2o8 NEW JERSEY STATE AGRICULTURAL 

 Experiments with Tomatoes. 



Twenty-three hundred tomato plants were grown at the Home 

 Grounds, occupying Series III, IV and V, with the exception of 

 the space required by the corn blocks and the "Seeding Camp." 

 Sixty old varieties and fourteen novelties were grown, four to 

 eight plants in each, for purposes of study and further work in 

 crossing. The remaining plants consisted of one hundred and 

 ninety-eight crosses, the majority of which were compound and 

 included twenty-two combinations in the blend stage. 



Weather conditions at the time of transplanting (May 15th) 

 were very favorable so that the young plants received no check 

 but the severe drought of mid-summer diminished their growth 

 and, even though irrigation was resorted to, the foliage of many 

 plants curled and the yield of fruits, which cracked badly, was 

 lessened. 



A test was made of tying the plants to stakes, fence pickets 

 four feet in length being used. A portion of the tomato plots is 

 shown in Plate VII as they appeared in late autumn after the 

 tops of the plants had been permitted to grow without pruning 

 for two weeks, the tops hanging out in all directions from the 

 stakes to which the main stems were secured by stout twine. 

 This method is much superior to the low metal holders and the 

 keeping of the fruits from the ground makes it easy to study 

 them in full view in all stages of their growth as they hang upon 

 the plant. 



INCREASING THE LENGTH OF FRUIT. 



For three years, special effort has been made through cross- 

 fertilization, inbreeding and selection to increase the length of 

 the fruit, with the aim of securing a type which has been termed 

 the "goose-egg." It is desired as well to improve the interior, so 

 that the internal structure shall be many-celled, fleshy, solid and 

 comparatively seedless. 



The "pear" and "plum" varieties, being of the desired form 

 and length, have been crossed with large-fruited sorts in many 

 instances but they greatly reduce the size of fruit and number of 

 seed cavities. A majority of the compound crosses grown this 

 season, made with the idea of securing a longer fruit, represented 

 plants from seed of hand-worked and choice selected fruits. 

 These crosses have been divided into two groups, namely, ( i ) 

 promising and (2) less promising. 



