
be used for canning as for growing for the early or general market,
although from the field side it is natural that tonnage should be a
primary consideration.
In the matter of varieties, as in the case of early tomatoes, too
much dependence should not be placed upon the name or upon the fact
that a neighboring farmer secures good results from a given variety.
There are so many variations in the character of soils, even in the
same locality, which exert an influence upon the size and quality of
crop that the best variety is usually one that is, in part at least,
developed by the individual grower. The main point is to select
varieties that produce large, smooth, solid fruits, which do not remain
green or crack on the shaded side near the stem. Those which possess
size as their chief characteristic are frequently of poor quality, as
they are likely to possess large seed cavities and to ripen unevenly.
The conditions in some sections are such as to prevent the canners
from making as much distinction between good and poor varieties
as they would like. Canneries are in a measure obliged to receive
all that come, unless they can control absolutely the land upon which
the crop is grown. The variation in the quality of the crops of different
farmers will make a difference of from 25 to 40 cans on a ton
of fruit, or from 6 to 10 per cent--a very considerable item. In good
seasons and with good fruit 400 cans may be regarded as the maximum
number to be derived from a ton, though late in the season,
and with poor varieties, as already stated, the pack from a ton is very
much less. The interests of the grower and the canner are really
identical in this regard. An improvement in the quality of the fruit
will result in an improvement of the canned product and a consequent
increase in the price of both the raw and manufactured products.
Less expense is involved in growing suitable plants for cannery purposes
than for other crops. This is due to the fact that earliness is not
so important a factor as it is in the market garden crop.
_Fertilizing and Cultivating the Soil._--In manuring and fertilizing,
the character of the crop and the season of its growth should be
remembered. Hence, recommendations that were made for an early crop do
not apply in all cases except perhaps on the poorer classes of soils.
In the first place, the plants are not put in the soil until summer,
when the conditions are most favorable for the rapid change of organic
forms of nitrogen into nitrates, and thus, if the soil has been manured
or is naturally rich in vegetable matter, the additional application
of nitrogen in immediately available forms is not so important. In the
second place, the object of the growth is not early maturity, but the
largest yield of mature fruit.
_Setting and Cultivating the Plants._--The plants should be set from 4
to 4-1/2 feet apart each way and cultivation should begin immediately.
The first cultivation should be deep, in order to conserve the
moisture, and each subsequent cultivation shallower, in order not to
destroy the roots, which will fill the soil as soon as the plants reach
maturity. The crop in good seasons should begin to ripen in August, and
picking will continue from that time until the last of September.
_Cost, Yield, and Value of Crop._--The cost of production per acre is
much less for fruit for canning than in the case of early tomatoes, the
chief difference being in the production of the plants. The several
items may be classified as follows:
_Cost of growing an acre of tomatoes for canning:_
Plants $ 2.00
Manures and fertilizers 8.00
Preparation of land, setting plants and cultivation 8.00
Picking and carting 10.00
_____
Total $28.00
The yield, as in the case of the early tomatoes, varies widely,
ranging from 5 to as high as 20 tons per acre, even 30 tons per acre
having been reported in exceptional cases, although the average for a
series of years on average land will probably be under 8 tons. Where
all conditions are carefully observed, 20-ton yields are frequently
obtained, and at the prices received at the cannery, ranging from $5 to
$7.50 per ton, according to the locality, the crop is a fairly good one
and the net profits are quite as large as for other field crops.