The Field and Garden Vegetables of America Part 115

[Ill.u.s.tration: Connecticut Seed-leaf.]

Leaves oblong, regularly tapering, stemless and clasping, eighteen inches to two feet long, and from nine to twelve inches in diameter.

When fully developed, the stem of the plant is erect and strong, five feet high, and separates near the top into numerous, somewhat open, spreading branches; the flowers are large, tubular, rose-colored, and quite showy and ornamental; the capsules are ovoid, or somewhat conical, and, if well grown, nearly half an inch in their greatest diameter; the seeds, which are produced in great abundance, are quite small, of a brownish color, and retain their germinative properties four years.

This species is extensively cultivated throughout the Middle and Southern States, and also in the milder portions of New England. In the State of Connecticut, and on the banks of the Connecticut River in Ma.s.sachusetts, it is a staple product; and in some towns the value of the crop exceeds that of Indian Corn, and even that of all the cereals combined.

GUATEMALA TOBACCO.

A variety with white flowers. In other respects, similar to the foregoing.

Numerous other sorts occur, many of which are local, and differ princ.i.p.ally, if not solely, in the size or form of the leaves. One of the most prominent of these is the Broad-leaved, which is considered not only earlier and more productive, but the best for manufacturing.

_Propagation._--It is propagated by seeds sown annually. Select a warm, rich locality in the garden; spade it thoroughly over; pulverize the surface well; and the last of April, or beginning of May, sow the seeds thinly, broadcast; cover with a little fresh mould, and press it well upon them either by the hoe or back of the spade. As they are exceedingly minute, much care is requisite in sowing, especially that they should not be too deeply covered. When the plants appear, keep them clear of weeds, and thin them out sufficiently to allow a free growth. A bed of seedlings nine or ten feet square will be sufficient for an acre of land. If preferred, the plants may be raised in drills eight inches apart, slightly covering the seeds, and pressing the earth firmly over them, as above directed. When the seedlings are four or five inches high, they are ready for transplanting.

_Soil and Cultivation._--Tobacco requires a warm, rich soil, not too dry or wet; and, though it will succeed well on recently turned sward or clover-turf, it gives a greater yield on land that has been cultivated the year previous, as it is less liable to be infested by worms, which sometimes destroy the plants in the early stages of their growth. The land should be twice ploughed in the spring; first as soon as the frost will permit, and again just previous to setting. Pulverize the surface thoroughly by repeated harrowing and rolling, and it will be ready to receive the young plants. The time for transplanting is from the 1st to the 20th of June; taking advantage of a damp day, or setting them immediately after a rain. If the ground is not moist at the time of transplanting, it will be necessary to water the plants as they are set.

"The ground should be marked in straight rows three feet apart, and slight hills made on these marks two feet and a half apart; then set the plants, taking care to press the earth firmly around the roots. As soon as they are well established, and have commenced growing, run a cultivator or horse-hoe between the rows, and follow with the hand-hoe; resetting where the plants are missing. The crop should be hoed at least three times, at proper intervals; taking care to stir the soil all over.

"When the plants begin to flower, the flower-stem should be broken or cut off; removing also the suckers, if any appear; leaving from twelve to sixteen leaves to be matured."

_Harvesting and Curing._--In ordinary seasons, the crop will be ready for harvesting about the beginning of September; and should all be secured by the 20th of the month, or before the occurrence of frost. The stalks must be cut at the surface of the ground, and exposed long enough to the sun to wilt them sufficiently to prevent breaking in handling.

They should then be suspended in a dry, airy shed or building, on poles, in such a manner as to keep each plant entirely separate from the others, to prevent mouldiness, and to facilitate the drying by permitting a free circulation of the air. Thirty or forty plants may be allowed to each twelve feet of pole. The poles may be laid across the beams, about sixteen inches apart.

"When erected for the purpose, the sheds are built of sufficient height to hang three or four tiers; the beams being about four feet apart, up and down. In this way, a building forty feet by twenty-two will cure an acre and a half of Tobacco. The drying-shed should be provided with several doors on either side, for the free admission of air."

