18&2 
What  Others  Say. 
(Continued.) 
decided  improvement  upon  the  Dwarf, 
the  fruit  being-  smoother  and  earlier  and 
the  plants  more  prolific.  Though  we 
have  raised  this  hybrid  or  crossbred  ever 
since  Mr.  Goff  permitted  the  seeds  to  go 
out  of  his  hands,  it  is  by  no  means  “fixed.” 
As  has  already  been  stated  in  these  col¬ 
umns,  a  dozen  plants  raised  last  year 
(1891)  from  the  seeds  of  a  single  tomato 
were,  half  of  them,  of  the  ordinary  habit 
and  leaf,  while  the  other  half  resembled 
the  Tomate  de  Laye.  This  is  the  more 
notable  in  that  the  seed  for  three  years 
had  been  saved  only  from  the  Alpha  type, 
and  every  plant  of  1890  was  of  that  habit, 
without  the  least  resemblance  to  the 
Dwarf . 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Some  of  the  same  seeds  (saved  from  a 
single  tomato  of  1890)  were  sent  to  the 
Cornell  University  Experiment  Station. 
Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey  reports  as  follows  : 
The  plants  of  Goff's  Hybrid  are  exceedingly  vari¬ 
able;  some  have  an  entirely  upright  growth,  and 
others  resemble  Alpha.  The  fruit  Is  also  variable, 
both  In  size  and  form.  The  largest  are  of  medium 
size,  and  generally  pear-shaped;  the  smaller  ones  are 
usually  spherical,  although  many  are  elongated. 
Both  the  habit  of  the  plant  and  the  characteristics  of 
the  fruit  show  that  the  variety  Is  by  no  means  fixed. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  though 
all  the  plants  of  1890  resembled  the 
Alpha,  all  the  plants  raised  from  them 
last  year  were  half  of  the  Dwarf.  Upright 
or  “  Tree”  form  (Tomate  de  Laye)  and 
half  of  the  Alpha  form.  The  plants 
were  distinctly  and  definitely  one  form 
or  the  other.  There  were  no  inter¬ 
mediates  . 
The  R.  N.-Y.  has  no  information  as  to 
the  origin  of  the  Dwarf  Champion  or  of 
the  La  Crosse,  which  resemble  each  other 
in  fruit,  leaf  and  habit.  But  from  the 
crinkly  leaf  and  stiff  stem  it  might 
reasonably  be  inferred  that  these  varie¬ 
ties  are  intermediate  between  the  Tomate 
de  Laye  and  the  ordinary  forms  like 
Perfection,  Acme,  etc.  Seed  of  La  Crosse 
was  sent  to  the  R.  N.-Y.  Experiment 
Grounds  by  John  A.  Salzer,  of  La  Crosse, 
Wis . 
The  “  Mansfield  Tree  Tomato”  is  not 
regarded  by  prominent  seedsmen  as, 
under  such  a  name,  worthy  of  a  place  in 
their  catalogues.  It  is  no  more  “  tree” 
than  any  other  rank-growing  variety - 
By  pinching  out  the  lateral  buds  and 
confining  the  vine  substantially  to  a 
single  stem,  it  is  easy  to  get  a  growth  of 
from  8  to  15  feet  during  the  season.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  select  strong  growers, 
thrifty,  young  plants,  a  warm  exposure 
and  a  rich  soil . 
Philip  Miller’s  Gardeners’  Dictionary, 
published  in  1759,  tells  us  what  was  then 
known  of  the  “  Love  Apple.”  He  first 
speaks  of  what  we  now  call  the  Cherry 
Tomato  as  having  “  round,  smooth,  pulpy 
fruit,  about  the  size  of  a  large  cherry. 
There  are  two  varieties  of  this,  one  with 
yellow,  and  the  other  with  red  fruit.  This 
sort  is  used  for  medicine.” 
His  “  second  sort”  he  describes  as  “like 
the  first,  excepting  the  fruit,  which  differs 
greatly,  for  those  of  the  second  Sort  are 
very  large,  compressed  at  both  Ends,  and 
deeply  furrowed  all  over  the  Sides.  This 
Sort  never  varies  to  the  other,  so  that  it 
is  undoubtedly  a  distinct  species. 
