Selection 



383 



selection following a cross between two varieties of tomatoes. 

 The ordinary commercial varieties do not produce well with 

 the advance of the summer season of Texas, but a local variety 

 (Cherry) maintains both its size and its productivity during the 



TABLE 24 



Fruit Weight and Yield per Plant in Selections from a Cross between 



THE Large-Fruited Tomato, Bonny Best, and the Small-Fruited, 



Heat-Resistant Tomato, Cherry, at Winter Haven, Texas 



(From Yarnell and Hawthorn in Proceedings of the American Society for 



Horticultural Science.) 



summer season. Unfortunately, however, although it is very 

 prolific, its fruit is so small as to be of little commercial value. 

 A good commercial variety. Bonny Best, was crossed with 

 Cherry. A selection from this cross. Large Cherry, produced an 

 abundance of fruit during the summer, and it was then back- 

 crossed to Bonny Best. Selection was carried out from this 

 backcross for several generations. Some of the selected strains 

 combined the summer productivity of the Cherry tomato with 

 fruit that was considerably larger (Table 24). That they had 

 commercial value was well indicated by the fact that they had 



