1913 girl's club, tomato club booklet by Lizzie Norris

[image of tomato]

Lizzie Norris Holly Springs N. Carolina

The great purpose of the girls' canning club is to teach girls how to can all kinds of fruits and vegetables in the best possible way, and to create an interest among girls for the love of such work. The great recent educational demonstration work began in the South, when the tomato canning clubs were organized. And we are very glad to know that these tomato clubs are a south demonstration. A desire to know all about this kind of work and a realization fo the great step in the educational world undertaken by these clubs led me to enroll as a member.

The tomato is one of the few garden vegetables of American origin holding high rank as a comercial crop which has come into general cultivation within the last century. And because of the tropical origin of the tomato it requires a long season for its growth and development. It is therefore necessary to resort to methods which lengthen the growing season especially in northern states. The seed may be

sown early in the hot-beds or green houses when the plants are about two inches in height they whould be transplanted in a cold frame until they are four or five inches high. They should then be carefully taken up with a little of [illegible] to prevent breaking the roots; the dirt slightly shaken off and set into the garden which has been thoroughly prepared for them. The plants grow very rapidly, and are soon in full bloom. It is very interesting to watch the little tomatoes form from blooms, and grow until they develop this full size. When they are grown they begin to ripen and are soon ready for use.

The soil best suited for the cultivation of tomatoes is one which contains a comparatively high percentage of sand. In this region a sandy loam soil is preferred to bottom land. An area with a gentle slope to the south is considered more desirable than that with other exposure.

Just a word about the seed beds. They are prepared on the south side of a wall or something which will shield them from north wind. The place for bed should be dug out about six inches and then filled in with rich stable manure. This should then be covered about two or three inches deep with some of the soil, and seed sown in small trenches about one and one-half inches apart. They should be well watered and cared for.

I used two large two-horse wagon loads of stable manure on my garden. I have always found this kind best to keep vines from drying up and tomatoes from decaying.

The young plands, do much better if transplanted from the hot-bed to the cold frame before putting out in the open.

When they are set in garden they should be placed four feet apart each way. The ground should be well stirred around plants by plowing at first while plants are small, but after they get larger the hoe should be used, for with the plough there is a danger of upsetting the roots