TOMA TOES A T CORNELL EXPERLMENT STA TLON. 



359 



with a sash at night or on cold days, and pricking the 

 young plants out as in the greenhouse, one inch apart 

 each way, transplanting to the iield when the weather 

 will permit, the first of June being sufficiently early. It 

 is a great mistake to put out tomato plants too early ; 

 there is nothing gained, but on the contrary, in the case 

 of cold winds, a great loss of time by the check the plants 

 will receive, will be the result. 



FIELD CULTURE. 



After the setting of the plants, keep the cultivator at 

 work ; go through the rows both ways as frequently as 

 possible until the vines prevent, and by that time weeds 

 will not longer be troublesome. But it is not to kill 

 weeds that the cultivator is kept going, but to make 

 plants ; cultivation will secure both results. 



STOCK SEED. 



The importance of saving stock seed should not be 

 overlooked by the seed grower ; upon him rests the re- 

 sponsibility of purity and perfection of the variety. For 

 this purpose, a few plants should be set apart, but given 

 no better care than is required for the general crop. As 

 soon as the first fruits are an inch in diameter, cut them 

 away ; the first fruits set are rarely perfect in form. The 

 next setting will be on the branches, and if these develop 

 satisfactorily, do not allow any others to grow, but keep 

 the flowers cut as they appear until the fruits begin to 

 ripen. After that the plants may be allowed to fruit, but 

 not for seed purposes. The first that is allowed to ripen 

 will have received all the strength until maturity and 

 will be sufficient for stock seed for a future crop. It is 

 always economy to keep an abundant supply on hand ; 

 it is perfectly good, if kept dry, for four years, but a 

 small saving annually is a wise precaution. 



In saving seed for stock, never save from a plant that 

 is not vigorous and fruitful, or if the fruit in any way 

 should be other than absolutely true to the type. In 

 some seasons, for instance, either from extreme heat and 

 drought, or from too much moisture accompanied with 

 cold, the plants will not have that vigor requisite for a 

 perfect development of seed. In such it is far better not 

 to save stock seed, but rely upon previous savings. 



TOMATOES AT CORNELL 



Bulletin X, of Cornell University Agriculture Ex- 

 periment Station gives the results of Professor Bail- 

 ey's experiments with tomatoes. In most of his 

 conclusions we heartily coincide. The writer has 

 long insisted that frequent transplantings are abso- 

 lutely necessary to the production of early fruit. 

 We have frequently had people tell us that they had 

 rather have tomato plants raised in the open ground 

 than hot-bed plants. So had we, if by hot-bed plants 

 are meant the slim, crowded, almost rootless plants 

 produced by sowing seed in a late hot-bed and grow- 

 ing them without transplanting until set in the open 



For a general seed crop such selection cannot be prac- 

 ticed, but under no circumstances should a plant that 

 shows any weakness or disease be allowed to remain. 



SAVING AND CLEANING THE SEED. 



The tomatoes should not be picked for seed until per- 

 fectly ripe ; then gather and grind in a machine made 

 for the purpose. The best machine is made with a cylin- 

 der about a foot in diameter, with wooden teeth two 

 inches long and an inch in diameter ; set in the same 

 manner as in an ordinary threshing machine, with a bed 

 to match, in which two rows of teeth are set in the same 

 manner. Run the tomatoes through this machine into 

 a large box, with fine wire netting at the farther end to 

 allow the juice to run off. After the grinding is done, 

 run the pulp through a sieve with a half-inch mesh ; 

 this will let all the seed through and save out a large 

 proportion of the pulp, which can be used for catsup or 

 be thrown away. The seed and remaining pulp should 

 then be put into a cask of any convenient size and al- 

 lowed to ferment, which it will do in from 24 to 48 hours, 

 according to the weather. If it is quite warm, the seed 

 ground one day can be cleaned the next. If cool, it may 

 have to wait two or three days before fermentation is 

 complete. It can then be readily washed out. If run- 

 ning water is convenient the operation is an easy one, as 

 the seeds will settle to the bottom of the cask, and the 

 pulp and light seed can be poured off. After washing, 

 the seed should be put into a bag and wrung out to get 

 out as much water as possible, which will hasten drying 

 and leave the seed whiter. Cleaning should be affected 

 as quickly as possible after the operation is commenced 

 in order to make a clean sample. In drying, spread out 

 thinly on sheets, or better, on light frames covered with 

 fine wire cloth, and set in full sunshine, keeping it stir- 

 red frequently. 



The various types under cultivation have their parent- 

 age as follows ; 



Tomato, common, Lycopcysiciim escidcntum. 



Cherry, L. ccrasifonne . 



Pear, L. pyri forme . 



Currant, L. pimpincllifoliiiiii . 

 Long island. C. L. Allen. 



EXPERIMENT STATION. 



ground. Such plants are practically worthless, I 

 fully agree, then, with Professor Bailey when he says 

 that "frequent transplanting of the young plant, 

 and good tillage, are necessary to best results in to- 

 mato culture." 



Years ago I insisted, and have seen no reason to 

 change my opinion, that no amount of forcing could 

 overcome the matter of age necessary for the plant to 

 attain before fruiting. I have never yet seen a tomato 

 that will produce ripe fruit in less than four months 

 from the seed, and most of the larger sorts require a 

 longer time. Some years ago one of the stations, in an 

 experiment with tomatoes, claimed to have proved that 



