^MINIVERS'/A r>rc ip a dry temperature of 75 to 8^° F.. or even uoJsLQ^LF.. ifjthe air is not too dry and is in gentle circulation. The rate of growth diminishes as the temperature falls below 75° until at 50° there is practically no growth ; the plant is simply living at a poor dying rate and if the growth, particularly in young plants, is checked in this way for any considerable time they will never produce a full crop of fruit, even if the plants reach full size and are seemingly vigorous and healthy. The plant is generally killed by exposure for even a short time to freezing temperature, though young volunteer plants in the spring are frequently so hardened by exposure that they will survive a frost that crusts the ground they stand in ; but such exposure affects the productiveness of the plant, even if it subsequently makes a seemingly vigorous and healthy growth. Under glass, plants usually do best in a temperature somewhat lower than is most de- sirable out of doors. I think this is due to the inevit- able obstruction of the sunlight and the lack of per- fect ventilation. Moisture. — Although the jtomato is not a desert plant and needs a plentiful supply of water, it suffers far_ more frequently, particularly, when the, plants are young^ from an over-supply than from the want of wat£r. Gnod^ drainage at the ront an^ ^warnr^dry. jr^Jri gentle motion, are, what -it-dohgbis in. ESSENTIALS FOR DEVELOPMENT 3! Good drainage is essential not only to the best growth of the plant but to the pj-pduction of any fruit of good quality. So important is this feature that though it can be readily proved that, other things being equal, the tomato will give larger yield and better fruit on well drained clay loam than on sandy soil, yet it is more generally and more successfully planted on sandy lands simply because they are usually better drained and on this account give better crops. While excess of water in the soil is most injurious to the young and growing plant, an abundance of it at the time the fruit swells and ripens is very essential, and a want cff it at that time results in small and imperfect fruit of poor flavor. Excessive moisture in the air is just as injurious as at the root. In my personal experience I have known of more failures in tomato crops, at least in the northern states, to come from a season of persistent rains and damp atmosphere at the time when the plants should be in bloom and setting fruit than from any other climatic cause. Food supply. — The tconai^is_not_jLjgross feeder nor is the crop an exhaustive one, buLthe_plant is very It is an epicure among plants and demands that its food shall not only be to its taste in quality but that it be well served. In order for the plant to do its best, or even well, it is essential that the food elements be in the right pro- portions and readily available. If there is a deficiency of any single element there will be but a meager crop of fruit, no matter how abundant the supply of the others. An over-supply of an element, especially nitrogen, js hardly less injurious and will actually les- 32 TOMATO CULTURE sen the yield of fruit though it may increase the size of the vine. Not only must the food be in right pro- portions but in such condition as to be readily avail- able. Tomato roots have little power to wrest plant food from the soil. The use of coarse, unfermented manure is even more unsatisfactory with this than with other crops. The enormous yields sometimes obtained by English gardeners from plants grown under glass result from a supply of food of the right proportions and in solution, instead of incorporating it in a crude condition with the soil. Cultivation.;— -The tomato is grqwn^ in_all_[>arts^ of the United States and under very different conditions, not only ...aa__tp climate and soil but as to _the facilities for growing and handling the crop and the way in which it is done. What would be ideal conditions of soil and the most advantageous methods under some conditions would not be at all desirable in others. In some cases the largest possible yield an acre, in oth- ers fruit at the lowest cost a bushel, or at the earliest possible date, or in a continuous supply and of the best quality, is the greatest desideratum. It is im- possible to give specific instructions which would be applicable to all these varying conditions and re- quirements ; so I give general cultural directions for maximum crops with variations suggested for spe- cial conditions and requirements, and then the reader may follow those which seem best suited to his indi- vidual conditions. CHAPTER V Selection of Soil for Maximum Crop Large yields of tomatoes have been, and can be, obtained from soils of varying composition, from a gumbo prairie, a black marsh muck, or a stiff, tena- cious clay, to one of light drifting sand, provided other conditions, such as drainage, tilth and fertility are favorable. The Connecticut experiment station and others have secured good results from plants grown under glass in a soil of sifted coal ashes and muck, or even from coal ashes alone, the requisite plant food being supplied in solution. But a maximum crop could never, and a full one very seldom, be produced on a soil, no matter what its composition, which could not be, or was not put into and kept in a good state of tilth, or on one which was poorly drained, sodden or sour, or which was so leachy that it was impossible to retain a fair supply of moisture and of plant food. Of the 10 largest yields of Which I have personal knowledge and which ran from 1,000 to 1,200 bushels of fruit (acceptable for canning and at least two- thirds of it of prime market quality) an acre, four were grown on soils classed as clay loam, two on heavy clay — one of which was so heavy that clay for making brick was subsequently taken from the very spot which yielded the most and best fruit — one on