THE TOMATO 1 



"The curious plaited, twisted, and blistered, 

 but handsome leaves, sturdy, compact growth, 

 and odd clusters of fruit will make it a favorite 

 ornamental plant." 



Another account supplemented this by de- 

 scribing the fruit as "a small, round, scarlet 

 tomato, borne in clusters, the individual fruits 

 measuring only three quarters of an inch in 

 diameter; of splendid scarlet coloring and un- 

 usually rich, sweet flavor." 



The comparatively rapid development of this 

 curious form of plant, so widely divergent from 

 the ordinary tomato, illustrates the possibilities 

 and suggests the compelling interest of such ex- 

 periments in hybridizing and selecting even our 

 commonest garden plants. 



The work is, of course, no different in principle, 

 from that followed by the plant developer in the 

 orchard, whose work has been detailed in earlier 

 volumes. But there is this important practical 

 difference: In experimenting with such a plant 

 as the tomato, we get results quickly because the 

 plant grows and fruits in a single season. The 

 results of any given experiment may be known 

 within a few months of the time when the seed 

 is planted. This is quite different from the case 

 of the orchard and especially nut trees, which 

 require, as we have seen, long periods of patient 



