Tomatoes. 353 



ripened, graded, and packed in a proper manner are scarcely 

 distinguishable from those grown in glasshouses. Appearance 

 has a considerable money value, good-looking packages invari- 

 ably realizing the highest prices, and the production of hand- 

 some fruit, followed by grading and smart packing should be 

 the object of every grower. 



The ideal points of an open-air Tomato are (1) Hardy con- 

 stitution; (2) robust short-jointed growth; (3) earliness; (4) 

 prolific bearing ; (5) good-shaped, smooth, medium-sized fruit; 

 (5) bright scarlet colour. After numerous experiments the 

 writer has found none which have all these characteristics in 

 perfection, those most nearly approaching the ideal being 



Carter's Sunrise and Holmes' Supreme, 



whilst amongst other varieties which have given satisfacion the 

 following are especially worthy of notice 



Lord Roberts, Princess of Wales, 



Up-to-Date, Hillside Comet, 



Sutton's Satisfaction, Lawrenson's No. 3, 



Early Ruby. 



But whilst any of the varieties in this selection will, under 

 fair conditions, render a good account of themselves, Sunrise 

 and Supreme have outstanding merit. If choice had to be 

 made between the two, it would be unhesitatingly given in 

 favour of Sunrise. This variety answers 

 to the description of the ideal open-air 

 Tomato given above except on one 

 point the fruit is apt to come rather 

 small unless the plants are plentifully 

 supplied with food and moisture. With 

 good culture and rich soil the fruit is 

 perfect in every particular. The ac- 

 companying illustration is of a typical 

 bunch grown in the open-air in the cold 

 summer of 1910. Every fruit on the _ Typical Bunch of 



Tj t Carter s Sunrise Tomato, 



bunch was evenly ripe. It was not . 



, - .^ . ^, ' Weight, 2lbs. Ijoz. 



selected for its size (there were hundreds 



larger), nor for any other special features, but simply that it 

 was fairly representative of the whole crop. On the following 

 page is an illustration of Sunrise growing against a fence, 



23 