This  is  the  Sort  which  is  commonly  cul¬ 
tivated  to  put  into  Soups,  and  the  Portu- 
gueze  and  Spaniard s  use  them  in  many  of 
their  Sauces.” 
J.  L.  Childs  describes  the  Climbing 
Tomato  as  follows:  (Italics  ours.)  “Vines 
of  this  excellent  tomato  grow  to  a  great 
length  and  when  trained  and  supported 
they  will  climb  10  or  12  feet.  rI  hey  can 
be  trained  over  a  door  or  window  or  on 
the  sides  of  buildings  and  make  a  very 
unique  object  when  loaded  with  their 
large  red  fruit.  It  is  one  of  the  best  toma¬ 
toes  grown,  as  the  fruit  is  large,  smooth, 
solid  and  of  fine  flavor.” 
The  following  report  of  the  above  to¬ 
mato  is  taken  from  Bulletin  32  of  the 
Cornell  Experiment  Station  published  in 
October  of  1891: 
“Climbing.  (Childs  1891.)— A  variable 
tomato  of  small  size  and  early,  but  of  little 
value.  Many  of  the  fruits  suggest  the  old 
Criterion,  having  an  oblong  shape,  hard 
walls  and  large  interior  cavities.  Some  of 
them  are  pubescent  and  resemble  the 
Peach  Tomato.  There  is  nothing  to  sug¬ 
gest  a  climbing  habit  in  the  plants  which 
we  have  grown.” . 
Experiments  have  been  carried  on  for 
three  years  at  Cornell  University  both  in 
the  field  and  under  glass  to  determine 
the  effects  of  heavy  manuring  upon  to¬ 
matoes.  The  conclusion  is  arrived  at 
that  the  common  notion  that  it  tends  to 
lessen  the  yield  is  open  to  criticism.  The 
tests  uniformly  gave  larger  yields  in 
heavily  fertilized  land.  Yet  there  is  un¬ 
doubtedly  some  reason  for  the  widespread 
belief  to  the  contrary.  Much  may  depend 
upon  soil,  and  still  more  upon  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  fertilizer  used.  It  is  contended 
that  heavy  fertilizing,  when  beneficial, 
starts  off  the  plant  rapidly  early  in  the 
season  and  hastens  the  appearance  of 
fruit:  and  productiveness  in  the  tomato  is 
largely  a  question  of  earliness,  or  the 
ability  of  the  plant  to  give  the  maximum 
number  of  pickings  before  frost.  ” 
The  It.  N.-Y.’s  experience  has  been  the 
reverse.  The  vines  in  a  rich  garden  com¬ 
menced  growth  early  and  grew  exces¬ 
sively.  The  fruit  developed  late,  very  few 
of  which  ripened,  as  they  were  destroyed 
by  frost . 
So  much  has  been  said  of  late  concern¬ 
ing  the  value  of  nitrate  of  soda  as  a  fer¬ 
tilizer  that  there  is  a  tendency,  as  The 
It.  N.-Y.  has  often  remarked,  to  apply  it 
to  the  exclusion  of  other  materials.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  sub¬ 
stance  is  an  incomplete  fertilizer,  and 
that  unless  the  soil  contains  potash  and 
phosphorus  in  sufficient  amount,  the  ni¬ 
trate  is  nearly  valueless.  It  is  simply  a 
convenient  and  useful  form  in  which  to 
apply  nitrogen  alone.  The  Cornell  ex¬ 
periments  of  1890  showed  that  nitrate  of 
soda  gave  no  increased  yield  upon  poor 
soil,  and  Prof.  Voorhees’s  tests,  elsewhere 
alluded  to,  upon  the  soil  of  the  New  Jer¬ 
sey  Experiment  Station,  show  that  the 
effect  of  nitrate  was  “  dependent  upon 
the  presence  or  absence  in  the  soil  of  a 
full  supply  of  the  mineral  elements, 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash . 
Upon  good  soil  nitrate  of  soda  gave  good 
results  at  Cornell,  at  the  New  Jersey  Sta¬ 
tion,  and  also  at  the  Maryland  Station. . . 
