TOMATO 265 
reached for the pruning, tying, spraying and harvesting 
of the fruit. 
Varieties of tomatoes which are used for forcing differ 
widely in habit of growth and character of fruit. It can- 
not be said that any variety in cultivation is ideal even 
for any one market or section of the country, for, while 
we have excellent sorts, there is much that should be 
done to improve them, and the progress being made in 
this direction is exceedingly encouraging. 
In the selection of a variety for forcing, the first factor 
to consider is the plant. Has it the ability to mature a 
heavy crop? This question is fundamental in impor- 
tance. Generally speaking, plants with short internodes 
are the most prolific. They bear the first clusters of 
fruit near the surface of the ground and a maximum 
number of clusters is produced on plants of a given 
height. The foliage of the plants should be highly re- 
sistant to disease. In this respect, there is abundant 
opportunity for improvement. In the matter of area or 
extent of leaf surface, there is some difference of opinion 
as to what is best. Theoretically, it would seem that 
plants with small leaves or sparse foliage would be most 
suitable for greenhouse culture, because such plants 
interfere the least in admitting light and in securing free 
circulation of air. In practice, however, most growers 
pride themselves upon the vigor and even the size of the 
leaves. The writer has seen expert growers handle large, 
healthy, green leaves with as much delight as a stockman 
would fondle a pet calf. Abundant foliage is apparently 
essential in the production of large, well-ripened fruit. 
English varieties, such as Comet, produce more to- 
matoes in a cluster than do American varieties, such as 
the Globe. This tendency to set a very large number of 
fruits may require a certain amount of thinning in order 
to obtain specimens of marketable size. 
Earliness is an important factor. If a certain variety 
