244 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



standard kind throughout the New England and Middle States. 

 However excellent in every other respect a tomato may be, a 

 purple color is death to its prospect for general market purposes. 

 The Tilden does best with me on low, rich land, where it grows 

 to a large size, fills out well, and its color is of a peculiarly 

 brilliant scarlet. Like the Lester, it appears to be more popular 

 in private gardens than in the public market. The Trophy is 

 the largest of all the round kinds. On my grounds, grown on 

 a large scale, it proves to be as a whole, very symmetrical and 

 remarkably solid for so large a variety. I consider it a tomato 

 of great promise, and know of no other variety that I would 

 sooner recommend for family use or for market purposes. It 

 will not yield in number equal to many other sorts, but then 

 the magnificent size makes all amends. I had a number of 

 clusters this season that had nearly a peck in each. 



The yellow and white varieties are closely allied ; the white 

 being of a light straw color, and each of these has a sweet flavor 

 peculiar to them. It is somewhat singular that this fact is true 

 of several kinds of berries, among which white varieties are 

 exceptional. White strawberries are sweeter than the red sorts ; 

 the same is true of white raspberries, currants, blackberries 

 and I think I may add the white varieties of grapes. 



As food for stock, tomatoes should be of a value analogous to 

 apples, as they are closely allied, the acid of each being malic. 

 Cows will eat them ravenously, consuming nearly a bushel of 

 green ones at a meal. I have not seen much increase in the 

 flavor of milk when tomatoes are fed green, and have never fed 

 them ripe. As tomatoes will yield over a thousand bushels to 

 the acre, and are already on the ground, requiring no shaking 

 off, this comparative value is held worthy of a test by experi- 

 menters. The large yellow sorts would probably be the best 

 kinds to grow. 



Tomato vinegar is largely manufactured in New Jersey, by a 

 patented process, but into which, it may be very safely assumed, 

 sweetening in some form enters. It is said to be very profit- 

 able. 



Some hue and cry has been lately raised about the tendency 

 of the use of the tomato to produce cancerous diseases. I 

 have as yet seen the name of no reputable physician connected 

 with this theory, and as the acid of this fruit is identical with 



