toin of holding our annual fair two years in succession in the 

 same place. 



0\'cr thirt\' ycaiis ago I sold the first tomatoes ever brought 

 into the market of my native town. At that time we knew of 

 hut one a arietj' — the hirgc red ; a year or two after, some of 

 tlic purple sorts began to "creep in. For several years past I 

 have raised for seed purposes upwards of twenty varieties of 

 this popidar vegetable. Amidst so many varieties the new be- 

 j^Iriner stands confounded, asking, "What shall I plant?" 

 Let us first examine into the characteristics of some of these 

 varieties, and then, having these before us, we shall be pre- 

 pared for a discussion of their -merits. The old classification 

 was into Lai-gc Red and Round Red ; Large Red meaning 

 a large sized tomato of an irregular shape, and Round Red 

 any flat-round or spherical sort. Grouping together such of 

 the varieties now before the public as admit of being thus 

 classified, under Lai-ge Red, Alger, Chihuahua ; and under 

 Round Red, Wonder, General Grant, Chart(,>rOak, Mammoth 

 Cluster, Essex Early, Crimson Cluster, Orangefield, Powel's 

 Early, Trophy, A^'alcncia Cluster, Boston Market, Tilden, New 

 ]\Iexican, DeLayc, Rising Sun, Lester's Perfected, or Fegee, 

 and New White Apple, Grape, Cherry, and Plum. Some of 

 these grow a little irregular, but for the most part arc round in 

 shape. Subdividing into splierical and fiat-round, I should 

 I)ut into the first class ^Mammoth Cluster, Cliarter Oak, Or- 

 angefield, Essex Early, Xew Mexican, Xew White Apple, 

 Gr;ipe, Cherry, and Plum. Let me here note, that probably 

 owing to a growth inten-upted by drouth, the second setting of 

 the fruit- of a roimd variety may be irregular in shape. Into 

 the second class go the remamder, with the limitation that Til- 

 <lcn's Tomato, DeLayc, Cook's Favorite, Maupay, Keyes, 

 Trophy, and Rising Sun hold nearly an intermediate position. 

 Early York, Philadelphia Early, Hubbard, and Dwarf Scotch, 

 Avould be classed withLarge Red, except for their size. The Fig- 

 Tomatoes, yellow and red, make a class by themselves. Sup- 

 pose a beginner was asked which of the sort he should plant 



