62 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
January  2.3 
makes  it  profitable  above  all  others  as  a  variety  for  the 
market  gardener — earliness.  I  can  put  almost  the 
whole  crop  upon  the  market  before  I  get  any  appre¬ 
ciable  part  of  the  crop  of  our  standard  sorts,  and,  con¬ 
sequently,  I  can  sell  them,  inferior  as  they  are  in  some 
respects,  at  double  and  treble  the  price  I  could  get  for 
the  best  Matchless  or  Ignotums.  The  two  last  are  my 
favorites  among  the  later  standard  sorts,  especially 
for  the  kitchen  garden  ;  but  we  have  a  vast  number  of 
others — Stone,  McCulluin’s  Hybrid,  Apple  and  many 
of  Livingston’s,  which  are  also  good  and  entirely  re¬ 
liable,  and  cannot  fail  to  give  satisfaction.  I  cannot 
see  how  anything  could  be  gained  by  breeding  out  the 
seeds  entirely,  and  cultivating  a  variety  by  cuttings. 
I  believe  what  we  want  is  a  large  number  of  small 
seed  cavities — a  good  admixture  of  pulp  and  juice. 
Seeds  are  no  objection  to  me,  and  to  breed  out  the 
seeds  would  certainly  result  in  giving  us  core,  which 
we  do  not  want.  A  fine,  solid  Lorillard,  from  the 
greenhouse  in  winter,  for  instance,  has  just  the  right 
proportion  of  pulp  and  juice— of  flesh  and  seed  cavity 
— to  make  it  very  desirable  and  luscious,  x.  GREINER. 
1.  All  in  all,  for  heavy  as  well  as  light  soils  in  Michi¬ 
gan,  Livingston’s  Favorite  is  at  the  head  of  our  mar¬ 
ket  varieties  of  tomatoes.  2.  If  by  breeding  out  the 
seeds  is  meant  the  production  of  a  variety  with  no  seeds 
by  selection,  and  then  its  perpetuation  by  cuttings, 
I  say  most  emphatically,  no.  If  it  is  meant  that  when 
we  get  a  well  marked  type  we  should  maintain  it  by 
cuttings,  I  say,  yes ;  for  as  yet  we  have  no  race  of 
tomatoes  sufficiently  stable  to  stand  the  racket 
years  of  propagation  by  seed  without  losing 
character  even  under  careful  selection. 
CHA8.  W.  GARFIELD. 
Tomato  Experience  of  R.  N.-Y. 
Contributors. 
Best  Tomato;  Why  Best  ?  The  Coming 
Tomato. 
1.  What  tomato  does  best  with  you? 
2.  For  what  superior  qualities  do  you  value  it? 
8.  In  what  direction  do  you  want  the  tomato  changed? 
We  cannot  exercise  a  wide  choice  so  far 
north  as  Orleans  County,  Vermont,  for  even 
with  the  earliest  varieties  we  cannot  in  an 
average  season  mature  one-half  the  crop. 
Pringle’s  Conqueror  has  given  as  good  results 
as  any  except  smaller  varieties,  which  are 
not  very  salable.  I  can  suggest  no  improve¬ 
ment  on  the  Conqueror  for  this  locality,  ex¬ 
cept  in  the  direction  of  something  proof 
against  rot.  x.  h.  hoskins. 
.  1.  The  Ignotum  is  the  best  tomato  we 
have  ever  raised  here  in  Summit  County,  Ohio. 
Its  flavor  is  very  superior,  and  it  is  about  per¬ 
fect  in  all  other  respects.  All  varieties  thrive 
here.  I  have  had  no  failure  with  any.  I 
wouldn’t  breed  out  seed,  for  the  few  seeds 
contained  in  our  best  sorts  are  no  great  draw  - 
back,  and  furnish  a  simple  and  convenient 
method  of  raising  plants,  that  is  well  suited  to  the 
wants  of  the  people.  m.  Crawford. 
