GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT 25 



loose and open. A young branch is easily broken and 

 when this is done it shows scarcely any fibrous struc- 

 ture — simply a mass of coarse ceiiular matter which 

 while capable, when young, of transmitting nutritive 

 matter rapidly, soon becomes clogged and inert. This 

 structure not only makes the active life of the leaves 

 short, like that of the roots, but necessitates a fresh 

 growth in order to continue the fruitfulness of the 

 plant and renders the leaves very susceptible to injury 

 from bacterial and fungous diseases. The rapid 

 growth also necessitates an abundance of sunHght. 



Characteristics of the blossom, — The inflorescence 

 of the tomato is usually abundant and it is rare that 

 a plant does not produce sufficient blooms for a full 

 crop. The flowers are perfect as far as parts are 

 concerned (Fig. 2) and in bright, sunny weather 

 there is an abundance of pollen, but sunlight and 

 warmth are essential to its maturing into a condition 

 in which it can easily reach the stigma. The structure 

 and development of the flower are such that while 

 occasionally, particularly in healthy plants out of doors, 

 the stigma becomes receptive and takes the pollen as 

 it is pushed out through the stamen tube by the elon- 

 gating style, it is more often pushed beyond them be- 

 fore the pollen matures, so that the pollen has to reach 

 the stigma through some other means. Usually this 

 is accomplished by the wind, either directly or through 

 the motion of the plants. 



Under glass it is generally necessary to assist the 

 fertilization either directly by application or by mo- 

 tion of the plant, this latter only being effective in 

 the middle of a bright sunny day. In the open ground 