When the stalk is well dried (which is about the last of November or beginning of December), select a damp day, remove the plants from the poles, strip off the leaves from the stalk, and form them into small bunches, or hanks, by tying the leaves of two or three plants together, winding a leaf about them near the ends of the stems; then pack down while still damp, lapping the tips of the hanks, or bunches, on each other, about a third of their length, forming a stack with the buts, or ends, of the leaf-stems outward; cover the top of the stack, but leave the ends or outside of the ma.s.s exposed to the air. In cold weather, or by mid-winter, it will be ready for market; for which it is generally packed in damp weather, in boxes containing from two to four hundred pounds.

A fair average yield per acre is from fourteen to eighteen hundred pounds.

_To save Seed._--"Allow a few of the best plants to stand without removing the flowering-shoots. In July and August, they will have a fine appearance; and, if the season be favorable, each plant will produce as much seed as will sow a quarter of an acre by the drill system, or stock half a dozen acres by transplanting." A single capsule, or seed-pod, contains about a thousand seeds.

GREEN TOBACCO.

Turkish Tobacco. Nicotiana rustica.

Leaves oval, from seven to ten inches long, and six or seven inches broad, produced on long petioles. Compared with the preceding species, they are much smaller, deeper colored, more glossy, thicker, and more succulent. When fully grown, the plant is of a pyramidal form, and about three feet in height. The flowers are numerous, greenish-yellow, tubular, and nearly entire on the borders; the seed-vessels are ovoid, more depressed at the top than those of the Connecticut Seed-leaf, and much more prolific; seeds small, brownish.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Green Tobacco.]

The Green Tobacco is early, and remarkably hardy, but not generally considered worthy of cultivation in localities where the Connecticut Seed-leaf can be successfully grown. It is well adapted to the northern parts of New England and the Canadas; where it will almost invariably yield an abundance of foliage, and perfect its seeds.

"It is very generally cultivated, almost to the exclusion of the other species, in the north of Germany, Russia, and Sweden, where almost every cottager grows his own Tobacco for smoking. It also seems to be the princ.i.p.al sort grown in Ireland."

There are several varieties, among which may be mentioned the Oronoco and the Negro-head, both of which have the hardiness and productiveness common to the species, but are not considered remarkably well flavored.

The plants should be started in spring, and transplanted as directed for the Connecticut Seed-leaf; but, on account of its smaller size and habit, two feet, or even twenty inches, between the plants, will be all the s.p.a.ce required.

TOMATO.

Love-apple. Solanum lycopersic.u.m.

The Tomato is a native of South America. It is a half-hardy annual, and is said to have been introduced into England as early as 1596. For a long period, it was very little used; and the peculiar, specific term, _lycopersic.u.m_, derived from _lykos_, "wolf," and _persicon_, "a peach"

(referring to the beautiful but deceptive appearance of the fruit), more than intimates the kind of estimation in which it was held.

It first began to be generally used in Italy, subsequently in France, and finally in England. In this country, its cultivation and use may be said to have increased fourfold within the last twenty years; and it is now so universally relished, that it is furnished to the table, in one form or another, through every season of the year. To a majority of tastes, its flavor is not at first particularly agreeable; but, by those accustomed to its use, it is esteemed one of the best, as it is also reputed to be one of the most healthful, of all garden vegetables.

When fully grown, the Tomato-plant is from four to seven feet and upwards in height or length, with a branching, irregular, rec.u.mbent stem, and dense foliage. The flowers are yellow, in branching groups, or cl.u.s.ters; the fruit is red, white, or yellow, and exceedingly variable in size and form; the seeds are lens-shaped, yellowish-white, or pale-gray,--twenty-one thousand are contained in an ounce, and they retain their vitality five years.

_Propagation._--The Tomato is raised from seeds, which should be sown in a hot-bed in March, or in the open ground as soon as the frost will permit. As the plants, even in the most favorable seasons, seldom perfectly mature their full crop, they should be started as early and forwarded as rapidly as possible, whether by hot-bed or open-air culture. If the seeds are sown in a hot-bed, the drills should be made five inches apart, and half an inch deep. When the plants are two inches high, they should be removed to another part of the bed, and p.r.i.c.ked out four or five inches apart, or removed into small pots, allowing a single plant to a pot. They are sometimes twice transplanted, allowing more s.p.a.ce or a larger pot at each removal; by which process, the plants are rendered more st.u.r.dy and branching than they become by being but once transplanted.

