— 117 — 

 II. VARIETIES. 



The tomato is one of the most variable and inconstant of kitchen 

 garden plants. As a rule, varieties differ but slightly from their 

 allies, and a considerable plantation and a critical eye are needed 

 to determine many of even the common sorts. It is certainly true 

 that at least half of the varieties which have been offered in the 

 last few years are practically the same as other varieties. 



Varieties of tomatoes are as a rule short lived. Ten years may 

 be considered the average profitable life of a variety, and many 

 sorts break up and disappear in two or three years. This incon- 

 stancy of type is largely due, no doubt, to the haste with which 

 new sorts are put upon the market. A variety should be selected 

 and carefully handled for some time before it is offered to the 

 public. 



Almost any of the old sorts afford instances of the running out 

 of varieties. The Tilden tomato, once popular, appears to be ex- 

 tinct. Only two seedsman in the country advertised the variety 

 last spring, and neither one, as shown by our tests, had the Til- 

 den of fifteen years ago. One of the samples gave us a small 

 round tomato, late in ripening, and much resembling small sorts 

 of the Red Apple kind. The other gave us a somewhat larger an- 

 gular tomato. In 1887 the writer made an effort to secure the Til- 

 den, but only inferior fruits were obtained. The record of that 

 test is as follows : ' ' This variety, once so popular, appears to h.ave 

 run out. As grown this year, the fruits are very small, irregular 

 and worthless. Last year [1886] the fruits were somewhat larger, 

 though smaller than Hathaway. When first introduced, now 

 many years ago, it was a large tomato." * Mr. W. W. Tracy of 

 Detroit, an expert in the seed trade, informs me that he has tried 

 in vain for two or three years to secure true stock of the Tilden. 

 The Trophy shows the same tendency to become inferior, and it is 

 difficult to procure a good stock of it. In the test of 1887 this fact 

 was noticed. "The Trophy is evidently not so good as formerly. 

 Our crop this 3'ear, from seeds of last year's crop, showed a much 

 greater per cent, of poor fruits than the crop of 1886." f Paragon 

 begins to show the same weakness. 



* Bailey, Bull. 31, Mich. Agr: Coll. 22. 

 flbid. 21. 



