364 



SUB ROSA. 



A NATIONAL Hall of Horticulture! It sounds 

 well, would be well, is entirely feasible ; so 

 why not a hall of horticulture ? We will go 

 a step farther. Why not seiicral of these national 

 halls of horticulture ? Perhaps the latter would be 

 the better plan, in view of the vastness of our coun- 

 try and the consequent difficulty and expense in 

 bringing about well attended meetings. There is 

 enough strength of members and money among the 

 several societies of this country, together with others 

 interested in horticultural pursuits and projects, to 

 successfully inaugurate and carry on several in- 

 stitutions of the kind named. By way of illustra- 

 tion, we will take the states of New York, Pennsyl- 

 vania and New Jersey. In their confines are the 

 Western New York Horticultural Society, powerful 

 in money, members and individual ability ; the New 

 Jersey State Horticultural Society, strong with good 

 officers and working members ; the state society of 

 Pennsylvania, wealthy and progressive. Then there 

 are the many local florists, and fruit-growers, socie- 

 ties in each of these states ; florists, nurserymen 

 and seedsmen of wealth and ability are also found 

 in each of the states named. 



While it is doubtful if any one of these societies 

 are strong enough to carry out such a project, their 

 combined strength would build a hall of horticul- 

 ture that the country might well be proud of. This 

 same state of affairs exists in nearly all of our Un- 

 ited States. In the east, middle east, and middle 

 and northern west, these and the contiguous states 

 are abundantly able to carry out successfully the plan 

 we have suggested to the great honor and benefit of 

 horticulture in all its ramifications. Why not start 

 the movement this summer ? 



* * 



THE TOMATO is rapidly becoming one of the 

 most important of both garden and field 

 crops. Like the potato, it has overcome 

 widespread prejudice, and has gained its position 

 solely upon its merits. It has never been subjected 

 to the disadvantage of having been pushed into 

 favor. So early as 15S1 the tomato was grown in 

 Europe, and a hundred years ago it was highly 

 esteemed in many parts of this country. McMahon 

 wrote, in 1806, that in America it was then "much 

 cultivated for its fruit, in soups and sauces, to which 

 it imparts an agreeable acid flavor, and is also 

 stewed and dressed in various ways and very much 

 admired." Yet it was not until about 1830 that it 

 was grown as a market crop in this country. In 

 1840 Bridgeman knew but two varieties, the Large 

 Squash-shaped and the Cherry-shaped, and seven 



years later three sorts were grown for market : 

 Large Red, Large Smooth Red and Pear-shaped. 

 Until very recent years it has remained one of the 

 less important garden crops. But the advent of the 

 canning and preserving factories, and the demand 

 for winter fruit, has enormously increased its com- 

 mercial importance. Mr. Voorhees, of the New 

 Jersey Experiment Station, writes that " it is esti- 

 mated that the consumption of tomatoes has in- 

 creased four-fold in the last ten years," and he finds 

 that in N ew Jersey the crop ranks with wheat in 

 importance, some 15,000 acres being grown yearly 

 to this vegetable. 



The tomato is a plant which is exceedingly amen- 

 able to treatment, and one which varies widely. In 

 fact, its variableness is its worst fault, and experi- 

 mentation needs to fix types rather than to multiply 

 them. Although so long cultivated, and everywhere 

 in America easily grown, it is no exaggeration to say 

 that the best methods of culture are probably yet 

 unknown. It is particularly adapted to the climate 

 of America. Here it possesses a productiveness 

 and lusciousness which is almost unknown in most 

 parts of Western Europe, in open-air culture. The 

 experiment stations may do something to enlighten 

 us upon tomato culture. Their literature on the 

 subject to date is as follows : 



1882. Goff, ist Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 139. 



1883. Goff, 2nd Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 193. 

 Green, 2nd Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 139, 21. 



1884.. Goff, Artlmi , 3rd Rep. N. V. State Exp. Sta. 221, 379. 

 Green, 3rd Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 146. 



1885. Goff, 4th Rep. N. Y. State^Exp. Sta. 179. 

 Green, 4th Rep. G. Exp. Sta. 134. 



1886. Bailey, Bull. 19, Mich. Exp. Sta. 



Goff, Arthur, 5th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 172, 2fii, 289. 



Green, 5th Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 162, 22. 



1887. Bailey, Bull. 31, Mich. Exp. Sta. 



Goff, Arthur, 7th Rep. N. Y. State E.xp. Sta. 279, 328. 



Green, 6th Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 231. 



18S8. Green, Bull. 2, O. Exp. Sfa. 



J. S. Newynan, Bull. 2, Ala. Exp. Sta. 



W. H. Newmati, Bull. 2, Ala. Canebrake Exp. Sta. 



Keffer, Bull. 5, Dak. Exp. Sta. 



Stiibbi, Bull. 16, La. Exp. Sta. 



Cassiday, ist Rep. Colo. Exp. Sta. 133. 



Popenoe, ist Rep. Kans. Exp. Sta. 271. 



Goff, 7th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 138. 



Butz, 1888 Rep. Penn. Exp. Sta. 150. 



1589. Smith, Bull. 6, Nbr. Exp. Sta. 



Taft, Bull. 4S, Mich. Exp. Sta. 



Clayton, Bull. 7, Ala. Exp. Sta. 



W, H. Newman, Bull. 6, Ala. Canebrake Exp. Sta. 



Bailey, Bull. 10, Cornell Exp. Sta. 



I'oorhees, Bull. 63, N.J. Exp. Sta. 29. 



Richman, 2nd Rep. Ark. Exp. Sta. 100. 



Himn, 8th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 327. 



Bishop, 2nd Rep. Md. Exp. Sta. 26. 



Cassiday, I'Vairous, 2nd Rep. Colo. E.xp. Sta. 104, 119. 



1590. Alwood 2Lnd Bowman, Bull. 4, Va. Exp. Sta. 

 Taft, Bull. 57, Mich. Exp. Sta. 



Troop, Bull. 31, Ind. Exp. Sta. 