what had been a black ash swamp, one on a sandy muck, two on a sandy loam and one on a light sand 33 34 TOMATO CULTURE made very rich by heavy annual manuring for sev- eral years. They were all perfectly watered and drained, in good heart, liberally fertilized with ma- nures of proved right proportions for each field, and above all, the fields were put into and kept in perfect tilth by methods suited to each case; while the plants used were of good stock and so grown, set and culti- vated that their growth was never stopped or hardly checked for even a day. These conditions as to soil and culture, together with seasons of exceptionally favorable weather, resulted in uniformly large crops on these widely different soils. The composition of the soil, then, as to its propor- tions of sand or clay is of minor importance as regards a maximum yield or as to quality of the fruit, except as it affects our ability to put and keep the soil in good physical condition. The tomato crop, however, par- ticularly when the plants are trimmed and trained to stakes, as is the usual practice in the South, as seen in Fig. 12, with crops grown for early shipment, neces- sitates in the trimming and training of the plants and the gathering of the fruit when it is in the right degree of maturity for shipment a great deal of trampling of the surface regardless of whether it is wet or dry. Consequently if the surface soil has any considerable proportion of clay there is danger of compacting and even puddling it by working when wet, to the great detriment of the crop. Again, a more or less sandy surface soil can be much more easily worked than one with a large proportion of clay. For these reasons our choice of a soil for the lowest cost a bushel and probably for a maximum yield should be a rich sandy 36 TOMATO CULTURE or sandy loam surface soil overlying a well-drained clay sub-soil. I would prefer one which was originally covered with a heavy growth of beech and maple tim- ber, though I should want it to be "old land" at the time. Tomatoes do not succeed as well on prairie soils, particularly if they are at all heavy, as they do on timbered lands, but one need not despair of a profitable crop of tomatoes on any soil which would give a fair crop of corn or of cotton. For early-ripening fruit. — Sometimes the profit and satisfaction from a tomato crop depend more largely upon the earliness of ripening than upon the amount of yield or cost of growing. In such cases a warm, sandy loam, or even a distinctly sandy soil, is to be preferred, as this is apt to be warmer and the fruit will be matured much earlier on it than on a heavier soil. It is essential, however, that it be well drained and warm. Often lands classed as sandy are really colder than some of those classed as clay, and such soils should be carefully avoided if early maturity is important. For the home garden. — Here we seldom have a choice, but no one need despair and abandon effort, no matter what the soil may be, for it is quite possible to raise an abundant home supply on any soil and that, too, without inordinate cost and labor. Some of the most prolific plants and the finest fruits I have ever seen were grown in a village lot which five years before had been filled in to a depth of 3 to 10 feet with clay, coal ashes and refuse from a brick and coal yard. In another instance magnificent fruit was grown in a garden where the soil was originally made up chiefly SELECTION OF SOIL FOR MAXIMUM CROP 37 of sawdust mixed with sand, drawn on a founda- dation of sawmill edgings so as to raise it above the water of a swamp. Where one has to contend with such conditions he should make an effort to create a friable soil with a supply of humus by adding the material needed. A very few loads, sometimes even a single load, of clay or sand will greatly change the character of the soil of a sufficient area to grow the one or two dozen plants necessary for a family supply. In the two cases mentioned, the owner of the first named garden used both sand and sawdust to lighten his soil, while the second drew a great many loads of clay on his. Growing under glass. — I would make up a soil composed of about three parts rotted sod, two or three parts of well-rotted stable manure (and it is very important that it be well decomposed) and one part either of coarse, sharp sand, sandy loam or clay loam, according as the sod soil is light or heavy, the aim being to form a rich, light, open soil rather than one which is as heavy and compact as desirable for some plants. If sqd soil is not available, of course, garden loam can be substituted, but it is very important that the soil be thoroughly mixed, and desirable that it be prepared sometime before it is to be used'. Some growers use the same soil for several crops, simply adding some fresh manure ; but, if so used, it is im- portant that it be stirred and thoroughly re-mixed and sterilized. CHAPTER VI Exposure and Location In sections where there is danger of the plants being killed by early fall frosts before they have ripened their entire crop, exposure of /the field is sometimes of importance in determining the market- able yield. A gentle inclination to the south, with a protection of higher land or timber on the sides from which frost or high winds are most likely to come, is the best. A steep descent to the south, shut in by high land to the east and west, so as to form a hot pocket, is not favorable for a maximum crop although it may give a smaller yield of early ripening fruit; nor is a small field entirely surrounded by forest desirable. I once knew of a field, of about two acres, sloping to the south and entirely surrounded by heavy timber, on which two or three tomato crops were failures when other fields on the same farm gave large yields, but after the timber on the south and east had been cut away this field generally gave the largest