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 72 .DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 



Tomafo Rot. — This disease, ■which works such sad havoc in the toinatc» 

 patch, has not yet been thoroughly studied by plant pathologists. It first 

 appears as a slight spotty discoloration about the apex of the tomato, grad- 

 ually extending and becoming darker until the whole top of the fruit sinks 

 in. The disease attacks the fruits at any time after they are a third or 

 quarter grown. It threatens to become a serious obstacle to tomato growing. 

 It is commonly supposed that in such dry years as the present rots are not 

 prevalent. Tomato rot is, of course, of fungous origin. The miscoscope 

 reveals abundance of bacteria and the mycelium of some higher fungus, a& 

 well as occasional isolated septate spores. Professor Arthur* has made 

 numerous inoculations from cultures of the bacteria but has not produced 

 the rot. Hence he concludes that some higher fungus produces the disease; 

 As yet we know of no remedy or preventive. The first preventive which 

 suggests itself is to plant varieties which are least liable to attack. E. S. 

 Goff f is of the opinion that the fruits on the most vigorous plants are most 

 liable. Such has not been our observation. We occasionally observe plants 

 in no way distinguishable from others, which are nearly exempt, while all the- 

 contiguous plants are much affected. As there is no reason to suppose that 

 the disease is conveyed in the seeds, it would seem that its appearance is 

 accidental. It is singular that the angular varieties (see Synopsis), the 

 cherry and pear-shaped varieties and those immediately derived from them, 

 have been almost exempt from attack. The disease ceased to do much- 

 damage late in the season. 



Abundant use of stable manure appears to augment the disease. The- 

 worst cases of rot this year occurred upon plants grown upon a freshly turned 

 sod which had been previously dressed with manure, on sandy land. Our 

 market and experimental patches were grown upon land which had not been 

 cropped with tomatoes for years, if, indeed, it had ever beeu so cropped, yet 

 the rot was as bad as upon a row of plants grown purposely upon the site of 

 our last year's experimental plat and where the rot was very abundant. Thi* 

 agrees with a similar experiment conducted by Professor Arthur. J 



Productiveness. — One representative plant of each variety was selected for 

 particular observation. The fruits were picked and weighed as fast as they 

 matured. September 24, when the plants had been killed by frost, all the 

 remaining fruit, ripe and green, was picked, counted, and weighed, and the 

 plant itself was then weighed. The Synoptical Table records these results, as^ 

 well as the aggregate number and weight of fruits, the average weight of 

 a single fruit, and the ratio of weight of crop to weight of plant. Although 

 these results show the characteristics of individual plants rather than of 

 varieties, they are nevertheless interesting and valuable. A careful study of 

 the table will afford much instruction upon productiveness, earliness, etc. 

 The most prolific variety — the one which shows the greatest ratio of fruit 

 to weight of plant — is not always the most profitable, even when earlinesa 

 and quality are not to be considered ; that is, the plant itself must not be 

 too large, else the cost of training it will be too great. The lowest plant 

 is usually the most profitable. 



Some of the best ratios of productiveness — of weight of fruit to weight of 

 plants — occur in the Cherry and similar tomatoes which are entirely unprofit- 

 able on account of the small size of the individual fruits. It appears, there- 



*Rep. N. Y. Exp. Sta., iii., 379. 

 + Rep. K. Y. Exp. Sta., iv., 183. 

 * Rep. N. Y. Exp. Sta., iv., 250. 