As early in May as the weather is suitable, the plants may be set in the open ground where they are to remain, and should be three feet apart in each direction; or, if against a wall or trellis, three feet from plant to plant. Water freely at the time of transplanting, shelter from the sun for a few days or until they are well established, and cultivate in the usual form during summer.

If sown in the open ground, select a sheltered situation, pulverize the soil finely, and sow a few seeds in drills, as directed for the hot-bed.

This may be done in November (just before the closing-up of the ground), or the last of March, or first of April. In May, when the plants are three or four inches high, transplant to where they are to remain, as before directed.

In gardens where tomatoes have been cultivated, young plants often spring up abundantly from the seeds of the decayed fruit of the preceding season. These, if transplanted, will succeed as well, and frequently produce fruit as early, as plants from the hot-bed or nursery-bed.

Sufficient plants for the garden of a small family may be started with little trouble by sowing a few seeds in a garden-pan or large flower-pot, and placing it in a sunny window of the sitting-room or kitchen. If the seed is sown in this manner about the middle or 20th of March, the plants will be of good size for setting by the time the weather will be suitable for their removal.

_Forcing the Crop._--"The ripening of the fruit may be hastened by setting the plants against a south wall or close fence. As the plants increase in size, they must be nailed or otherwise attached to the wall or fence; and, if the weather be dry, liberally watered. When the two first trusses of bloom have expanded over each shoot, the shoot should be stopped by pinching off the portion which is beyond the leaf above the second truss, and no more lateral shoots should be suffered to grow; but the leaves must be carefully preserved, especially those near the trusses of bloom. The number of shoots on each plant will vary according to the strength and vigor of the particular plant; but three or four will be quite enough, leaving about half a dozen trusses of fruit.

"As the fruit ripens, it must be well exposed to the sun. There will be nothing gained by allowing a great many fruit to ripen. The number above given will be sufficient, and the tomatoes will be much earlier and larger than if they were more numerous."

_Culture and Training._--A convenient, simple, and economical support for the plants may be made from three narrow hoops,--one twelve, another fifteen, and the third eighteen or twenty inches in diameter,--and attaching them a foot from each other to three stakes about four feet in length; placing the lower hoop so that it may be about ten inches from the surface of the ground after the stakes are driven. The adjoining figure ill.u.s.trates this method of training. It secures abundance of light, free access of air, and, in skilful hands, may be made quite ornamental.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Hoop-training of the Tomato.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Trellis-training.]

Or a trellis may be cheaply formed by setting common stakes, four feet in length, four feet apart, on a line with the plants, and nailing laths, or narrow strips of deal, from stake to stake, nine inches apart on the stakes; afterwards attaching the plants by means of ba.s.s, or other soft, fibrous material, to the trellis, in the manner of grape-vines or other climbing plants. By either of these methods, the plants not only present a neater appearance, but the ripening of the fruit is facilitated, and the crop much more conveniently gathered when required for use.

The French mode of raising tomatoes is as follows: "As soon as a cl.u.s.ter of flowers is visible, they top the stem down to the cl.u.s.ter, so that the flowers terminate the stem. The effect is, that the sap is immediately impelled into the two buds next below the cl.u.s.ter, which soon push strongly, and produce another cl.u.s.ter of flowers each. When these are visible, the branch to which they belong is also topped down to their level; and this is done five times successively. By this means, the plants become stout, dwarf bushes, not above eighteen inches high.

In order to prevent their falling over, sticks or strings are stretched horizontally along the rows, so as to keep the plants erect. In addition to this, all laterals that have no flowers, and, after the fifth topping, all laterals whatsoever, are nipped off. In this way, the ripe sap is directed into the fruit, which acquires a beauty, size, and excellence unattainable by other means."--_Gard. Chron._

_Varieties._--These are quite numerous. Some are merely nominal, many are variable or quite obscure, and a few appear to be distinct, and, in a degree, permanent. The princ.i.p.al are as follow:--

APPLE-TOMATO.

Apple-shaped.

Fruit somewhat flattened, inclining to globular, depressed about the stem, but smooth and regular in its general outline. The size is quite variable; but, if well grown, the average diameter is about two inches and a half, and the depth two inches. Skin deep, rich crimson; flesh bright-pink, or rose-color,--the rind being thick and hard, and not readily reduced to a pulp when cooked.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Apple-tomato.]