45O VEGETABLE GARDENING 



tubers are in storage, the black-rot (Sphaeronema fim 

 briatum) is the most destructive. This fungus attacks 

 the young plants as well as the roots and tubers. Rota- 

 tion and the planting of healthy tubers are the most 

 important means of control. Bulletin 76 of the New Jer- 

 sey Experiment Station gives complete descriptions, with 

 illustrations of the most important diseases. 



THYME (Thymus vulgaris) 



641. Culture. Thyme (Figure 105) is a popular herb 

 used for seasoning. It may be propagated by means of 

 seeds, root divisions and layers. The plants should 

 stand about 6 inches apart in the row, the distance be- 

 tween rows depending upon the method of cultivation. 

 It thrives in any good soil. The leaves are picked and 

 sold at once or dried and preserved for winter sales. 



TOMATO (Lycopersicum esculentum) 



642. History. The tomato is native to South Amer- 

 ica. It was grown by the aborigines. There is abundant 

 evidence that the varieties first cultivated in European 

 countries originated in America. Although students 

 generally agree as to the place of origin of cultivated 

 forms, there is no definite record or history concerning 

 them. Deductions from the studies of Sturtevant lead to 

 the conclusion that large, smooth specimens were grown 

 at least 200 years ago. Tracy ("Tomato Culture," p. 15) 

 states : "In the transactions of the London Horticultural 

 Society for 1820, John Wilmot is reported to have culti- 

 vated under glass in 1818 some 600 plants, and gathered 

 from his entire plantings under glass and in borders some 

 130 bushels of ripe fruit. It is stated that the growth 

 that year exceeded the demand, and that the fruit ob- 

 tained was of extraordinary size, some exceeding 12 

 inches in circumference and weighing 12 ounces each." 



