Of course, if young trees do not make satisfactory
growth, they may be stimulated either with some kind of a fertilizer or
with a freer use of water, and it is generally the latter that they are
chiefly in need of.
Wood Ashes and Tomatoes.
Is there any harm to vegetable growing to dig sufficient of wood ashes
in for mellowing heavy soil? My tomato plants grew splendidly this year,
but the fruits were all rough and wrinkled. I gave them plenty of horse
and poultry manure at planting and plenty of wood ashes and falling
leaves of cypress later.
Wood ashes do not mellow a heavy soil. The effect of the potash is to
overcome the granular structure and increase compactness. Coal ashes,
because they are coarser in particles and devoid of potash, do promote
mellowness, and are valuable mechanically on a heavy soil although they
do not contain appreciable amounts of plant food. You are overfeeding
your tomato plants, probably. The chances are that you had poor seed.
There is no best tomato, because you ought to grow early and late kinds:
there is also some difference in the behavior of varieties in different
places.
Was It the Potash or the Water?
Last year the lye from the prune dipper was turned on the ground near
two almond trees which seemed to be dying, and to my surprise they have
taken a new lease of life. Hence my conclusion that potash was good for
our soil.
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