1930 tomato results, Conservancy District Project

              TTEi,Y I.N$GCO COLI.ECE OF AGnICULTIIRE AIfD };ECHANIC ARTS
AllD AGilCIILTURAI, H(PERIIIEII? STATION
Press Bulletin 621
1930 TOii..TO NXSUI,TS, COJISENVAIiCY DISTRICT PROJECT
^ . Il-ly"3II ry30r- one acre of good Loar:ry so1I nas plowed, disked, and harrowed.
0n April-5r this Land was furor,'aed with a l0-incir Ilster. The furrows were ? feet
apart and were used for planting and irrigating the tomatoes. The seed was planted,
on one side of these f\mows in tr-i-I1s 3 feet apo,rt. 0n April 8, three rovrs were ir- rigated before pIa1ting, in order to have the ground ready for planting the seed on Aprir 12. Ttie seed was yrlantecl tn these rows is folroinrs:
336 hi1ls of John Baer, covered with hotkaps lP ll rl rt rr not covered 84 rr tr I'{arglobe, covercd vrith hotkaps
, & rr fr lr not cwered
0n April 18 thc rcst of the furrows in thc acre wcre irrigatedrlln ord"r to in- sure genninabion of the seed, lrhich was planted April 22, as fo}Iol'rsl
168 hills of EarU-ana .
16g :,, tt fr Early King L67 ft rr Early Jewel 171 It tr D,ilarf Stonc 169 tr tt Jchn Baer 676 tr rr ihrglobc
None of these vfas covered with hotkaos. The gcrrnination of both the ec,rly and late plantings was vcry gooci, except in tlie case oi the John Baer urat *ur.u noi co.r- ered with hotkaps and the Drnrf Stone.
The ficld rcccived 10 irrigations aftcr plantingr as follo',nrs: Apri1 26i Mey 14;
{une 2, 10, and ?5i JuIy 5i and {ueust 1, g, Z)-, ena-29. Hear4y reins fcl} July 13 and l/ar enougfi to suffice for an irrlg;ation.- Anobhir lirihicr rain'fcll July 23.
The hoeings, which conslsted.of cutting thc w"eds along thc rorirs and in bctween tlrc plantsr were $-ven on April 26; liay 25i-June ]7; end Aulust.-8; the cultivatj-ons
were given wlth a one-horsc cultivator or small plorv on r{""1/-31, Juno lf , ad July l_ and 9. At each cultivation tirc.dirt was ridged up io tire ltants, so trri.t uy J"fjr g
uhen the last cttltivation was givcnrthe rows of tonatocs r.rerc in-the nid.dle of a wid.e rldge and thc irrigation furrow, instead of being nexb to the row of plants, was ogt
aboub 3 feet f*! the rcmr. By ttris mcthod of cul-tivating, a ridgc is'thronn up tcryards the pI.r.nt, so tl-u'Lt wlren the tonatoes are ripening-tf,u viies ere middle of a faitly lying i_n the high and wide ri-dge. In'this voay tne-irrigation rvater ciocs not
corne j-n contact with the circw:r of the planb, nor wiifr tne vin6s producing the toma- tocs. It has thc furthcr edventage that the plants do not heve tc be turned over
when the tcrmatoes. are bcing piciceo, therebJ' causing the grecn ftuit to be zunburned.
A number of hills tiiat were_Trgsing were replanted dn lfay 26. sone tr;;sp:-enting
was also done on Junc 25. It will be seen from table 1 that ihe plants producld un_ der hotkaps camc into heavy production earlier in the seasonr ror tnat
"ua.on
ing should be pl.rlt- done as early as possiblc. Thc John Baer started tc, rlpen in cariy August. ?he first tomtoe;s werc picked on August 6 from plants vrhich were started under hotkaps. -?1" f;i1st t'egular -pi9king, hc,rlevcr, was not rnade until Augqst 1g. Frorn Tsble 2 j.t will bc seen that the-largest yield per acro of marketajole fruit
. kyaasp sl,r 3tdhrec gEdr :rbl"y" the l{arg}obe vltren hotkaps werE used. 0f those nit started und.cr hgt- Jewel procluced the largist yield por acrc. It e,lsc produccd the high- est percentege of narkctebla fnrit.