TOMATO  , Lycopersicum esculentum (Nat . Ord .

Solanaceae), a tender annual, native of South America, probably Peru . The fruit is much esteemed in salads and as a vegetable . Efforts have been made to popularize it for dessert, with varying success . Plants intended to fruit out of doors during the summer should be raised from seed sown at the end of February or early in March, under glass, in a temperature of about 6o° . Pots, pans or shallow boxes are suitable for the purpose . The compost should be light and fresh, preferably of loam, sand and leaf mould in equal proportions . As soon as the young plants appear they should be fully exposed to sunlight, as near the glass as practicable . When the second pair of leaves appear they should be potted singly in pots of about 3 in. diameter, using slightly richer compost and less sand . This operation should on no account be deferred . The next shift should be into pots 7–8 in. diameter, the compost mostly loam, enriched with the ashes of plants, &c., from the refuse heap .

The first

flowers will appear towards the end of April or early in May . The pollen should be gathered and applied to the stigmas of the flowers by hand . The plants should be fit for planting out early in June, and should bear at least two clusters of rapidly growing fruits . They should be planted in the sunniest and warmest position available . It is customary to confine the plants to one shoot, pinching off all lateral shoots as they appear . Owing to the fickleness of the English climate it is of the utmost importance that the setting of fruit should be secured early . Manure should be applied sparingly to tomatoes until the crops become heavy . Under glass, without artificial heat, tomatoes succeed well . In cold, sunless seasons, however, the crops are seldom remunerative . The culture is substantially as advised for out of doors . In heated structures tomatoes may be produced all the year round . They are always a small and precarious crop during winter, however .

During summer the crops are usually heavier and of better flavour, even in favourable seasons, than from out of doors . It is necessary to provide a

succession of plants to replace those that are being worn out by heavy cropping . Periodical sowings are therefore necessary . Some prefer to raise the plants intended for winter fruiting by cuttings inserted in August . Planting out is usually effected on shallow benches in small quantities of moderately rich soil, and the shoots trained on wires near the glass . As more nourishment is required, new soil is added . In this way excessive luxuriance, towhich the tomato is so addicted, is avoided . The plants should never be allowed to become dry—they are large consumers of water . The following varieties comprise some of the best in cultivation: Large Smooth Red Fruited.—The Hastings, Conference, Ham Green Favourite Perfection . Yellow Fruited.—Chiswick Peach, Golden Jubilee, Carter's Green-gage . Early Varieties for Outdoor Culture.-Chemin, Frogmore Selected .