Tomatoes 1403 



This variety was introduced by Henry Tilden of Davenport, 

 Iowa. In the next five years the Maupoy, Foard, Eureka, Cook's 

 Favorite, Boston Market, Dixey, Crimson (luster, and General 

 Grant were introduced, the General Grant being the best of the 

 number and a really good tomato. In these five years more 

 varieties were brought forward than had been known during the 

 preceding fifty. The canning industry consumed thousands of 

 bushels, and the interest in the tomato was widespread. 



For many years lovers of the tomato had been selecting seed 

 in order to improve the existing sorts and the new varieties were 

 the outcome of this work. The best variety introduced up to that 

 time was the Trophy, introduced in 1870 by Colonel George E. 

 Waring of Ogden Farm, Newport, R. I., who was a farmer and 

 a sanitary engineer. The time was ripe for a tomato of a new 

 type, one which would be large and early, and, above all, with a 

 regular apple-like form. The Trophy came at the right time and 

 it was the right thing. Its success was assured ■ — it was un- 

 bounded. It was almost the making of modern tomato culture. 

 The Trophy was the result of twenty-three years of careful selec- 

 tion and in spite of the high price ($5 for 20 seeds) it was soon 

 widely distributed and became a universal favorite. From six 

 varieties in I860 the number increased to thirty in 1880 and by 

 the opening of the twentieth century American seedsmen were 

 cataloguing about 250 varieties. Of these, possibly 50 may be 

 distinct and better than the Trophy. 



The evolution of the tomato in less than a century has been 

 exceeded by no other fruit or vegetable. Today we have upwards 

 of three hundred strains and varieties so varied that some of them 

 must suit the most skeptical. We have in colors various shades 

 of red ; then we have the pinks and deeper purple varieties. These 

 are very popular in certain markets but tender in flesh and poor 

 carriers if allowed to ripen before shipping. Furthermore, we 

 have several shapes and shades of the yellow varieties. These last 

 are only valuable for preserving, and can not be disposed of in 

 large quantities. Eliminating the yellow sorts, the red and pur- 

 ple varieties may well be divided into three classes — the early 

 sorts, the medium and the late. In some tomato growing sections 

 the early and medium early varieties are all that are considered 



