CHAPTER XV 



Adaptation of Varieties 



Whatever may be their botanical origin, the modern 

 varieties of cultivated tomatoes vary greatly in many 

 respects, and while these differences are always of 

 importance their relative importance differs with con- 

 ditions. When the great desideratum is the largest 

 possible yield of salable fruit at the least expenditure 

 of labor, the qualities of the vine may be the most 

 important ones to be considered, while in private gar- 

 dens and for a critical home market and where closer 

 attention and better cultivation can be given, tliey 

 may be of far less importance than qualities of fruit. 



Habits of growth. — Whether it be standard or 

 dwarf, compact or spreading, is sometimes of great im- 

 portance as fitting the sorts for certain soils and meth- 

 ods of culture. On heavy, moist, rich land, where 

 staking and pruning are essential to the production 

 of fruit of the best quality, it is of importance that 

 we use sorts whose habits of growth fit them for it ; 

 while on warm, sandy, well-drained land, staking and 

 pruning may be of little value, and a different habit of 

 growth more desirable. We have sorts in which the 

 vine is relatively strong growing with few branches, 

 upright, with long nodes and small fruit clusters well 

 scattered over the vine. They are usually very pro- 

 ductive through a long season but generally late in 

 maturing. Stocks of this type are sometimes sold, 



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