t 



SEEDS AND SEED-GROWING. 



357 



gredient oftenest deficient in soils. Nine-tenths of the 

 fertilizers used in England and America are mainly 

 phosphoric acid. Potash in many soils, however, is 

 present in liberal quantities, and it would be unwise to 

 supply it in full rations unless a known deficit exists. 



If you err at all, gardeners and farmers, it is better 

 to err on the side of economy. Phosphoric acid will 

 remain with you to feed subsequent crops. So will 

 potash. Know that 3 0ur soil needs more nitrogen be- 

 fore you apply it in liberal doses. Nitrogen costs a lot 

 of money, and the higher the price of experiment ingre- 

 dients, the less the farmer should apply it without due 

 discrimination. We say give the soil all the phos- 

 phoric acid you choose. You will rarely overdo it. 

 Give it potash according to its needs, as nearly as you 

 may. But be gentle and conservative in the use of ni- 

 trogen, unless you are positive it will give you full re- 

 turns. It is a ruinous luxury. 



We may every one of us bear in mind that if phos- 

 phates materially increase our crops, we have evidence, 

 to a certain extent, that nitrates are the less needed at 

 present ; if potash increase the crop, here is evidence 

 that nitrates are the less needed. If both phosphates 

 and potash fail, then let the experimenter add nitrates 

 in varying quantities from loo to 300 pounds to the acre, 

 and thus in a safe, inexpensive way find out approxi- 

 mately what his land needs. 



Readers of The American Garden may be pleased to 

 know that a somewhat extended series of experiments 



are being carried on at the Rural grounds (now substan- 

 tially controlled by The Rural Publishing Company) in 

 the hopes of throwing some additional light upon the 

 nitrogen problem as it may affect the potato crop grown 

 upon an impoverished soil. An epitome of these exper- 

 iments is show in the following table . 



and 55 



Plot I. 



Natural soil. 





" 2. 



44U lbs. liigh-q^ra 





" 3- 



440 " 







lbs. nitrate of soila. 



■1. 



440 lbs. fertilizer and no lb 



5- 



440 " 



" 220 ' 



" 6. 



440 " 



' ' 330 ' 



" 7- 



Natural soil. 





" S. 



SSo lbs. ferlilizt 



r and 55 



" 9- 



8S0 " 



I TO 



" 10. 



Sfo " 



" 220 



" II. 



S^o ■' 



" 330 



" 12. 



S80 •■ 



" ^10 



" 13- 



1,320 " 





" 



1.320 " " 



55 



" 15- 



1,320 " 



" no 



" 16. 



1,320 '* 



" 220 



" 17- 



1.320 " 



" 330 



■• iS. 



Natural soil. 





" 19- 



" and 



no lbs. nit 



" 20. 





220 " 



" 21 ■ 





33" " 



Then, other plots receive varying amounts of a fer- 

 tilizer strong in nitrogen (ammonia 7.50), supplied in 

 many different forms, and a lower per cent, of phos- 

 phoric acid (4.50) and 10.50 per cent, of potash. 



E. S. Carman. 



IN THE whole list of garden vegetables, there is 

 none so susceptible to treatment as the tomato ; 

 none better repays good attention ; laone shows 

 neglect so plainly, both in quantity and quality 

 of fruit. It is, moreover, capable by careful 

 selection of the highest development, and will as 

 quickly deteriorate if the principles of selection are 

 not closely obser\'ed and the highest cultivation given 

 it. Although the tomato has been in cultivation for 

 more than three hundred years, it is within the past 

 fifty years that its cultivation as a garden vegetable 

 has become general, and not until within the last 

 twenty years has its importance been fully realized. 

 With the exception of the potato, it is the most ex- 

 tensively grown of any garden vegetable, and like 

 the potato, can be had every day in the year on the 

 table. Of course not fresh from the garden, but 

 from the canner, whose skill in putting up has ar- 

 rived at that degree of perfection, that for cooking 

 purposes but very little difference between fresh 

 and canned tomatoes is noticeable. 



SEEDS AND SEED-GROWING. 



ScT'cnth Paper. 



THE TOMATO (Lycopcrsiciiiii csciilctitinn). 



Its importance, both in the vegetable garden and for 

 commercial purposes, is so great that every effort known 

 in the gardening art has been employed in the produc- 

 tion of new varieties. That, during the last fifty years 

 the species has been greatly improved, there is not a 

 question. But that there has been any great improve- 

 ment during the last twenty years is a disputed point. 

 It is true that among the new varieties annually sent 

 out there seems to be, either in form, productiveness, 

 earliness or keeping qualities, some progress made. At 

 the same time, have we any varieties better than the 

 Early Smooth Red, the Trophy or the Excelsior of 

 twenty years ago ? And if so, will we be able to keep 

 them ? 



These are important considerations ; upon them de- 

 pends all there is of importance in the growing of toma- 

 toes for seed purposes. It is therefore necessary to study 

 carefully the origin of new varieties, and how to perpet- 

 uate them. 



All the varieties under cultivation have their origin in 

 /,. escitlentiiin, of which but little is known, other than 

 that it was introduced into Europe from South America 

 in 1596. That there were different varieties at that early 



