54 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



As seen in Columu 5, the varieties in the order of maturity 

 were as follows : Cory, Dreer, Marblehead, Early Minnesota, 

 Narragansett, Perry's Hybrid, Crosby, Moore's Concord, None- 

 such and Stabler. For the average home garden we would select 

 from this list Cory or Dreer for early use and Croshy or Perry's 

 Hybrid for medium and late. The last named sort has been one of 

 our favorites for general crop. As an early sort Dreer was some- 

 what superior to Cory in that the ears were larger and it was slightly 

 more productive. 



Column 6 represents the relative yield ; the basis being the aver- 

 age number of ears per plant. 



Ill — Notes jof Tomatoes. 



1. Historical — Our garden varieties of tomatoes belong to two 

 distinct species, — Lycopersicuni pimpinellifolium ^ Dunal, and 

 Lyvopersicum esculentum, Miller. The former is represented in the 

 garden by the "Currant" or "German Raisin." This species is 

 found wild in Peru and Brazil, but little is known of its history. 

 It has not been modified by domestication and probably has not 

 been long under cultivation. The chief value of this species aside 

 from its use as an ornamental plant and to a limited extent for 

 preserves, is in the breeding of new types, as suggested in previous 

 reports.* 



Lycopersicum esculentum, the ordinary tomato, is undoubtedly a 

 native of Peru, but is spontaneous or indigenous throughout Mexico 

 and as far north as Texas and California in a form closely approach- 

 ing the cherry tomato of the gardens. So far as we know, it was 

 first cultivated in the south of Europe. It is mentioned as early as 

 1561, while in 1583 the "fruit was eaten upon the continent dressed 

 with pepper, salt and oil."t It was grown in England in 15971 

 but for many years was used only for ornament. Even so late as 

 1819 only four varieties are named. § 



Our own country was even later than England in beginning the 

 general culture of the tomato. The fruit is said to have been 

 introduced into Philadelphia by a French refugee from St. Domingo 

 in 1798, §§ and in 1806 McMahon writes : "The tomato is much 



*Report Maine Experiment Station, lS9i. 

 tDoclonEei, Stirp, Hist., 455. 

 JGerarde, Herballe, 275. 

 §Trans. London, Hort. Society, III, 347. 

 §§Mannuig, Hist. Mass. Hort. See. 40.] 



