i888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



47 



A. W. Livingston's Ways of Produc- 

 ing New Tomatoes. 



It no doubt would be of interest to our 

 readers to know by what means the geutle- 

 man, whose name is given in the heading, 

 goes about producing new Tomatoes, a work 

 in which he has met with such marked re- 

 sults. This he has recently told in the 

 Horticultiu-al Advertiser, and we are glad 

 to reproduce the article here; 



My plan is, selection and cultivation — not 

 such as is commonly known, by selecting 

 the finest specimens from stocks that pro- 

 duce both rough and smooth fruit. Fifteen 

 years of that kind of selection and trial 

 proved it to be an utter failure. I then turned 

 my attention to the process by which all my 

 varieties have been produced — that is by 

 selecting small, perfect Tomatoes without 

 a rough one on the vine, and cultivating 

 them up from a small to a large one, which 

 usually takes five years. Not every small 

 Tomato will cultivate up — only such as have 

 the right kind of seed. As yet I have not 

 given that part of my experience away, but 

 such is the fact, however. 



My commencement was in 18fil, with a 

 small red Tomato, all being perfectly 

 smooth, but small, with not a rough fruit on 

 the vine. In 186ti I sent out my product, and 

 named it Paragon; this was the first per- 

 fectly smooth Tomato ever introduced. It 

 was immediately named over by others, and 

 advertised extensively under false names. 

 I then sent out the Acme, which I adver- 

 tised extensively; no Tomato ever had 

 such a run. But it would not bear shipping 

 on account of its delicate skin, and as ship- 

 ping became a business, I got up I>iving- 

 ston's Perfection, and gave it to seven lead- 

 ing seedsmen to introduce. Its qualities 

 were the best for shipping purposes, as it 

 has a tough skin. 



My next was the Favorite, which is the 

 best for canning purposes, and is now used 

 more than any other variety for that pur- 

 pose. My next was Golden Queen, a fine 

 yellow variety, used for slicing: then came 

 the odd Potato-leaf Foliage, and the last, 

 Livingston's Beauty, a purple variety, much 

 larger and more productive than the Acme. 

 The above named seven varieties are my 

 sending out, and every other variety now 

 on the market bears a striking similarity to 

 mine. I have been frequently told that they 

 are the same, by the very men that use 

 them under an assumed name, and many 

 catalogues say they are crosses between 

 two of my varieties. Some hybridize them. 



In conclusion, I would be pleased to see 

 some other parties come out under their own 

 signature and let us know just how they 

 manufacture their new varieties. 



Eariy Tomatoes from Cuttings; 

 Forcing. 



ELMER E. SUMMEY, NIAGARA CO., N. T. 



As late in the season as may be possible, get 

 succulent young growth fit for cuttings, 

 from Tomato vines, where somewhat pro- 

 tected; as on the stem close to the ground, 

 taking the tips several inches long. Cut the 

 end square just below a leaf joint, and put 

 them in a cutting bed composed of sand, 

 and having bottom heat. 



Such cuttings will root easily, after which 

 put them into small pots or boxes, setting 

 them in a temperature of 4.5° to 50°, where 

 they will grow but slowly during the winter. 

 Do not attempt to hurry them until about 

 the first of March, when the soil may be 

 shaken from the roots and the plants, with 

 new rich soil, put back into the same pots, 

 and given .some more heat, about .5.5° to 60'. 

 From this time on, until they can be planted 

 out, have them grow without check, yet 

 not so rapidly as to prevent the formation 

 of good strong plants; which, when so 

 treated, will repay all extra trouble, In the 



earliness of the fruiting so induced, over 

 the earliest seed grown plants, even if the 

 seed is sown the last of February as many do. 



While those who make a business of 

 forcing Tomatoes, may have, by this time, 

 young plants either from seed or cuttings, 

 ready for the winter's work, yet where these 

 are lacking or only a few are wanted for 

 private use, the uninjured roots of old Tom- 

 ato plants will furnish very satisfactory 

 stock for a winter supply, if lifted and 

 planted inside, in as light a place as possi- 

 ble, in pots, or preferably, in beds of six 

 inches of very rich soil. Cut away all the 

 old growth except two or three of the best 

 young shoots, nearest the roots. When 

 these are a foot or so high, select the strong- 

 est and cut the others off to throw all the 

 strength into the one, from which, also, as it 

 grows, cut out all laterals except one on 

 each side, about every eight inches, thus 

 forming a flat vine that can very easily be 

 fastened to a trellis. 



This matter of properly pruning, so as to 

 keep the growth down to a point which will 

 just furnish the vine with sufficient foliage 

 and fruiting wood for good results, and yet, 

 not be in such excess as to prevent the for- 

 mation of fruit buds, is of the first impor- 

 tance. After the fruit is set, thin out where- 

 ever crowded, not allowing more than three 

 or four to each cluster; while the fruit is 

 developing, frequent doses of manure water 

 will be required. 



The trellis on which the vine should be 

 fastened, unless wire is used, need be only 

 a strong, three or four foot or longer, upright 

 stake, with horizontal strips nailed on at 

 distances to correspond with the laterals on 

 the plant. The main stalk and laterals are 

 secured to this trellis, and as fruit appears, 

 the clusters are also tied, otherwise their 

 weight would be likely to tear the plant. 



