EXPERIMENTS IN FORCING AND CROSSING TOMATOES. 



67: 



stamens (five or more in number) are joined together 

 above, forming a little cone surrounding the style. In 

 the immature flower the head of the pistil (stigma) is be- 

 low the top of this cone of anthers. Later the pistil 

 lengthens, pushing the stigma through. As the stamens 

 dehisce (open) on their inner surfaces, beginning at the 

 apex, the stigma receives the pollen and fertilization of 

 the ovary follows. If, therefore, we want to cross one 

 flower with another, we must remove this whorl of an- 

 thers while green, protect the stigma by 

 tissue paper or something of the kind 

 from other pollen than that we desire 

 to apply, until the stigma is ripe or re 

 ceptive ; then remove the covering and 

 apply the foreign pollen, again protect- 

 ing it until fruit has set. Our way is to 

 gather flowers from the plant that is to 

 be the male parent, and by the use of a 

 toothpick, or even a pin, scratch out the 

 pollen from the anthers through the line 

 of dehiscence upwards, and apply it to 

 the stigma of the emasculated flower that 

 is to be the mother. Thus performed, 

 artificial crossing is easy enough. 



"When the stigma begins to ripen it 

 often reaches the top of the stamen-tube, 

 or even beyond it, before receiving pollen 

 from the anthers beneath. Any insect 

 having gathered pollen from flowers of 

 other plants would unavoidably touch 

 the stigma of the next flower visited, and 

 thus cause a cross between them. It is 

 not known that tomato-flowers secrete 

 honey ; the writer has rarely seen insects 

 visiting them. Since, too, the stamens do 

 not usually bear much pollen, it is rea- 

 sonable to suppose that self-fertilization 

 is the rule. Occasionally, however, we 

 find so considerable a quantity of pollen 

 that it might easily be wafted from one 

 flower to another by a timely breeze. 



From time to time a new tomato has 

 been introduced, with the claim that it 

 was the result of a cross. This need 

 not be doubted. We do not, however, 

 know of any systematic crossing having 

 been carried on until lately, and we do 

 know that the best kinds of to-day are not the results of 

 artificial crossing. Mr. Livingston's varieties, or selec- 

 tions from them, which have long held the first place in 

 the market, were the outcome of selection only, as he 

 himself freely admits. The results of The Rural New- 

 Yorker's work in tomato-crossing during the past three 

 seasons is so encouraging that it will be hopefully and 

 vigorously continued. 



Tuber-bearing Tomatoes. — It occurred to the writer 



last year that the tomato might possibly be induced to 

 become a tuber-bearing plant. He reasoned that the 

 tomato-berry or fruit is structurally the same as the po- 

 tato-berry or fruit ; that the wild potato bears very small 

 and few tubers, while it bears quantities of fruit ; that 

 cultivation alone has reversed this, causing a maximum 

 amount of tubers and a minimum amount of fruit. Ac- 

 cordingly, several tomato-plants set out last May were 

 disbudded as soon as the buds appeared. The plants have 



Fig. 4.— Tomato Root-gall. 



grown to twice the usual size of those allowed to bloom 

 'and bear fruit. The effect of this experiment on the 

 roots is not yet known. Probably such plants will have 

 to be propagated by cuttings through several or many 

 seasons, never allowing them to bloom, before it can be 

 definitely decided whether the tomato may or may not 

 be forced into a tuber-bearing plant. The suggestion 

 is offered to our station-experimenters for what it may 

 be worth. 



