STOKES SEED FARMS COMPANY mso MOORESTOWN, NEW JERSEY 



TOMATO 



(Lycopersicum esculentum Var. vulgare) 



HISTORY — Galenus, a celebrated Greek physician, 200 A. D., gave a 

 minute description of Lycopersicum coming from Egypt. South America 

 probably Peru, however, gave the tomato to Europe in a highly cultivated 

 form. The name is derived from the Aztec word Xitomate, the vegetable 

 having been prized and extensively cultivated by the natives long before 

 the discovery of the country by the Europeans. According to Dr. Tracy, 

 "there is little doubt that many of the plants as seen and described by 

 the Europeans as wild species were largely garden varieties, originally 

 natives of America, which are a variation or crossing of the original 

 wild species." It was first introduced into England in 1596, but for 

 many years was grown only as an ornamental plant, under the common 

 name of Love Apple, the prevailing opinion being that they were poison- 

 ous to man. The tomato in Europe was first used as a vegetable in 

 Italy in the seventeenth century, later being introduced into France and 

 England as a table vegetable. The first mention of it in North America 

 as a vegetable, apparently, was 1781. Seven years later a Frenchman 

 in Philadelphia made earnest efforts to have people use the fruit as a 

 vegetable, but with little or no success. The first record of this fruit being 

 regularly quoted on the market was in New Orleans, 1812. It was first 

 offered by seedsmen, Messrs. Gardener & Hipburn, in 1818, which was 

 followed by Landreth in 1820. In 1835 they were on the Quincy Hall 

 Market in Boston. At the present time, according to Department of 

 Agriculture reports, there are over one half million acres devoted to this 

 crop every year in America, and the canning and shipping interests 

 especially assume tremendous proportions. A great many American 

 varieties of merit now are known the world over. Practically all tomatoes 

 grown in this country are of American development. To Livingston, of 

 Columbus, Ohio, perhaps the greatest credit should be given. The late 

 Walter P. Stokes was responsible for the introduction of the Earliana 

 and Bonny Best. 



No. 1010— Earliana 



Days to Maturity, 125. Originated by Mr. Sparks, of New Jersey, 

 and introduced by Johnson & Stokes about 1900, under the name of 



Spark's Earliana. Immediately after its introduction, this tomato 

 gained wide popularity. Within a very few years it was in practi- 

 cally every seedsman's catalog, and now is considered one of the 

 four most important in the entire list. Its chief merit is in its earli- 

 ness of ripening and this alone has been responsible for the promin- 

 ence it has gained. Due to its earliness, it has certain weaknesses, 

 such as lightness of foliage, thinness of wall and lack of solidity, its 

 liability of cracking around the stem, etc., but with all of these 

 factors which are more or less against it, it is one of the best money- 

 makers during the whole tomato season, especially with farmers 

 having early land. It will attain a size of about three inches in dia- 

 meter. Sow March 15th, and it should be ready for picking July 

 10th. Its picking season will cover a period of from three to four 

 weeks, and it should produce from five to eight tons per acre. We 

 hold a perhaps unpardonable pride in the Earliana as in the Bonny 

 Best, and our trade will find that we have taken exceptionally strong 

 measures to produce only the best possible grade of seed. Pkt. 10c, 

 oz. 40c, M lb. $1.25. 1 lb. $4.00, postpaid. 



No. 1005— Special Stock Bonny Best 



Days to Maturity, 128. This stock is a special selection from our 

 crop of Windermoor-grown Bonny Best Tomatoes. It is made 

 especially in the interests of the greenhouse tomato grower and is 

 used in large quantities for forcing purposes. However, an in- 

 creasingly large proportion of our trade is taking this special stock 

 for outdoor forcing. This selection has been made for earliness, 

 size and uniformity of shape and color. We believe unquestionably 

 it is the finest stock of Bonny Best to be had in this country and it 

 is offered with every confidence. Pkt. 25c, oz. $1.50, $4 lb. $5.00, 

 1 lb. $20.00, postpaid. 



STOKES EARLIANA (x 2/3) 

 68 



For well grown tomato plants, see page 75 



