IO6 TOMATO CULTURE 



cutting away and wasting of a large proportion of 

 the fruit in preparing it for canning, so that the can- 

 ners usually prefer round, medium-sized fruits. 



The character of the interior of the fruit varies 

 greatly in different varieties. Both the exterior and 

 divisional walls vary in thickness and in consistency. 

 In some varieties they are comparatively thin, hard 

 and dry; in others, thicker, softer and more juicy. 

 In some cases there is but little interior wall, the fruit 

 being divided into but few even but two cells of 

 even size and shape, while in others there are many 

 cells of varying size and shape. Varieties also differ 

 greatly as to the amount, consistency and flavor of the 

 pulp and the number of seeds. It requires from 300 

 to 500 pounds of ripe fruit to furnish a pound of seed 

 of Ponderosa, while with some of the smaller, earlier 

 sorts one can get a pound of seed from 100 to 200 

 pounds of fruit. 



Coloring and ripening. Uniformity and evenness 

 in coloring and ripening are an important quality. 

 Tomatoes generally color and ripen from within out- 

 ward, and from the point opposite the stem upward, 

 but varieties differ in the evenness and rapidity with 

 which this takes place. It is always desirable that 

 the ripening be as even as possible and that there be 

 no green and hard spots either at the surface or in 

 the flesh, but often perfection in this respect is corre- 

 lated with such lack of size and solidity as to counter- 

 balance it. Rapidity in ripening, in a general way, is 

 desirable for fruit to be used at home, and undesirable 

 in that which is to be shipped. 



The time a tomato fruit will remain in usable con- 



