4-21 



apt to suffer unless sheltered from strong winds. They also require 

 shelter from both sun and wind when newly planted, and this object may 

 be obtained by sticking a few bushes round them. 



PROPAGATION. 



It is a great advantage to get fruit early in the season, and this object 

 may be effected by sowing seed in a hot-bed a few weeks before it can be 

 placed in the open ground Young plants raised in this way should, as 

 soon as they are fit to handle, be potted off singly into small pots and 

 kept growing steadily till the proper time arrives for planting them out. 

 By adopting this plan fruit can be obtained several weeks earlier than by 

 sowing in the open ground. In sowing the seeds should be covered about 

 half-an-inch deep. When raised from seed sown in the open ground the 

 young plants should be thinned out as soon as they can be handled, as 

 when left too long they are apt to become drawn and weakly. As a rule, 

 however, it will be advisable to raise the plants in beds arid transplant 

 afterwards. 



Though Tomatos are usually raised from seeds, yet they may, if 

 necessary, be readily propagated by cuttings, which strike freely in sand 

 or light soil if placed in a frame or under a hand glass. Plants raised 

 from cuttings are generally more prolific than seedlings and come into 

 bearing sooner. They are, however, usually less vigorous, and the fruit, 

 as a rule, smaller. Seed will retain its vitality for two, and sometimes 

 three, years, but it cannot be depended upon after the second season. 



SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 



There are a very large number of varieties in cultivation, and they 

 represent several species, but the majority have originated from Lycoper- 

 nieon esculent-urn. They differ materially in shape, colour, and other 

 essentials, there being varieties with red, yellow and white fruits. The 

 red-fruited varieties are the most numerous and more generally cultivated, 

 while the white kinds are the least popular. Besides the one already 

 named, two other species contribute mainly in supplying the cultivated 

 varieties. Lycoper&icon carasiforme, a Peruvian species, is the source of 

 the Cherry and Red Currant Tomatos ; the Pear and Plum Tomatos have 

 originated from Lycopersicon pyriforme. The varieties are now, so 

 numerous and intermixed that no useful purpose will be served by giving 

 a list of names, but growers will find ample selections in seedsmen's 

 catalogues. 



Several species of Solanum yield useful edible fruits that may be 

 classed as Tomatos, and are, therefore, worthy of attention as cultivated 

 plants. The principal of these are : Solanum ^Ethiopicum, an annual 

 plant indigenous to tropical Africa. It bears large red globular fruit, 

 which is largely used in its native regions. Solanum edule, a species 

 indigenous to Guinea, yields yellow edible fruit as large as small Apples. 

 Solanum Gilo, a species from tropical America, bears large round orange- 

 coloured fruit, which is used to some extent in its native regions. 



