Club history

[image of tomatoes]

Club History

Edith Reynolds Guilford College. N.C.

My Tomato Club work for the Summer 1915.

I joined the Canning Club to learn how to raise and can vegetables.

My garden is on level ground. It is 33 ft. wide and 132 ft. long. The soil is Sand clay. I selected this ground because I thought it would be good for tomatoes. It had Crimson clover on it last season. I had a ton of manure put on my tenth acre and had it plowed and harrowed. I used Roysters Grain Guano fertilizer 9-1-3. It was applied when the rows were run off. My hot bed was 3 by 6 ft. and 3 ft. deep. I packed it full of manure then I siftef the dirt before I ut it in the hot bed. I had Canvas over my hot-bed. I had to wait several days before I could sow my seed on account of the temperature. I sowed them in rows 1/2 in deep 3 inches apart in the row, the rows being 4 inches apart. I took tin cans and punched holes in the bottom and filled them full of rich dirt when the plants were 3 or 4 inches high I took them up with as much dirt as I could and set them in the cans. When the plants were nearly ready to bloom I set them in the field. I hoed my plants several times and had them plowed twice. The Cut worms cut down

several of my plants. I would go out every morning and look over my patch if any of my plants were cut down I would hunt for the worm and kill it if I could find it.

When I graded my tomatoes I would put all of the light ones in one can and all of the dark ones in another can.

I had one row of Stringless green pod beans and one row of Butter beans on my tenth acre.

I did my canning with a canner. I put water in the canner then I built the fire. I washed the cans and put them in the water and let them stay till the water boiled. I washed my tomatoes and then I blanshed [blanched] them by dipping them in boiling water for one minute then I took them out and peeled them. When I got them peeled I packed them in the cans and put one teaspoonfull of salt and two teaspoonfulls of sugar on the tomatoes and sealed the cans then I put them in the canner and let them exhaust for three minutes. After they exhausted I tipped them and let them boil for 25 minutes.

The Club label has four H's on it which stand for the development of the Head, Heart, Hand and Health.

We have learned to sew, played games, Sung songs

and had watermellon and grapes to eat and lemonade and grape juice to drink at our Club meetings, Besides the good times I have had with the girls in my Club I went to Greensboro one day and helped canvas part of the town to get orders for our goods with ten other girls of Giulford [Guilford] County Clubs. At noon we met in the office of our County Agent with two of the local Agents and had a picnic dinner. I got 327 lbs. of fruit off my tenth acre and 65 lbs. of this was used at home. I sold 29 doz. fresh tomatoes. I canned only thirteen quarts of tomatoes in tin. My work, Rent of land, manure, Fertilizer and plants cost $9.08. I received $6.90 from the sale of fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes used at home and the tomatoes I canned leaving me $2.17 in debt. I feel that I am well paid for my summers work though I am in debt and I think I will join the Club next year and do better.