yield in the neighborhood. Location. — While exposure is in some Cases an im- portant factor in determining the total yield an acre, and so the cost, the location of the field as regards distance from marketing point and the character of the roads between them is of far greater importance in determining the cost and profit of crop, but one 38 EXPOSURE AND LOCATION 39 which is very often disregarded. The marketable product of an acre of tomatoes weighs from 3 to 30 tons, which is not only more than that of most farm crops, but the product is of such character that its value is easily destroyed by long hauls over ordinary roads. It has to be marketed within a day or two of the time it is in prime condition, regardless of the conditions of the roads or weather; so that it is quite deceptive to estimate the cost of delivery at the same rate a ton, as for potatoes or wheat, for it always costs more, and sometimes several times more, to deliver tomatoes than it would to deliver the same weight of less perishable crops. In most cases the cost of pick- ing and delivery is one of the most important factors in determining profit and loss, particularly when the crop is grown for canning factories, where one often has to wait for hours for his team to unload. These conditions make it very important that the field be located within a short distance of, and connected by good roads with the point of delivery. Early maturing fruit. — Where early maturity is the great desideratum the exposure of the field is often very important. It should, first of all, be such as to secure comparative freedom from spring frosts so as to permit of early setting of the plants and the full benefit of the sunshine as well as protection from cold winds. There is often a great difference in these respects between fields quite near each other. Profes- sor Rolfs, of Florida, mentions a case where the toma- toes in a field sloping to the southeast and protected on the north and west by a strip of oak timber were uninjured by a spring frost that killed not only all ^ , TOMATO CULTURE the plants in neighboring fields, but those in the same field farther away from the protecting timber. Such spots should be sought out and utilized, as often they can be used to great advantage. Immediate prox- imity to large bodies of water is sometimes advanta- geous in the South, but in the North it is often disad- vantageous for early fruit because of the chilling of the air and the increased danger of spring frosts, al- though affording protection from those of early fall. Here, too, proximity of field to shipping point and distance and transportation rate to market are very important factors affecting profit on the crop. The home garden. — The south side of buildings or of tight fences and walls often furnishes a most de- sirable place for garden tomatoes, but the plants should be set at least 6 to 10 feet from the protec- tion and not so as to be trained upon or much shaded by them, as the disadvantage of shutting off the light and circulation of the air, even from the north, would more than overbalance anything gained by the protection. Growing under glass. — In this country tomatoes are seldom grown under glass except during the darker winter months and the exposure of the house ; the form of the roof and the method of glazing which will give the greatest possible light, are of importance, for tomatoes can not be profitably grown in a dark house. Just how the greatest amount of light may be made available in any particular case will depend upon local conditions, but every effort should be made to secure the most unobstructed sunlight possible and for the greatest number of hours each day. EXPOSURE AND LOCATION 4! Previous crop and condition. — In field culture to- matoes should not follow tomatoes or potatoes. Both of these crops make use of large quantities of pot- ash, and although a small part of that used by the plants is taken from the field in the crop, they in- evitably reduce the proportion of this element in the soil — that is, in such condition as to be readily avail- able for the succeeding crop. It is true that the deficiency in potash may be supplied, but it is not so easy to supply it in a condition in which it is possible for the roots of the tomato to take it in. Unlike pota- toes, tomatoes do not do well on new land, whether it be newly cleared timber lands or new breaking of prairie. Clover leaves the land in better condition for tomatoes than any other of the commonly grown farm crops, while for second choice I prefer one of peas, beans, corn, or wheat in the order named. One of the most successful tomato growers I know of, whose soil is a rich, dark clay loam, prepares for the crop, as follows : Very late in the fall or early in the spring he gives a clover sod a heavy dressing of manure and plows it under. In the spring he pre- pares the ground by frequent cultivation and plants it with early sweet corn or summer squash. At the time of the last cultivation of these crops he sows clo- ver seed, covering it with a cultivator having many small teeth, and rarely fails to get a good stand and a good growth of young clover before the ground freezes. In the spring he plows this under, running the plow as deep as possible and following in the fur- row with a sub-soiler which stirs, but does not bring the sub-soil to the surface. He then gives the field a 42 TOMATO CULTURE heavy dressing with wood ashes and puts it into the best possible tilth before planting his tomatoes. This grown usually harvests at least 500 bushels to the acre and has made a crop of over 1,000 bushels. Early market. — In some sections of the South where the soil is light and the growers depend almost wholly on the use of large quantities of commercial fertil- izer, they seem to meet with the best success by using the same field for several successive crops, but in