Early  and  Late  Setting. — In  1890  ex¬ 
periments  were  made  to  determine  if  very 
early  setting  of  tomatoes  in  the  field  is 
advisable.  Plants  set  early  in  May  and 
which  were  subjected  to  much  cold  and 
inclement  weather,  gave  earlier  results 
than  those  set  along  with  the  general 
planting  early  in  J  une,  and  yielded  nearly 
five  times  as  much.  The  experiment  was 
repeated  last  year,  but  the  differences 
were  not  so  marked  as  the  previous  year. 
The  figures  of  the  Cornell  bulletin  show 
that  two  transplantings  gave  larger  yields 
than  either  one  or  three,  although  three 
transplantings  gave  the  earliest  fruits  in 
one  instance . 
Seeds  vs.  Cuttings. — In  1890  some  tests 
were  made  to  determine  the  relative 
merits  of  seedlings  and  cuttings,  and  it 
was  found  that  seeds  gave  plants  twice 
more  productive  than  cuttings.  The  rel¬ 
ative  value  of  seedlings  and  cuttings  is 
an  important  matter,  for  many  growers 
prefer  the  latter  and  carry  over  a  few 
plants  in  a  greenhouse  to  afford  spring 
cuttings.  The  experiment  was  repeated 
last  year.  The  cuttings  were  made  from 
bearing  greenhouse  plants  at  the  same 
time  that  seeds  were  sown  for  the  com¬ 
petitive  plants.  All  the  plants  were  there¬ 
after  handled  in  exactly  the  same  man¬ 
ner,  being  transplanted  twice  and  set  in 
the  field  June  10. 
The  results  from  these  two  lots  were  un¬ 
like.  The  Lorillard  showed  a  much  better 
crop  from  seedlings,  the  weight  being 
over  four  times  greater.  In  the  Ithaca, 
the  results  were  reversed,  but  it  chanced 
that  the  seedling  plants,  for  some  un¬ 
known  reason,  were  very  poor,  and  there¬ 
fore  not  typical  for  comparison,  and  the 
cuttings  gave  a  small  yield.  Taken  in 
connection  with  the  results  of  1890.  the 
figures  seem  to  justify  the  statement  that 
as  a  rule  seedling  plants  give  better  re¬ 
sults  than  cuttings . 
A  singular  result  was  obtained  by  tak¬ 
ing  cuttings  from  cutting  plants.  The 
original  Lorillard  cuttings  were  made 
February  2,  and  placed  in  three-inch  pots. 
March  12  they  were  transplanted  into 
four-inch  pots,  and  a  month  later  cuttings 
were  taken  from  the  side  shoots  of  these 
plants  and  struck  into  three-inch  pots. 
These  were  shifted  into  four-inch  pots 
May  20,  and  set  into  the  field  June  10, 
alongside  the  plants  from  which  they 
were  taken.  The  first  fruits  were  not 
obtained  until  August  17,  two  weeks  later 
than  the  seedlings  and  over  five  weeks 
later  than  the  parent  cuttings.  But  the 
yield  was  over  three  times  greater  than 
that  of  the  parent  plants,  and  the  average 
weight  of  individual  fruits  was  nearly 
twice  as  great.  There  was  also  a  great 
difference  in  habit  between  the  two.  The 
original  cuttings,  which  were  taken  from 
strong  growing  shoots  from  near  the  top 
of  bearing  plants,  made  a  tall  growth  and 
looked  like  average  seedling  plants.  The 
cuttings  from  them,  however,  which  were 
taken  from  much  smaller  shoots  than 
their  parents  had  been,  made  very  short 
and  stocky  plants  with  a  great  tendency 
to  branch. 
55 
the  flutings  extending  to  the  middle.  1 1 
is  of  the  Acme  color.  Immense  clusters. 
Cell  walls  thick  and  fleshy,  sometimes  fill¬ 
ing  nearly  the  entire  tomato.  It  is  often 
ripe  inside  while  mostly  green  outside.  Often 
the  “  flower  end  ”  is  contorted,  like  Gen. 
Garfield . . 
The  Long- Keeper  Tomato,  which  orig¬ 
inated  at  the  Rural  Grounds  and  was  in¬ 
troduced  during  1891,  by  Thorburn  & 
Co. ,  has  everywhere  been  reported  upon 
favorably.  It  is  not  only  a  long-keeper, 
but  the  fruit,  though  never  large,  is  al¬ 
ways  well  formed.  Besides,  it  is  among 
the  earliest . 
