TOMATOES. 123 



Excelsior, Acme, Trophy, and General Grant. The 

 earliest variety is the Hubbard Curled Leaf, but it should 

 be planted only to a limited extent, as it is small and not 

 of the best quality. It is only good until we can get 

 something better. In the cool summer of 1882, when 

 many of the later varieties failed to ^ipen, we had an 

 excellent crop from Hubbard Curled Leaf. I never 

 knew it do so well or produce such an abundant crop of 

 fine fruit before. The Early Smooth Red is still a favor- 

 ite in many sections. Persian Yellow is a large tomato 

 of a creamy yellow color. The Red Cherry is a small 

 variety grown for pickling and preserving. 



TOMATOES FOR SEED. 



It is not an easy matter to get really good, well-bred 

 tomato seed, and I would advise some of my young friends 

 to make a speciality of growing it. The entire crop 

 should be devoted to the one object of growing the 

 choicest and best seed, and that only. It will not do to 

 market or eat the earliest and best fruit, and then save 

 the seed from what is left. Every plant that does not 

 prove true to kind, should be remorselessly and promptly 

 pulled up and thrown away; by continuing this careful 

 selection for a few years, such a tomato-grower would 

 find a good demand for all the seed he could produce 

 at remunerative prices. At first it might not pay him, 

 as he might have to sell the seed for the same price as 

 common seed. Tomato seed retains its vitality six or 

 seven years, and it would be well for the seed-grower to 

 save the seed of only one variety each year. 



To extract the seed, mash the tomatoes, throw them 

 into a barrel with water, and allow them to ferment; the 

 seed will fall to the bottom, and the scum rise to the top, 

 when it can be skimmed off. I generally throw the skim- 

 mings into another barrel and allow them to ferment 



