1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



45 



Favorite, etc.) from among a mixed lot of select- 

 ed well-grown specimens of all of these. 



In a general way we are bound to say that the 

 improvement of Tomatoes during the last 

 twenty years has been something wonderful, 

 indeed. Any one variety of those already 

 mentioned, though it may not be considered so 

 very remarkable at the present time, and per- 

 haps left room for doubt whether it be worthy 

 of introduction, would have created a sensation 

 fifteen years 

 ago, and 

 brought a 

 fortune to a 

 shrewd orig- 

 inator or in- 

 troducer. 



Of a very 

 few varieties 

 we had but 

 three plants 

 each, the 

 great majori- 

 ty, however, 

 were repre- 

 sented in our 

 patch by six 

 to eighteen 

 plants each, 

 and of all 

 these sorts we 

 have seen 

 enough to 

 give us a pret- 

 ty good idea 

 of their true 

 standing and 

 merit. The 

 most impor- 

 tant differ- 

 ence between 

 our modern 

 Tomatoes and 

 the sorts of a 

 generatioii 

 ago may be 

 found in the 

 number and 

 size of the 

 seed ca\ities. 

 These origi- 

 nally wen 

 but three "i 

 four in num- 

 ber, but the.v 

 were large. 

 In our newer 

 sorts the solid 

 flesh has been 

 made to ram- 

 ify through 

 these large 

 cartties, thus 

 dividing them 

 and making 

 them larger 

 in number 

 but much 

 smaller in 

 size, so that 

 we now have 

 Tomatoes of 

 much greater 

 solidity. Often 

 the number 

 and shape of 

 the cavities 

 are the best 

 d i s t i ngulsh- 

 ing feature of 

 the variety. 

 Our illustra- 

 tion repre- 

 sents four good new Tomatoes, showing both 

 outside and inside characteristics. 



In flgs. 1 and 2 we have the Stone (or Nichol's 

 Stonei, so-called on account of its remarkable 

 solidity. It has the general appearance, both in 

 plant and fruit, of the various varieties pre- 

 viously named, and it seems to be equal, though 

 hardly superior to the best of them, a good sort 

 in every respect, and one that may be counted 

 as thoroughly reliable. 



Table Queen is shown in figs. 3 and 4. This is 

 a new and quite distinct variety, with medium- 

 sized foliage. Fruit rather large, quite flat, of 

 purple color, remarkable for its weight and 

 solidity. The plants bear abundantly all through 

 the season. It is another sort of merit one that 

 we certainly shall plant again. 



Mamfield's Tree Tomato is represented by flgs. 

 5 and 6, and also quite distinct. Ruby Queen, 

 and Annie Dine, all introfluced last spring, re- 

 semble it closely in every respect, and the three 

 are either identical, or from the same origin. It 

 is by no means a " Tree " Tomato, and no more 

 upright in growth, naturally, than any of our 

 ordinary sorts ; but it is by all odds the thriftiest 

 grower we have yet seen, and if grown in very 

 rich soil, trimmed to single stalks and tied to an 



Four New Tmnatoes : 1 and 2 NichoVs Stone ; S and 4 Table Queen ; 5 and 6 Mansfield's Tree; 7 and 8 Matchless. 

 Sketched from Life on the Popular Gardening Grounds. Reduced m Size. 



eight foot pole, may reach the top long before 

 the end of the season. It not only gives fruit of 

 largest size, but also in greatest abundance. 

 Few varieties, indeed, will be found to even 

 approach it in productiveness. The cross section 

 (fig. 6) shows the seed cavities to be very small, 

 and indeed we think no other varieties have yet 

 equalled this in solidity. The green fruit usually 

 has dark stripes radiating from the apex like the 

 spokes of a wheel, which, by the way, is also a 

 characteristic of Table Queen. Many of the 

 specimens are quite smooth and regular, but 

 further improvement in this respect may be 

 needed. The color, a kind of purple, is not of 

 the best. On the whole, we consider this a real 

 novelty, and one of considerable merit besides. 

 Matchlefg is shown at 7 and 8. We have grown 



this sort for a number of years now, and it has 

 never failed to please us. It is one of the very 

 best for main crop, both for the market garden, 

 and for fleld culture as a canning Tomato. The 

 plant is quite bushy; fruit of good size, smooth 

 and regular, very solid, rich, and of beautiful 

 bright red color. 



Ignotum does not materially differ from the 

 preceeding, and is hardly less meritorious. 

 Lorillard gives us handsome fruit, and we can 



see no reason 

 why it should 

 not be good 

 for market, or 

 for general 

 purposes;good 

 for forcing. 



Red Cross 

 proved to be 

 especially 

 regular and 

 handsome, as 

 also did Red 

 Apple, both in 

 color, and uni 

 form smooth- 

 ness. Still we 

 cannot grow 

 every variety 

 of the many 

 that have 

 good points, 

 and the poa* 

 sessor of the 

 Matchless or 

 Ignotum can 

 well get along 

 without Red 

 Cross or Red 

 Apple as well 

 as without the 

 whole list of 

 similar kinds, 

 among them 

 Mc C u 1 1 o m's 

 Hybrid, Bran- 

 dywine No. 45 

 Baystate, Vol- 

 unteer, etc. 



The Chemin 

 Tomato is an. 

 other true 

 novelty, but 

 we are not yet 

 convinced of 

 its great 

 value. The 

 fruit grows in 

 clusters of six 

 tn eight speci- 

 mens, gradu- 

 ated in size 

 from large to 

 medium, but 

 their "inside 

 c h a r a cteris- 

 tics " do not 

 please us. 

 There are 

 only four seed 

 cavities, and 

 these are" 

 large, render- 

 ing the Toma- 

 to rather soft 

 —perhaps too 

 much so for 

 market. 

 Among sorts 

 with purple 

 fruit we have 

 not found 

 anything su- 

 perior to Potato Leaf for market, and to 

 Dwarf Champion for home garden. The latter 

 will give some very early fruit, and for this 

 reason might find a place in the market garden 

 also, but the bulk of the crop ripens gradually, 

 a few at a time, all during the season. Both 

 varities are now too well known to need much 

 description. 



Turner's Hybrid ( Miltado ) is not yet all that 

 might be desired in respect to uniformity and 

 smoothness, but if further improved by selection 

 in this repect, will be one of the best, of the 

 purple ones, as it is large in both plant and fruit. 

 The Station Tomato is of no practical value tor 

 us. Its upright growth is interesting; but the 

 plant is too dwarf, to produce a crop of fruit 

 worth mentioning. 