some places they succeed best with plantings following a crop of cowpeas or other green soiling crops plowed under, with a good dressing of lime. CHAPTER VII Fertilizers The experiences and opinions of different garden- ers and writers vary greatly as to the amount and kind of fertilizer necessary for the production of the maximum crop of tomatoes. If the question were as to the growth of vine all would agree that the more fer- tilizer used and the richer the soil, the better. Some growers act as if this were equally true as to fruit, while others declare that one can easily use too much fertilizer and get the ground too rich not only for a maximum but for a profitable crop of fruit. I find that the amount an acre recommended by successful growers varies from 40 tons of well-rotted stable manure, supplemented by 1,000 pounds of complete fertilizer and 1,000 pounds of unleached ashes, to one of only 300 pounds of potato fertilizer. In my own experience the largest yield that I can recall was produced on what would be called rich land, and the application of fertilizer for the tomato crop was not in excess (unless possibly of potash) of that of the usual annual dressing. I think that in preparing a soil for tomatoes, as in selecting so- cial acquaintances, the "new rich" are to be avoided. A soil which is rich because of judicious manuring and careful cropping for many years can scarcely be too rich, while one that is made rich by a single appli- cation of fertilizer, no matter how well proportioned, 43 44 TOMATO CULTURE may give even a smaller yield of fruit because of its excessive use. Again, the proportions of the various food elements vary greatly in different locations. Professor Halstead finds that in his section of Xew Jersey the liberal use of nitrate of soda increases the yield and improves the quality, while in some localities of New York, Ohio, and the West, growers find that the yield of first-class fruit was actually lessened by its use. In some sections of the South liberality in the use of phosphates determines the amount and the quality of the crop, while at other points it seems to be of little value. In my own experience the liberal application of potash, particularly in the form of wood ashes, has more often given good results than the ap- plication of any other special fertilizer. If called upon to name the exact quantity and kind of manure for tomatoes, without any knowledge of the soil or its previous condition, I would say 8 to 10 tons of good stable manure worked into the soil as late as possible in the fall or during the winter and early spring and 300 to 600 pounds of commercial fertilizer, of such composition as to furnish 2 per cent, nitrogen, 6 per cent, phosphoric acid and 8 per cent, potash scattered and worked into the row about the time that the plants are set. The use of a large pro- portion of nitrogen tends to rank growth of vine and soft, watery fruit. The use of a large proportion of phosphoric acid tends to produce soft fruit with less distinctly acid flavor; of potash, to smaller growth of vine and firm but more acid fruit. I think that even more than with most crops it will be well for the farmer to experiment to determine the FERTILIZERS 45 best and most economical fertilizer for his soil, set- ting aside five to ten plots of i to 4 square rods each and apply nitrate of soda, muriate of potash, wood, ashes, and phosphate alone and in different combina- tions. The results will suggest the combination which he can use to best advantage. In the majority of cases, however, where the soil is reasonably rich, ex- penditures for putting the ground in the best possible state of tilth will give larger returns than those for manures in excess of that which the land has usually received in the regular rotation for ordinary farm crops. For the home garden. — Usually a dressing of wood ashes up to a rate of i bushel to the square rod, well worked into the soil before the plants are set, and oc- casionally watering with liquid manure, will generally give the best returns of any special fertilization, it being assumed that the garden has been well enriched with stable manure. Tomatoes under glass. — Some growers recommend frequent waterings with liquid manure ; others a sur- face dressing of sheep manure ; still others a mulch of moderately well decayed stable manure. Plants grow- ing under glass, particularly in pots or boxes, seem to be benefitted by so heavy a dressing that if applied to plants growing outside it would be likely to give excessive growth of vine with but little fruit. CHAPTER VIII Preparation of the Soil The proper preparation of the soil before setting the plants is one of the most essential points in suc- cessful tomato culture. The soil should be put into the best possible physical condition and to the greatest practicable depth. How this can be best accomplished will vary greatly with different soils and the facilities at the command of the planter. My practice on a heavy, dry soil is to plow shallow as early in the spring as the ground is fit to work, and then work and re-work the surface so as to make it as fine as possible. If I am to use any manure which is at all coarse, it is well worked in at this time. A week or 10 days before I expect to set the plants I again plow, and to as great a depth as practicable, without turning up much of the sub-soil, and if this has not been done within two years, follow in the furrows with a sub-soil plow which loosens, but does not bring the sub-soil to the surface. Then I- work and re-work the surface, at the same time working in any dressing of well-rotted nianure, ashes or commercial fertilizer that I want to use. I never regret going over the field again, if by so doing I can improve its condition in the least. On a lighter soil it might be better to compact rather than loosen as much as would give the best