302 Fmits and Fruit- 7^rees. 



of these last seems to stand the variety called " Laxton's 

 Open-air Tomato." That the nearer the fruit of a 

 plant is to the ground, the more may be expected of it 

 in point of size and excellence, was remarked in Chapter 

 VI. in connection with pears and gooseberries; and in 

 " Laxton's Open-air " we have another proof of this very 

 intelligible fact. Another capital sort is that one called 

 "Chiswick Red," very vigorous, immensely productive, 

 and requiring less heat than many of the varieties which, 

 although producing larger fruit, have the disadvantage of 

 being tender. A very pretty variety is that one named 

 pyriforme, the " grape " or " fig " tomato, the fruit only 

 an inch or so in diameter, thus well adapted for pickling, 

 or for eating fresh, since it is not only when stewed or 

 baked, in sauce or in soup, that the tomato is so valuable 

 an article of food ; it is excellent also as a sort of salad- 

 substitute, and with sugar. The freedom with which the 

 tomato grows under glass makes the culture so simple 

 that any spare corner will do for it, let it only have plenty 

 of light, and be carefully and regularly watered. It is a 

 curious fact that the quicker and better the tomato is 

 grown, the fewer will be the seeds discoverable in the 

 pulp. That it has yet to become popular is no doubt 

 true; many people, especially the poor, scarcely know 

 what it is ; once made plentiful, every child would soon 

 learn to relish a fruit so wholesome. " Love-apple" (one 

 of the ancient appellations of the renowned mandrake) 

 is said to be the French pomme tf amour, this being, in 

 turn, a mistaken representative of the Italian pomi del 



