— Ii8 — 



The demand in tomatoes now calls for fruits which are regular 

 in shape, solid, large, and plants which are productive. The old 

 angular sorts are rapidly disappearing in commercial practice. 

 There has l>een no gain in earliness, for the species, for many years 

 if at all, and little, if any, need be expected. The cherry and 

 plum sorts, with a few of the angular- fruited and wrinkled-leaved 

 varieties, are still our earliest sorts. Yet comparative earliness be- 

 tween commercial varieties is ah important consideration. There is 

 also no gain in capability to resist rot : the cherry, plum, and angu- 

 lar sorts are still most exempt, the cherry and plum varieties en- 

 tirely so. The scale of points for a perfect tomato will probably 

 run about as follows : 



Vigor of plant, 5 



Earliness, lo 



Color of fruit, 5 



Solidity of fruit, 20 



Shape of fruit, 20 



Size of fruit, 10 



Flavor 5 



Cooking qualities, 5 



Productiveness, 20 



100 

 To measure varieties of tomatoes by a scale of points is an ex- 

 ceedingly difficult matter, however, from the fact that it is almost 

 impossible to measure solidity, cooking qualities, and, to a less de- 

 gree, flavor. Solidity is perhaps the most important point in mar- 

 ket varieties, yet it cannot be definitely expressed either in figures 

 or words. An attempt was made to find a measure for it, and at 

 the same time to make a comparison in this respect of a few lead- 

 ing varfeties. For this test, five representative fruits of a variety 

 were selected, weighed, and then placed in a graduated beaker 

 filled with water. The displacement which occurred, that is, the 

 amount of water which flowed over the beaker when the tomato 

 was inserted, gave an accurate measure of the volume of the fruit. 

 By dividing the volume by the weight, a ratio is constructed. The 

 following table is a record of such tests, and the third column of 

 figures affords a means of comparison : 