The air where Tomatoes are being forced 

 must be kept moist with frequent syringing, 

 to keep down red spider, and fumigating 

 with Tobacco will be required because of 

 the green fly. A temperature of from 65° to 

 75° is about what is required for the most 

 successful results, also, the use of warm 

 water, on the plants, is beneficial; during 

 the winter months over-watering must be 

 guarded against, as it would be fatal to any 

 sort of a Tomato crop. 



Fruit Growing at the Far North. 



E. W. MERRITT, AROOSTOOK CO., ME. 



Mulching Strawberries as far north as the 

 46th, parellel with anything except Spruce 

 or Fir boughs, which abound here, is posi- 

 tively injurious; if lain on properly they do 

 not press down the plants, while with straw 

 mulch, the three or four feet of snow, which 

 we always have here, crushes the plants so 

 that they are injured; but where the snow 

 fills in among the Spruce leaves they 

 come out clear and bright in the 

 spring. The boughs are put on quite 

 thickly to exclude the heat and light in early 

 spring, not removing them until after the 

 middle of May, when plants begin to grow 

 where the boughs admit any light. This 

 prevents thawing and freezing when we 

 have an early spring, which however is not 

 usually the case. 



An important advantage of this treatment 

 consists in the fact of its retarding the bloom 

 until after the late frosts, thus producing 

 late fruit, which is an advantage here. We 

 commenced to pick, last season, about July 

 5th, and continued nearly three weeks. As 

 probably wild Strawberries never grow 

 larger or more abundant than in this 

 county, especially as the farms are new; 

 these berries come into the market so plen- 

 tifully that we strive to keep back the culti- 

 vated fruit until the wild is gone. A profit- 

 able business for us is raising late Straw- 

 berries for the Boston market. We grow 



mostly Sharpless and Manchester, which do 

 not have an insect enemy, as is also the case 

 with the Raspberry and Blackberry. Mulch- 

 ing is not specially essential, as the snow 

 generally comes on in November and re- 

 mains until the middle or last of April, the 

 ground freezing but little, often not any. 



The Currant Wor.m and its Enemy. 

 We are well stocked with Currant worms, 

 but are in hopes to soon be rid of them, as 

 there has appeared a bug in the nursery, 

 somewhat larger than and resembling a 

 Raspberry bug. This bug approaches the 

 Currant worm, darts its proboscis into its 

 hea<l and soon sucks it dry, leaving only the 

 skin. This to me, new bug, has in some 

 adjoining localities kept the worm in check 

 the past season, no insecticides being used. 



On Some Insects and Insecticides. 



lExtr(U-tn from Bulletin No, 1, Division of Ento- 

 mology, U. S. Dept., of Agriculture.] 



Eaii Celeste for Rose Beetle. It is 

 reported by Col. A. W. Pearson, of New 

 Jersey, that Eau Celeste, a simple solution 

 of sulphate copper with ammonia, has 

 proven not only a remedy for Grape mildew, 

 but al.so ridded the vines of Rose beetles 

 which were so numerous as to threaten the 

 entire destruction of both fruit and foliage. 



Kerosene Emulsion for Cabbage 

 Worms. As soon as the butterfly (Picris 

 rapcc) appeared,! prepared for him. Not hav- 

 ing milk, in making the solution, I substi- 

 tuted common soap-suds, and at dusk show- 

 ered the enemies, (using one gallon of the 

 mixtivre to 13 gallons of water) upon the 

 plants through a coarse-spouted watering 

 pot. The victory was complete, partly ow- 

 ing perhaps to the prompt and early use of 

 the remedy. — Frank E. Anderson. 



Privet Web Worm. The best remedy, 

 and one that suggests itself, is trimming the 

 hedge infested, when the young caterpillars 

 are noticeable, sometime in June. The 

 shoots cut off should be removed at once 

 and burned, else the worms will find the 

 plants again. Applications of the various 

 insecticides will also prove effective, applied 

 in a powerful spray, because of their protects 

 ing web. 



Lime and Tobacco for Currant Worm. 

 Last summer I found the Currant worm 

 (Nematus vmtriconts) had attacked one 

 side of the Currant and Gooseberry bushes, 

 I sprinkled the foliage, then applied a com- 

 pound of two parts unslacked lime and one 

 part tobacco dust. This killed every worm 

 by one application. — N. M. Firor. 



A New Pear Enemy in Oregon. A 

 snout beetle (Araqnom-UK ijriseus) is said by 

 R. S. Wallace, of Oregon, to have been des- 

 tructive on young Pear trees, after having 

 spoiled the fruit of older trees. This beetle 

 has never before been known to be injur- 

 ious, and nothing is known of its breeding 

 habits. We would advise spraying the trees 

 with a solution of Paris green or London 

 purple, one pound of either of these poisons 

 to 100 gallons of water. 



Buckwheat vs. Cut Worms. Every, 

 where cut worms are plentiful, but on half 

 an acre where there was turned under a crop 

 of Buckwheat, the land is free from them 

 while adjoining plats are being overrun. — 

 Zimmer Bros., Alabama. 



Canker Worms. Both birds, especially 

 the black-polled chickadee or titmouse, and 

 the chickens destroy great quantities, but 

 not overcoming them so, I used London 

 purple, though it may also kill fowls and 

 birds. — W. S. Newton, Kansas. 



The Garden Web-Woum Reappears. 

 In Kansas the garden web-worm (Eurycreon 

 rantalts) has again appeared, and is eating 

 Pigweed, Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage. 

 Spraying with London purple or Paris green 

 solution will likely prove effective. 