The  average  weight  of  a  basket  of  to¬ 
matoes  of  15  quarts  is  30  pounds . 
It  appears  that  a  few  Ponderosa  To¬ 
matoes  raised  the  first  season  weighed 
four  pounds;  many  specimens  are  reported 
as  weighing  three  pounds  apiece  or  a  frac¬ 
tion  over . 
$U$ccUattcou.$  JuliTttissiufl. 
In  writing  to  advertisers  please  always  mention 
The  Rural. 
GRAPEVINES 
rootad  stock  Genu! 
•orlpttT*  prloe  list  free 
LEWIS  ROE8CH.  Fr«d»»ta.  ■  T* 
Training. — Training  to  stakes  is  not 
desirable  unless  the  plants  are  pruned. 
Plants  tied  to  two  or  three  stakes,  the 
vines  being  wound  about  them,  as  often 
recommended,  ripen  their  fruits  un¬ 
evenly,  and  the  labor  of  picking  from  the 
tangled  mass  of  foliage  is  great . 
Trimming  the  plants  lightly  in  mid¬ 
summer  appears  to  increase  yield  and 
earliness.  But  it  should  not  be  perform¬ 
ed  in  this  latitude  after  the  first  half  of 
August . 
Hilling. — There  are  gardeners  who 
think  that  hilling  tomato  plants,  much  as 
potatoes  are  hilled,  is  advantageous.  A 
plot  of  49  good  Ignotum  plants  was  divid¬ 
ed  into  two  lots  of  28  and  21.  The  latter 
were  hilled  twice,  once  a  couple  of  weeks 
after  the  plants  were  set  and  again  six 
weeks  later.  The  soil  was  hilled  up  six 
inches  about  the  plant  each  time.  There 
was  no  difference  in  earliness  between 
the  two  lots.  The  yield  in  pounds  was 
essentially  the  same  in  both  lots,  and 
there  appeared  to  be  no  advantage  in 
hilling.  The  test  was  made  upon  poor 
clay  loam . 
Leggy  Plants  give  smaller  yields  than 
stocky  plants.  When  the  plants  are 
leggy,  however,  it  is  better  to  set  them 
deep  in  the  soil . 
It  is  often  said  that  weak  plants  are 
more  susceptible  to  the  attacks  of  fungi 
than  strong  ones.  This  point  was  tested 
upon  a  small  number  of  Ignotum  plants 
at  Cornell.  One  lot  was  transplanted 
three  times  and  the  plants  were  in  excel¬ 
lent  condition  when  set  in  the  field. 
The  plants  also  had  two  heavy  applica¬ 
tions  of  Bradley’s  vegetable  fertilizer. 
The  other  lot  had  but  a  single  transplant¬ 
ing  and  the  plants  were  weak  and  poor 
when  set  in  the  field;  and  they  had  no 
fertilizer.  The  two  lots  were  set  side  by 
side;  the  strong  plants  gave  double  the 
yield  of  the  weak  ones.  In  the  strong 
plants,  43  per  cent  of  the  fruit  rotted  and 
in  the  weak  plants  74  per  cent . 
Prof.  Bailey  made  some  painstaking 
experiments  to  determine  if  tomatoes  mix 
in  the  field.  His  conclusion  is  that  they 
do  mix  in  the  field.  One  clear  case  of 
hybridism  between  a  large  variety  and 
the  Currant  Tomato  was  thus  obtained .  . 
Varieties. — The  Cornell  Station  says 
the  Ignotum  is  the  best  variety  for 
all  purposes  which  was  grown  last 
year.  Among  the  introductions  of  the 
year,  the  following  are  considered  the 
most  promising:  Cumberland  Red,  Long 
Keeper,  Mitchell,  Potomac,  Red  Mikado, 
Stone. 
The  400  Tomato  (Ponderosa)  ripened  a 
small  proportion  of  fruit  early — the  rest 
rather  late.  It  is  characteristically  fluted 
about  the  stem,  as  elsewhere  described, 
r.  V.  MUNSON,  Denison,  Texas. 
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