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, lycopersicum, 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, recumbent stem, and dense foliage. The flowers are yellow, in branching groups, or clusters; 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 pricked 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 space or a larger pot at each removal; by which process, the plants are rendered more sturdy 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."