results with clay, but always and everywhere the soil should be 46 PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 47 made fine, friable and uniform in condition, to the greatest depth possible. One of the most successful growers has said that if he could afford to spend but two days' time on a patch of tomatoes he would use a day and a half of the two days in fitting the ground before he set the plants. It is my opinion that any working of the ground that serves to get it into better mechanical condition, if done economically, will not only increase the yield, but to such an extent as to lower the cost a bushel. T. B. Terry's teaching of the necessity for working and re-working the soil, if one would have the largest crops of potatoes of the best quality, is even more applicable to the culture of tomatoes. Home garden. — Here there is no excuse for setting plants in hard, lumpy soil. It should be worked and re-worked, not simply once or twice, but once or twice after it has been thoroughly worked. In short, the tomato bed should be made as friable as it is possible to make it and to as great a depth as the character of the subsoil will permit. Under glass. — I would strongly advise that soil for tomatoes, whether it is to be used in solid beds or in pots or boxes, be thoroughly sterilized by piling it. not over 15 inches deep or wide over iron pipes perfo- rated with two lines of holes about one-sixteenth inch in diameter and 2 inches apart and filled with steam for at least a half hour. It can be sterilized, but far less effectively, by thorough wetting with boiling water. It should always be well stirred and aired before the plants are set in it. Starting plants. — From about the latitude of New 48 TOMATO CULTURE York city southward, it is possible to secure large yields from plants grown from seed sown in place in the field, and one often sees volunteer plants which have sprung up as weeds carrying as much or more fruit than most carefully grown transplanted ones beside them. In many sections tomatoes are grown in large areas for canning factories, and as a farm rather than a market garden crop, individual farmers planting from 10 to 100 acres ; and to start and trans- plant to the field the 25,000 to 30,000 plants necessary for a ten-acre field seems a great undertaking. To- mato plants, however, when young, are of rather weak and tender growth, and need more careful cul- ture than can be readily given in the open field; and, again, the demand of the market, even at the canning factories, is for delivery of the crop earlier than it can be produced by sowing the seed in the field. For these reasons it is almost the universal custom of successful growers to use plants started under glass or in seed-beds where conditions of heat and mois- ture can be somewhat under control. I believe, how- ever, that the failure to secure a maximum yield is more often due to defective methods of starting, hand- ling and setting the plants than to any other single cause. In sections where tomatoes are largely grown there are usually men who make a business of starting plants and offering them for sale at prices running from $i or even as low as 40 cents, up to $8 and $10 a 1,000, according to their age and the way they are grown ; but generally, it will be found more advan- tageous for the planter to start his plants on or near the field where they are to be grown. PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 49 Tomato plants from cuttings may be easily grown, but such plants, when planted in the open ground, do not yield as much fruit as seedlings nor is this apt to be of so good quality ; so that, in practice, seed- lings only are used for outside crops. Under glass, plants from cuttings do relatively better and some growers prefer them, as they commence to fruit earlier and do not make so rank a growth. Seedlings can be most easily started and grown, at least up to the time of pricking out, in light, well- ventilated greenhouses, and many large growers have them for this specific purpose. Houses for starting tomato plants should be so situated as to be fully ex- posed to the sun and not shaded in any way ; be pro- vided with heating apparatus by which a night tem- perature of 60 and up to one of 80° F. in the day- can be maintained even in the coldest weather and darkest days likely to occur for 60 to 90 days before the plants can be safely set out in the open field ; and the houses should be well glazed and ventilated. Houses well suited for this purpose are often built of hotbed sash with no frame but a simple ridge-board and sides i or 2 feet high, head room being gained by a central sunken path and the sash so fastened in place that they may be easily lifted to give ventilation or entirely removed to give full exposure to sunshine, or for storing when the house is not needed. Hotbed sash 3x6 feet with side-bars projecting at the ends to facilitate fastening them in place are usually kept by dealers, who offer them at from $1.50 to $3 each, according to the quality of the material used. A hot water heating apparatus is the best, but often 5 and a double Vermorel nozzle. The barrel should be carried in an ordinary farm wagon. Three men do the work. One is expected to drive and pump, while the other two manipulate the nozzles. The outfit is stopped while the plants within reach are sprayed, then driven for- ward about 30 feet and stopped again. On an average in actual field practice 3 to 4 acres a day can be sprayed in this way, applying 100 to 200 gallons of Bordeaux per acre. To keep the long hose off the plants two poles about 10 feet long may be pivoted to the bed of the wagon so as to swing at an angle over the wheel and 'carry the hose. The pump for this out- fit should be of good capacity, with brass valves. A "Y" shut-off discharge connection on the pump is a convenience for stopping the