EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 507 



Field Notes for the Season. 



The accompanying field notes upon the varities of tomatoes 

 which follow in the order of the above scheme of classification 

 are kindly provided by ]\Ir. Shaw who had charge of the tests at 

 the gardens. 



No garden plant has appeared in so many variable forms in 

 so few years of cultivation as the common garden tomato. Cer- 

 tain types date back to the wild state of the plant, and distinct 

 fomis have appeared from time to time in cultivation. These 

 have varied so greatly under the influence of changing environ- 

 ment and natural and artificial inter-crossing that the varieties 

 now under cultivation present much confusion. 



There are three distinct types of plants to be found among the 

 common garden varieties, the usual type or "standard" tomatoes, 

 the "potato-leaved" and the "dwarf" sorts. These three groups, 

 together with a fourth, containing certain "small" varieties of 

 minor account, furnish the basis of the preliminary classification 

 here presented. Each of these four divisions presents varieties 

 bearing fruits of three distinct coirs, red, purple and yellow, 

 with the exception of the the "potato-leaved" group, in which, 

 so far as the writer's knowledge goes, there is no yellow variety. 

 The red-fruited "standard" varieties are sub-divided upon the 

 size of the fruit into "small," "medium" and "large." The 

 "small" sorts are again divided according to season. The "early" 

 sorts include "Advance" (3) and "Bright and Early" (14). 

 Somewhat later in season are "Combination" (22, 23), "Free- 

 dom" (54), "Frogmo.re" (55), "Stirling Castle" (120) and 

 "Wonder" (141). All these, while smooth, vigorous growing 

 and prolific, are very small. 



The "medium-sized" varieties are divided into "early," 

 "medium early," "medium" and "late" sorts. The "early" sorts 

 are again divided into "smooth," "rough and round" and "rough 

 and flat." The "smooth" sorts are "Arcadia" (4, 5), "E^rliana" 

 (33-37) ^"d "Earliest" (40). The "Earliana" is a distinct 

 variety, introduced by Johnson and Stokes in 1900. With us 

 it was scarcely as early as some, but no other early tomato 

 exceeded it in the production of marketable fruits. It is a leader 

 among the early tomatoes. Seed from five sources were planted. 

 No differences could be detected, except that No. ^y, from Pro- 

 fessor Rolfs, of Florida, was later and more vigorous. "Arcndia" 

 could not be distinguished from "Earliana." "Earliest" (40) 

 was productive, but the fruit was not so uniformly smooth as 

 the "Earliana." 



