328 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ OctobM 30, 1873. 



Would it not be as well if the Palace authorities were to see 

 to it? "KoU and butter," or "cold meat," is very nice at 

 times, but after being up all night and travelling, the advan- 

 tage of getting a hot breakfast is appreciated by at least one, 

 and I believe all of us very weak mortals.— W. Fakeen, Home 

 House, Huntingdon Eoad, Camhrhlije, 



A FEW SORTS OF TOMATOES.— No. 2. 



Keye's Eaelt Pkolific. — As its name implies, this variety is 

 a few days earlier than the old Bed Tomato, and it is cer- 

 tainly as prohlic as that variety, but its fruit is, on the whole, 

 fully two sizes smaller, and in most instances so deeply ribbed 

 as to be nearly cut iu two. The skiu is rather thick, therefore 

 there is not much pulp for the size of the fruit. I submit 

 that for out-door culture it is not even second-rate, but for 

 pot-culture it may be desirable ; even then I do not consider 

 it equal to the Oraugefield. 



General Gkaxt. — A strong grower but not a prolific variety. 

 Its fruit is produced on short racemes of not more than seven 

 frnit in each, but generally five, and attains about the size of 

 a Golden Pippin Apple. It is round and handsome, being 

 without ribs, and ripens to a very high colour. It is about 

 a week later than the Common Red, but it keeps a long time 

 after having been gathered. I do not find any other particular 

 merit attached to it. It would require a much greater space 

 to grow a given quantity of fruit than any sort I have yet 

 named. 



Hathaway's Excelsiob. — This is also a strong grower and 

 very prolific. The fruit is large, heavy, and handsome, being 

 nearly as round as a cricket-ball, not a rib upon it, and ripen- 

 ing well up to the stem. The skin is thin, smooth, and shining, 

 and the flesh moderately firm. It is a most excellent sort for 

 slicing-up in Tomato salads. It is a somewhat new variety, 

 and I purchased it on the recommendation of a friend that it 

 was one of the best Tomatoes for general cultivation ; in 

 that opinion I entu'ely agree. Since that time the Royal 

 Horticultural Society have had it on trial at Chiswick, and 

 awarded it a first-class certificate. 



Peae-shaped. — This sort with me was but a moderate 

 grower, and a number of the fruit, instead of coming in the 

 shape of a Pear, were very similar to that of General Grant, 

 only not so large, but when ripe and true to shape they are 

 very ornamental, though small and only moderately numerous. 

 The uncertainty of this variety in character, and its small 

 fruit, prevent its being generally grown. I do not think I 

 shaU try it any more. 



Red Cuekant. — This is an exceedingly handsome and orna- 

 mental variety, producing its scarlet-coloured fruit iu racemes 

 of from 8 to 20 inches in length. The fruit is about the 

 size and shape of that of Solanum Capsicastrum. Many of 

 the racemes bring to perfection as many as from thirty to 

 forty fruit on each, and they are very freely produced, so much 

 so as to make a properly cultivated plant appear literally 

 covered with fruit. The foliage is smaU and the wood both 

 slender and short-jointed, biit the plant grows freely, is al- 

 together the most attractive variety I have seen, and a most 

 useful one for garnishing dishes of fish, etc. It will grow and 

 thrive as well in the open border, trained to stakes or trellis- 

 work, as it does against a wall, but the fruit does not ripen 

 so early. To those who like such subjects for greenhouse 

 decoration here is a plant which far exceeds iu decorative 

 qualities Chilies, Capsicums, &c. 



Red Cheeky. — This is called Red Currant by some, but my 

 variety is in no way like the preceding. The habit of gi'owth is 

 coarser, and it is a very shy bearer. The fruit is produced iu 

 semi-racemes of from five to ten fruits each. It is about as 

 large as a Cherry and ripens to a very high colour. I do not 

 consider it worth much, and shall not grow it again. 



De Lave. — I have tried this three years both under a wall 

 and iu the open border, and in neither position has it proved 

 worth growing. The season must be hot and sunny to ripen 

 the fruit perfectly, but when grown in pots under glass it turns 

 out well, and from its self-supporting habit it is a very suit- 

 able variety for that purpose. 



Tellow Cheeey. — This corresponds in every way to the 

 Red Cherry Tomato, except that its fruit is yellow and a little 

 larger. I consider it is only worth growing for the sake of 

 variety. 