spray at any time. The most satisfactory nozzles are those of the Vermorel type. It is cheapest in the long run to buy the best grades of pumps on the market. This outfit is excel- lently adapted for spraying small fields of potatoes and for general orchard work, and is invaluable on the average farm. Phytoptosis. — This disease is known to occur only in Florida, where it is sometimes common enough to require remedial treatment. The affected portions of the foliage are more or less distorted and covered with an ashy white fuzz. The general vigor and fruitful- ness of the plants are greatly reduced. The name TOMATO DISEASES 139 applied to this trouble denotes its cause, an extremely small mite (Phytoptus caladadophora Nal.), which by its presence on the leaves or stems so irritates them as to result in the abundant development of modified plant hairs, which shelter the mites and form the fuzzy covering characteristic of the disease. A rem- edy for phytoptosis is available in the sulphur com- pounds. The following one is particularly recom- mended by Prof. P. H. Rolfs, to whom our knowledge of the disease is due : Preparation of sulphur spray. — Place 30 pounds of flowers of sulphur in a wooden tub large enough to hold 25 gallons. Wet the sulphur with 3 gallons of water, stir it to form a paste. Then add 20 pounds of 98 per cent, caustic soda (28 pounds should be used if the caustic soda is 70 per cent.) and mix it with the sulphur paste. In a few minutes it becomes very hot, turns brown, and becomes a liquid. Stir thoroughly and add enough water to make 20 gallons. Pour off from the sediment and keep the liquid as a stock so- lution in a tight barrel or keg. Of this solution use 4 quarts to 50 gallons of water. Apply with a spray pump whenever the disease appears, and repeat if re- quired by its later reappearance. The use of dry sul- phur is also recommended. DISEASES OF THE FRUIT Point-rot. — This trouble, called also "blossom-end rot," and "black-rot," occurs on the green fruit at various stages of development, as shown in Fig. 43. It begins at the blossom end as a sunken brown spot, 140 TOMATO CULTURE which gradually enlarges until the fruit is rendered worthless. The decayed spot is often covered in its later stages by a dense black fungous growth (Alter- naria fasciculate, (C. & E.) J. & G. syn. Macrosporium tomato Cke.), formerly thought to be the cause of the FIG. 43 — POINT-ROT DISEASE OF THE TOMATO (Redrawn from N. Y. Expr. Sta. No. 125) " * rot, but now known to be merely a saprophyte. Point- rot sometimes occurs in greenhouses, but is more com- mon in field culture. It is one of the most destructive diseases of the tomato, but its nature is not fully worked out, and a uniformly successful treatment is unknown. It has been thought to be due to bacte- rial invasion, but complete demonstrations of that fact TOMATO DISEASES 14! have not yet been published. The physiological con- ditions of the plant appear to be important. The dis- ease is worst in dry weather and light soils, where the moisture supply is insufficient, and irrigation is bene- ficial in such cases. Spraying does not control point- rot so far as present evidence goes. Anthracnose — ripe-rot — (Colletotrichum phomoides (Sacc.) Chest.), is distinguished from the point-rot by the fact that it occurs mainly on ripe or nearly ripe fruits, producing a soft and rapid decay. Wide- spread losses from this cause are not common, but when a field becomes infected a considerable propor- tion of the crop within a limited area may be destroyed if humid or rainy weather prevails. Preventive meas- ures only can be employed. These should consist in collecting and destroying diseased fruit and in sta- king and trimming the vines to admit light and air to dry out the foliage. Bordeaux mixture applied after the development of the disease would be of doubtful effi- ciency and would be objectionable on account of the sediment left on the ripe fruit DISEASES OF THE ROOT OR STEM Damping off. — Young plants in seed-beds often perish suddenly from a rot of the stem at the surface of the ground. This occurs as a rule in dull, cloudy weather among plants kept at too high a temperature, crowded too closely in the beds or not sufficiently ven- tilated. Several kinds of fungi are capable of causing damping off, under such conditions. Preventive measures are of the first importance. 142 TOMATO CULTURE Since old soil is often full of fungous spores left by pre- vious crops, it is the wisest plan to use sterilized soil for the seed-bed. When the young plants are growing, constant watchfulness is required to avoid conditions that will weaken the seedlings and favor, the damping off fungi. Watering and ventilation are the two points that require especial skill. Watering should be done at midday, to allow the beds to drain before night, and only enough water for the thorough moistening of the soil should be applied. Ventilation should be given every warm day as the temperature and sunshine will permit, but the plants must be protected from rain and cold winds. Work the surface of the soil to per- mit aeration and do not crowd the plants too closely in the beds. If damping off develops something can be done to check it by scattering a layer of dry, warm sand over the surface, and by spraying the bed thor- oughly with weak Bordeaux or by applying dry sul- phur and air-slaked lime. Bacterial wilt (Bacterium solanacearum Erw. Sm.). — This disease, which also attacks potatoes and egg- plants and some related weeds, is one of the most serious enemies of the tomato. It is known to occur from Connecticut southward to Florida and westward to Colorado, but is most prevalent in the Gulf States, where it has greatly discouraged many growers. Its most prominent symptoms are the wilting of the foliage and a browning of the wood inside the recently wilted stems. An affected plant