14 
BULLETIN 859, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table III. — Weights and equatorial diameters of individual tomatoes grown at Arlington, 
Va., in the summer of 1918, and at Peters, Fla., in the winter of 1918, picked at intervals 
from blossoming time until the fruits were ripe. 
Individual tomatoes. 
Locality and 
Color of 
fruit. 
Aver- 
descriptive data. 
1 III 
age. 
No. 1. 
No. 2. No. 3. 
No. 4. 
Xo. 5. 
Xo. 6. Xo. 7. 
Xo. 8. Xo. 9. 
Xo. 10 
Sec. A.— Arlington, Va. : 
"Weight (grams)— 
Age 7 days 
Green... 
0.30 0.50] 0.70 
0.90 1.50 
1.60 ! L70 
LS0 3.00- 3.40 1.54 
Age 13 days 
...do.... 
1.40: 2.00 3.60 
5.30 6.10 
13.90 14.60 
17.50 20.80, 21.60 10. 6S 
Age 21 days 
...do.... 
39.60 40.70 42.20 
45.00: 50.50 
82.60 85.70 
87.60 90.001 93.60 65.75 
Age 30 days 
...do.... 
52. 90 57. 10| 71. 50 79. SOj S3. 40 109. 50 114. 30 
115. 70 12S. 60 135. 40 94. S2 
Age 3S days 
...do.... 
34.30 49.40 64. 40 1 76. 50 ! 81.90 155. 10 169.90 190.30 276. 70 2S4. 00 135. 25 
Age 49 days 
Turning 
1o red. 
55.80 
94.10 
98.80 
122. SO. 137. 20 
164. 00 ISO. 70 
197. 60 234. 50 247. 90 153. 34 
Diameter (cm.) — 
Age 7 davs 
Green... 
.45 .60 .65 
.80 1.05 
1.10 1.15 1.15 1.40 1.55 1.14 
Age 13 days 
...do.... 
l.OOi 1.20 1.60 
1.80: 1.80 
2.60 2.70 2.70 2.70, 2. SO 2.10 
Age 21 days 
...do.... 
3.80 
3. SO 3.90 
4. 00 4. 10 
4.80 
4-. 90 
4.90 
4. 90: 5. 00 
4.41 
Age 30 days 
...do.... 
4.20 
4.30 4.60 4.70i 4.80 
5.40 
5.40 
5.50 
5. 60 5. 70 
5.02 
Age 3S days 
...do.... 
3.80 
4. 10 4. 40 
4. SO 4. 90 
6.00 
6.10 
6.40 
6.70! 7.30 
5.45 
Age 49 days 
Turning 
4.60 
4.90 5.20 
5. 40 5. 70 
5.90 
6.30 
6.70 
6.90 7.30 
5.49 
to red. 
i - 
Sec. B — Peters, Fla.: 
Weight (grams)— 
Age 7 days 
Green... 
.07 
.08 
.OS .09 
.11 
.55 .67' 1.13 .33 
Age 15 davs 
...do.... 
1. 68 1. 75! 1. 84 
2.27 2.32 9.401 10.63 
11.95 12.39- 13.19| 6.74 
Age 21 days 
...do.... 
40.78 44.67 45.12, 46.57 46.67 57.03 6S. 02 
86.35| S6. 42 124. 72, 63.65 
Age 2S days 
...do.... 
43. 79 62. 60 63. 53i 67. 12 69. IS 75. 35 77. 4S 
91. So 111. 97 160. S4 S2. 37 
Age 35 days 
...do.... 
53.32 64.37 73.40, 76.31 94.92 95. 25^ 97.92 100. 12 US. 95 177. 4S l 95.10 
Age 42 days 
...do 
7S.60 95.45 95. 821 99.81 100. 7S 126.66 151. 23,195.36 222. 11 313.33 147.91 
Age 56 days 
Turning 
to red. 
79. 18 110. 18 127. 72 131. 52 139. 97 157. 42 170. 54 179. 69.1S5. IS 346. 79 162. 81 
Diameter (cm.) — 
• 
Age 7 days 
Green... 
.43 .45 .45 .45! .45 .55 
.85 
.95 1.05 1 1.30' .69 
Age 15 da'ys 
...do.... 
1.60 1.60 1.60 1.70 1.75; 2.80 
2.S5 
2.90 3.10 3.25 2.31 
Age 21 days 
...do.... 
4.50 4.55! 4.60 4.60 4.65 4.85 
5.65 
5. SO 6.00 6.60 5.18 
Age 2S days 
...do.... 
4.50 5.00 5.00 5.05 5.20 5.50 
5.50 
5. SO 6.20, 7.00 5.47 
Age 35 days 
...do.... 
4. 45 4. 70 4. 75 5. 15 5. 45: 5. 45 
5.60 
6.05' 6.15 7.00' 5.47 
Age 42 days 
...do 
5.00 5.45 5.50 5.60 5.75 6.25 ! 7.25 
7. 25 7. 25 
7.35 6.37 
Age 56 days 
Turning 
to red. 
5.25 5.65 5.70 5. SO: 5.90: 6.40 6.60 
6. 75 6. 85 
8.S5 6.38 
Plates I and II show in color four stages in ripening, which are 
referred to later in this bulletin as green, i. e., with no red present {A) ; 
turning, i.e., mostly green, with a trace of color at the style end (B) ; 
pink, i. e., slightly colored over most of the fruit, with little or no 
green except at the stem end, but not yet a good full red (C); and 
red ripe, i. e., completely mature as far as color change isconcerned (D). 
Material for analysis was obtained by tagging blossoms (other than 
those of the " crown hand") 3 soon after opening and then collecting 
tomatoes at the different stages in numbers large enough for sampling. 
An attempt was made to pick all the tagged fruit from an entire row 
in order to eliminate the error that possibly otherwise might have 
occurred of unconsciously selecting large or small fruit. Samples 
were taken at the end of the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth 
weeks, and after the tomatoes had barely started to color (designated 
as turning), and finally when fully colored or ripe. At the time of 
carrying on the work the weather conditions were such that eight 
weeks were required to bring the tomato to maturity (red ripeness). 
3 Growers are accustomed to refer to all the fruit developing from a single inflorescence as a "hand. 
The "crown hand"' is the lowest inflorescence on the stem. It frequently fails to set fruit. 