Yellow Ball. — This is also yellow-fruited. Its hajjit of 

 growth is vigorous, though it is not a prolific sort. Its fruit 

 is as round as a ball and attains nearly the size of General 



Grant. If this could be improved in size it would prove to 

 be the best of the Yellows, but as it is I am not prepared to 

 say much iu its favour, and should still prefer to grow the 



Old Laege Yellow. — In habit of growth, productiveness, 

 and shape of fruit it appears exactly like the Common Red, 

 though its colour is yellow and its fruit is second iu size to 

 that variety ; it ripens about the same time. I consider it is 

 the best of the yellows, and to those who like the colour it 

 may be worth growing, but in my experience I could never 

 find that the yellow Tomatoes are appreciated ; I always hear 

 that the colour is objected to when they are served-up. 



The Common or Large Bed. — This sort I need not take the 

 trouble to describe. All know it, and if their experience ia 

 like mine it is yet too good to be discarded, for if quantity and 

 quaUty of fruit be wanted we must still grow it. I took an 

 average of four plants of each sort of Tomato I grew, and 

 intended to weigh the produce of fruit from beginning to 

 end, but that week of wet rough weather in September brought 

 on the disease so severely that quantities of fruit were spoiled 

 and my intentions frustrated ; however, as far as I did go, 

 the Common Bed bore off the palm for weight. Charter Oak 

 Prize was next, then Hathaway's Excelsior, and Keye's Early 

 Prolific was fourth. If we were to take the weight of equal 

 measures of fruit, doubtless Hathaway's Excelsior would far 

 exceed the others, because it is a weighty soUd fruit which 

 would pack closely in the basket. I think it would be profit- 

 able if any person who has grown other sorts of Tomatoes 

 than those which I have named would state the result of his 

 experience. — Thomas Record. 



THE POTATO DISEASE IN 1873. 



JouRNEYiNGS iu England, Scotland, and Ireland during this 

 past summer gave me many opportunities of noticing to what 

 extent the Potato crops had suffered from disease in several 

 localities. 



In West Cornwall we had, as usual, signs of its presence 

 among the early sorts iu May, a leaf or two being blotched, 

 and small patches being more or less affected ; but in the 

 beginning of June matters looked worse, and the haulm was 

 in mauy places blighted extensively. Now, the general rule 

 has been that low-lying partially-shaded spots suffered first 

 and most severely ; but not so this year, for iu mauy instances 

 these had escaped, while the sunny south side of the hill was 

 devastated. But still, the disease did not reach the tubers 

 in anything like the proportion iu which it might have been 

 looked for. Digging, of course, went on rapidly, for when 

 disease attacks our early crops, though not ripe, they are very 

 nearly fit to be taken up for the early supply, and fully an 

 average crop was commonly sold, and at good prices. 



The latter jiart of June I spent in and around London, and 

 certainly most promising was, at that time, the appearance of 

 the Potato crop. The same remark applies to Ireland in the 

 beginning of July, and to Scotland during the latter part of 

 that mouth. In August, however, long-continued rain and 

 consequent low temperature began then- work, and in Perth- 

 shire, around Dunkeld particularly, there were manifest un- 

 mistakeable symptoms that disease was at work. Going south- 

 wards appearances improved, but in September I found the 

 Essex fields that had looked so well in Juno sadly bhghted, 

 audi he like through the south and south-western districts 

 some were worse, some were better, but very few, appai'ently, 

 were altogether unscathed. 



Iu West Cornwall, where I again found myself in the middle 

 of September, there was scarce a vestige of haulm left, so 

 thoroughly had the malady there done its work. I had my- 

 self planted an experimental piece with various late sorts, 

 American as well as English. Of those which turned out best, 

 as regards their power of resisting disease, there were Sutton's 

 Bed-skin Flourball and Skerry Blues. The first of these, 

 however, turned out worthless in quality, and they have con- 

 sequently been given to the pigs, but the latter gave a fair 

 crop, and were excellent. The Early Rose, Goodrich, and 

 another somewhat similar American variety, suffered, I think, 

 even more than the Flukes, Victorias, and other common 

 English varieties. The Red-sldnFlourballs have, indeed, always 

 beUed their name, so far as I can learn, in this district, and I 

 should be glad to hear that they have justified it elsewhere. 

 They certainly, however, do make a better fight against the 

 disease than any other variety that I have ever grown, even 

 putting out fresh leaves after the first have been destroyed. 



Much questioning was there also iu all these various locali- 



