64 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



Size at time of Date of ripen- 



covering. ing. 



IGNOTUM. 



1 f Covered July 14 Size of pea. Aug. 29. 



\ Not covered '• " '* 19. 



2 f Covered Aug. 6 " " Sept. 21. 



LNot covered "• '• " 21. 



Perfection. 



, f Covered .(uly 12 " " Aug. 19. 



1 Not covered " " " 19 



2 f Covered July 14 " '<■ " 29. 



(.Not covered t* u "19. 



o f Covered July 14 i inch. " 29. 



INotcovered ^' " 18. 



. f Covered Aug. 6 " Sept. 27. 



INotcovered " '' 21. 



g f Covered Aug. 6 Size of pea. 



(.Not covered "• '' 



27. 

 27. 



Prelude. 



, f Covered July 14 i inch. Aug. 19. 



1 Not covered " " 17. 



2 r Covered July 14 " '^ 18. 



INotcovered " " 15. 



o / Covered Aug. 13 | inch. Sept. 27. 



1 Not covered '' " 27. 



In no instance did the fruit ripen earlier when covered, and in 

 more than half of the cases considered, that not covered matured 

 first. 



Conclusion : Little or no benefit seems to be derived from the 

 practice of bagging tomato fruits. 



3. Individual Variation: In the culture of tomatoes, as of 

 other garden crops, conclusions as to best methods are too often 

 drawn from the results of a single season's work. There is little 

 doubt that many of the conclusions thus reached are often mis- 

 leading, for it is believed that the individual variation of the plants 

 of any given variety is often such as to obscure any effects of dif- 

 ferent methods of treatment. 



As bearing upon this question, duplicate lots of one dozen of 

 eacL of several varieties were selected at the time of the first 

 transplanting, and were given the same treatment at all times, 

 being handled alike in the house and set in parallel rows in the 

 field. 



The comparative results are seen in table IV. 