wilts first at the top, or a single branch wilts, but later the entire plant yel- lows, wilts and dies. Young plants wilt more sud- TOMATO DISEASES 143 denly and dry up. The disease progresses more rapidly in plants that have made a succulent, luxurious growth, while those with hard, woody stems resist it somewhat. The disease is due to the invasion of bacteria, which enter the leaves through the aid of leaf-eating insects, or through the roots. They plug the water-carrying vessels of the stem, shutting off the water and food supply of the plant. If the stem of a plant freshly wilted from this disease be severed, the bacteria will ooze out in dirty white drops on the cut surface. Remedial measures entirely satisfactory for the control of bacterial wilt have not yet been worked out. The best methods to adopt at present are the following : (1) Rotation of crops. — The field evidence is that this disease is in many cases localized in old gardens or in definite spots in the field. It appears also that the infection left by a diseased crop can remain in the soil for some time. It is therefore advised that tomato growers should always practice a rotation of crops, whether any disease has appeared or not, and that in case bacterial wilt develops they should not plant that land in tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants for three or four years. The length of rotation necessary to free the soil is not known, but will have to be worked out by the individual grower. (2) Destruction of diseased plants. — The bacteria causing wilt not only spread through the soil but are carried by insects from freshly wilted to healthy plants. Diseased plants thus become dangerous sources of in- fection, and it is evident that all such should be pulled out and burned. This is particularly important at the 144 TOMATO CULTURE beginning of the trouble when the eradication of a few wilting plants may save the remainder. (3) Control of insects. — To lessen the danger from spread of wilt by insects, the measures advised in the next chapter for the control of leaf-eating insects should be adopted. In this connection it should be mentioned that the use of Bordeaux mixture for leaf blights, as previously recommended, has an additional value in that the coating on the leaves is distasteful to insects and helps to keep them away. (4) Seed selection. — Work done at the Florida ex- periment station indicates that resistant varieties may be secured, but there are as yet none in commercial use. This is an important line for experimenters to follow up. There is no proof that the disease is spread through seed from diseased plants. Fusarium wilt. — This disease and the one follow- ing resemble the bacterial wilt so closely, as far as ex- ternal characters go, that they are difficult to tell apart. The parasites, however, differ so materially in their nature and life history that the field treatment is quite different. There are also differences in geographical distribution that are important, for while the Fusarium wilt occurs occasionally throughout the southern states, it is known to be of general commercial importance only in southern Florida and southern California. The symptoms of the disease are a gradual wilting and dying of the plants, usually in the later stages of their development. Young plants die, however, when the soil infection is severe. There is a browning of the woody portions of the stem, and when a section of this is examined under a compound microscope the TOMATO DISEASES 145 vessels are found to be filled with fungous threads, which shut off the water supply. The infection in the Fusarium wilt appears to come entirely from the soil. Little is known of its manner of spread, except that the cultivation of a tomato crop in certain districts appears to leave the soil infected so that a crop planted the next year will be injured or destroyed. The fungus does not remain in the soil for a very long time in sufficient abundance to cause serious harm. A rotation of crops that will bring tomatoes on the land once in three years has been found in Florida to prevent loss from Fusarium wilt. This fungus does not attack any other crop than tomatoes, so far as known, though it is very closely re- lated to species of Fusarium producing similar dis- eases in cotton, melon, cowpea, flax, etc. Fusarium wilt has not been found in fields and gardens in the northern states, but tomatoes in greenhouses there are sometimes attacked by it or a related Fusarium, which also occurs in England. When greenhouse beds are infected the soil for the next crop should be thoroughly sterilized by steam under pressure. Sclerotium wilt. — This disease resembles the two preceding in its effect on the plant, which wilts at the tip first, and gradually dies. Its geographical range is more restricted. It seems to be confined to north- ern Florida and the southern part of Georgia and Ala- bama, where it occurs in gardens and old cultivated fields. The fungus causing this wilt attacks the root and the stem near the ground, working in from the out- side. There is not the browning of the wood vessels characteristic of the two preceding diseases. If an 146 TOMATO CULTURE affected stem is put in a moist chamber made from a covered or inverted dish, there will develop an ex- ceedingly vigorous growth of snow-white fungous my- celium which, after a few days, bears numerous round shot-like bodies, at first light-colored, then becoming smaller and dark-brown. These are the sclerotia or resting bodies of the fungus. This fungus, called Sclerotium sp., or "Rolf's Sclerotium," is noteworthy because it attacks potatoes, squash, cowpea, and a long list of other garden vegetables and ornamental plants. The only satisfactory means of control is rotation of crops, using corn, small grain, and the Iron cowpea, a variety immune to this and other diseases. Suscep- tible