Cultural Directions. 259 



ENEMIES, MARKETING, ETC. The potato stalk-borer some- 

 times attacks the tomato vines, and the green tomato-worm the 

 foliage. Both enemies, when appearing, should be hunted up 

 and destroyed. Tomato rot and blight appears very destructive 

 in some localities, and the proper precautions, of which " wide " 

 rotation is safest, must be taken. The far- 

 mer and market gardener can hardly afford 

 to stake or train his thousands of plants; 

 neither is this of any special benefit. It is 

 different in the home garden, where a few 

 plants, nicely trained, can easily be made an 

 interesting and attractive feature of the 

 vegetable patch. A simple way of training 

 the plants is by single stake. Set the stake 

 at time of sotting the plant, and keep the Strawber ~ T oma to. 

 latter tied up from the very beginning. 



In packing for distant market, be sure to send only nice, smooth 

 specimens, and sort out all the rough and otherwise faulty ones. 



VARIETIES. 



Our list now includes a large amount of most excellent sorts, 

 and if I were restricted to a single one, I would hardly know which 

 to choose. Leaving a few early dwarfish sorts out of considera- 

 tion, there is but little difference between all our really good 

 varieties so far as earliness and productiveness are concerned. 

 They vary greatly in color, size, shape, solidity, as well as habit 

 of growth, and character of foliage. 



Dwarf Champion. One of the best for the home garden 

 and for early market. Fruit of purplish color, fair size, solid, 

 smooth and uniform. Vine of remarkably stiff and compact 

 growth; foliage heavy, of dark bluish-green. Earlier than other 

 standard sorts, but fruit holds out well to the end of the season, 

 and specimens seem to grow larger as the season advances. Can 

 be planted as close as 3 feet each way, and if staked when first 

 set out, will be apt to remain in an upright position right 

 through. 



Earliest Advance, 



Early King, 



Atlantic Prize. These three sorts somewhat resemble each 

 other, in so far as they are of dwarfish but spreading growth, 

 lacking in vigor and productiveness, but will bring the bulk of 

 fruit to maturity much earlier than the other varieties that have 

 value for market. Fruit only of medium size and not exces- 

 sively solid. Should be given high culture. 



Matchless. This new tomato is certainly matchless in 

 form, regularity of growth, and desirable shipping qualities. 



