230 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Prof. Tracy if he would attribute it to better method in the growing, or 

 would he consider that the selection of the seed would have anything to 

 do in producing a better tomato? 



Prof. Tracy: I have no hesitation at all in saying that the selection 

 of seed does make a material difference in the maturity, the quickness 

 of development; but I would also say this, that from the same plant I 

 would as soon have a seed from the last-ripening tomato as from the one 

 first ripened. We have observed in our trial cases a certain tendency. 

 For instance, here is a tomato plant which branches out in three or four 

 branches. When that fruit has five per cent, of crooked, irregular fruit, 

 most of it is upon one branch and most of the smooth fruit is upon another 

 branch. We have been selecting with more reference to saving seed 

 from that branch AA^hich produced the best fruit as a rule. But what 1 

 wanted to say was this : From the same plant, I would as soon have seed 

 from the last-ripening fruit as seed from the first-ripening fruit, and any 

 process of selection by which you secure seed from the best plant, and not 

 from the best fruit, will surely result in improvement in A'our general 

 stock. 



RELATION OF GLASS TO COMMERCIAL GARDENING. 



BY MR. SQUIRE JOHNSON OF ADRIAN. 



Having had a working experience in some of the departments of mar- 

 ket gardening, from my earliest manhood, I am far more at home in its 

 manual operations than its literature. All gardeners do not use glass in 

 the growing of vegetables, but nearly all vegetables require the aid of 

 glass if they are placed upon the market when the people want them, and 

 are willing to pay good prices for them. 



The starting of plants under glass, if properly done, will cause those 

 plants to mature from one to three weeks sooner than if the seeds were 

 sown in the open ground. To illustrate, we will compare two men who 

 are in the business, both calling themselves gardeners, and selling their 

 produce in the same market. Mr. A uses glass to start his plants, and in 

 some cases to mature his product. Mr. B has no glass, but grows about 

 the same varieties of vegetables, and is fully as well posted in the busi- 

 ness as Mr. A is, so far as knowing when to plant and how to tend the 

 crops. When the cold winter weather begins to give way to warmer, 

 spring-like weather, people in the city want spring vegetables. The 

 enterprising dealer has perhaps imported some lettuce, radishes, and 

 spring onions, and had them on sale through the fore part of the winter; 

 but the demand is usually light at that time, and the growing of them 

 for a small market usually results in a loss to the grower. Mr. A. has 

 these products about ready for market, and soon comes to town with a 

 load. He finds ready sale, and his home-grown products are much 

 fresher than the imported produce and takes preference over it. He is 

 plied with questions as to how he grows such things so early, it being 

 some time in February. People supposed that all green stuff was shipped 

 into their market from the south. He tells them that they are grown by 