crops should be kept from infected fields for two or three years. Root-knot (Heterodera radicicola (Greef) Mill.) attacks tomatoes in greenhouses and is in some cases an important factor in southern field culture. It is caused by a parasitic eel worm or nematode, of minute size, which penetrates the roots and induces the for- mation of numerous -irregular swellings or galls, in which are bred great numbers of young worms. The effect on the plant is to check growth and diminish fruitfulness, in advanced cases even resulting in death. The remedy in greenhouse culture is thorough soil sterilization. In the open field this is impracticable and recourse must be had to a rotation with immune crops, which will starve out the root-knot. It must now be borne in mind that the root-knot worm can attack cotton, cowpea, okra, melons and a very large number of other plants. The only common crops safe to use in such a rotation in the South are corn, oats, velvet TOMATO DISEASES 147 beans, beggar weed, peanuts, and the Iron cowpea. The use of other varieties of cowpea than the Iron is particularly to be avoided, on account of the danger of stocking the land with root-knot. Fortunately, the disease is serious only in sandy or light soils. Rosette (Corticium vagum (B. & C.) var. solani Burt.) is a disease of minor importance, which occurs in Ohio, Michigan, and scatteringly in other states. The fungus causing it (Rhisoctonia) attacks the roots and base of the stem, forming dark cankers. The ef- fect on the plant is to dwarf and curl the leaves and to restrict productiveness. The potato suffers more severely from the same trouble. Rotation of crops and liberal application of lime to the soil are advised for the control of rosette in tomatoes. INDEX ] Adaptations of varieties as to habit . . ' . . . . as to foliage PAGE 97 97 too 102 1 118 118 119 110 25 26 26 26 26 20 20 20 ">\ I Diseases 'AGE 131 142 135 134 134 132 141 133 144 132 135 134 135 133 138 139 146 145 134 131 136 143 137 136 139 68 68 70 69 31 28 , 76 28 ,43 30 30 28 Bacterial wilt Blight, early Blight, leaf Blight, Western .... Cracking of fruit .... Botany Canning, cost of on the farm . Essentials for successful . Catalog descriptions incomplete Characteristics of blossom . Characteristics of fruit Development from original form Effect of conditions on Quality Characteristics of plant Checking of growth, effect upon Natural environment Uniform growth, importance of Edema Leaf curl Leaf mold Mildew, downey .... Phytoptosis Root knot Sclerotium wilt .... Yellows Diseases, remedies for Characteristics of root Characteristics of stem and 23 24 4 5 10 4 7 53 18 121 117 55 76 76 77 77 Preventatives of .... Spraying, importance of Sulphur spraying .... Distances for setting plants in field Classification Cherry Cultivated varieties Pear Cold-frames, construction Commercial importance of crop Cost of crop, per acre as grown for canners Covers for plant beds Cultivation Care and thoroughness neces- sary in home garden .... Drainage, importance of . . Essentials for best development Cultivation 32 Effect of shade .... Food supply .... 31, Heat in home garden Sunlight . I48 INDEX 149 PACK 38 39 40 40 43 43 44 45 44 45 45 57 91 22 92 14 51 70 49 123 125 12S 123 124 127 128 126 130 38 41 55 37 51 46 10 14 PACK 25 118 1 > > for early crop for greenhouse . for home garden . Fertilizers Prices obtained at canneries for hothouse fruit . for select field grown fruit . Profits on crop 122 122 48 49 !, 49 53 51 49 80 90 95 49 52 53 112 113 115 115 116 116 114 113 113 112 70 , 71 70 74 74 71 73 24 41 , 46 47 47 Amounts Character Experiments with . for general application . . for greenhouse .... for home garden .... Flats, construction .... Gathering fruit Propagation of plants . from seed 4f in cold-frames . in hotbeds . . . in temporary greenhouses Ripening on the vines Ripening after frost Sash, cost Habit Handling fruit Hotbeds, construction Hotbeds, growing fruit in . House, construction .... Insects injurious to tomatoes . Blister beetle Colorado potato beetle Cut worm . for hotbeds . for cold-frames .... Seed breeding Essentials to success . Growing and saving commer- cial seed Methods followed . . . Prices received Yields obtained . . . Importance of breeding from individual plants . . . Importance of exact ideals . Methods recommended Principles underlying Setting plants Conditions favorable and un- favorable .... 70 in field Flea-beetle Stalk-borer ....... Tomato fruit worm Tomato worm White fly ... Location of field as determining profit Manure for cold-frames .... for greenhouse soil for hotbeds in greenhouse in home garden .... New Jersey method Other methods Soil Composition, importance of . \ Conditions essential Preparation 41 in preparing ground Origin Origin of name Pollenating 77 for home garden I •AGE I 'AGE Soil Preparation Training 79 for main crop .... 46 for greenhouse .... 88 Importance of .... 46 for home garden .... 85 Selection 33 Types 14 for early crop .... •*6 for greenhouse .... 37 Value, development of ... 16 for home garden 36 Variations for main crop .... 34 in foliage ...... 100 Previous crop .... 41 in fruit 102 Sorting 92 Coloring 106 Staking 79 Flesh 105 59 Ripening . . . . v . 106 Effect of shade .... 29 Shape 102 for early fruit .... 6T in habit 97 for forcing 67 Varietal -differences for home garden .... 67 100 for late crop 65 102 in flats ....... •><> 97 59 108 Pricking out 60 Sources 109 Right conditions .... 62 Varying application 110 Spotting boards .... Unfavorable conditions 61 63 Watering, danger in . . 30 ,60 Watering .*.... 60 Yielding capacity 22 With least labor .... 66 Yield per acre . . . 117, 121 Succession, practice in the Yield per foot of greenhouse 42 122 ll 1 RECEIVED 0 9 1995 ]U,§ KfcC'DLD-UI.^.. EMS LIBRARY AUG151996 L!i7Lii7 ^HIBRAHY-Or, ^tUNIVEBJ/^ ii "fr/HHAINQ-fltf .IBRARYflr ir^% ^TTp^ l/i c= J5 I Hfl <=