EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 303 



PEACH-SALAD TOMATO. 



Perhaps the most attractive tomafo plants in the whole area was 

 a Ijloek of tweinty-five with fruits like ripe, highly colored peaches. 

 In 1905 the "'Giant" was bred upon the "Globe" (56/194), chiefly 

 to improve the interior of the) fruit of the latter. In 1906 the "Mag- 

 nerosa" (227), selected long and pink, was bred tO' the above cross, 

 also pink and selected for length, thus giving thq record formula 

 of 227//5 6/194. Among the plants in the next year was one that 

 showed much length and also the "peach" character of skin, and 

 altogether made a veiy attractive fruit. 



During 1908 a large numl>er of plants were grown from seed 

 worked within the "peach" plant, and they were all with the same 

 characters as the parent, and differed chiefly in the size of the 

 fruits. The plants having the most desirable fruits were bred to- 

 gether, and the present year five rows of five plants each were 

 grown, three of which were from seeds that had been secured by 

 breeding separately within the plant in each case in the green- 

 house during the previous winter. 



All of the plants showed more than average vigor and prolific- 

 ness, and while there was some variation in size and shape and 

 degree of "peachness" of the^ skin of the fruit, the block was easily 

 recognized — surrounded as it was by various crosses upon all sides. 



The fruitsi were quite lightj almost white, before they devel- 

 oped the rich fine tints of the true peach, and considerably longer 

 than the commercial varieties of the "Peach" tomato grown else- 

 where for comparison. 



Only a properly executed colored plate would do justice to the 

 surface of the fruit of this cross, but the attractiveness does not 

 stop with the skin, for of all the many blends in the field, none suf- 

 fered as did this from continuous picking for immediate use; in 

 other words, the fine pink flesh had a flavor quite its own that 

 easily won it friends. 



If the time had come when tomatoes are eaten out of hand like 

 grapes it is reasonable to conclude that this sorti would be one of 

 the most attractive for such a purpose. Possibly it is too large, 

 but there is but little fear in reducing the size of fruits, and with 

 the stems of the cluster made glandlessi by breeding, this tomato 

 would fill a place now little dreamed of. At no distant day the 