1.  As  an  extra  early  variety  we  have  found  nothing 
equal  to  Vaughan’s  Earliest.  We  have  now  grown  it 
for  three  years  at  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College, 
and  it  has  been  the  first  of  all  to  ripen.  It  is  very 
productive,  of  medium  size  and  fairly  regular.  Fol¬ 
lowing  in  about  a  week  are  the  Early  Ruby  and 
Atlantic,  which  are  somewhat  larger,  but  less  produc¬ 
tive.  For  the  main  crop  Ignotum  is  still  our  favorite. 
Uniformly  large  in  size,  regular  in  form,  quite  produc¬ 
tive,  solid  and  of  good  quality,  it  is  the  best  variety 
we  know  of.  either  for  home  use  or  market. 
Of  the  new  sorts  we  are  much  pleased  with  Long 
Keeper  (originated  at  the  R.  N.-Y.  Experiment 
Grounds)  and  Potomac  of  the  purple  sorts,  and  Cum¬ 
berland  Red  and  Mitchell  of  the  red  kinds.  They  are 
all  very  productive,  uniform  in  size  and  very  regular 
in  form.  Among  the  other  valuable  kinds  are  Optimus, 
Matchless,  Red  Cross,  Morning  Star,  Volunteer,  Stone 
and  Bay  State.  Of  the  large,  coarse  kinds,  Henderson’s 
Ponderosa  (No.  400)  is  certainly  an  improvement  on 
the  Mikado  and  Turner  in  size,  regularity  of  form  and 
productiveness,  and  where  tomatoes  averaging  a  pound 
each  are  desired  this  variety  should  be  selected.  Table 
Queen  seems  to  be  a  pink  Trophy.  While  it  is  probably 
desirable  to  decrease  the  number  of  seeds  in  our  toma¬ 
toes,  I  think  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  breed  them  out 
entirely,  as  the  seeds  add  very  much  to  the  attractive¬ 
ness,  both  when  the  fruit  is  cooked  and  when  served 
sliced.  [prof.]  l.  r.  taft. 
1.  Ignotum  by  all  means.  For  a  second  choice  I 
prefer  Volunteer  for  Long  Island.  2.  1  like  Ignotum 
because  it  is  a  very  mild  sub-acid,  without  a  strong 
tomato  flavor.  It  is  also  very  solid  ;  not  hard  at  the 
stem.  The  fleshy  part  too  is  well  distributed  throughout 
the  fruit  and  it  has  few  seeds.  When  cooked  it  shows 
less  water  than  any  other  I  have  seen.  It  is  among 
the  earliest  of  all,  and  is  the  earliest  large  sort.  In 
size  it  is  large  enough  for  family  or  market.  It  is  a 
long  keeper,  being  in  this  respect  exceeded  by  none. 
Moreover,  it  is  a  large  bearer,  carrying  its  fruit  a  long 
time  if  on  good  soil.  3.  Entire  freedom  from  any 
tendency  to  be  yellow  and  crack  at  the  stem,  which  is 
a  very  great  fault  with  some  and  from  which  none  I 
think  is  entirely  exempt ;  freedom  from  black  rot  at 
the  blossom  end  and  greater  earliness  in  ripening. 
With  these  improvements  and  a  weeding  out  of  all  but 
half  a  dozen  varieties,  we  would  be  well  supplied. 
The  tomato  is  a  grand  fruit  anyway.  n.  hallock. 
Tomato  Experiments  at  the  New 
Jersey  Experiment  Station. 
Tomato  experiments  (previously  alluded  to)  con¬ 
ducted  by  the  N.  J.  Experiment  Station  in  1889  and 
again  in  1891,  under  the  direction  of  the  station  chemist, 
E.  B.  Voorhees,  are  no  less  valuable  than  interesting. 
It  is  estimated  that  the  consumption  of  toma¬ 
toes  has  increased  four-fold  in  the  last  10  years. 
The  soil  and  climate  of  New  .Jersey  are  well  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  this  crop,  and  it  now  forms  an  import¬ 
ant  farming  industry  of  the  State.  There  are  in  New 
Jersey  73  tomato  canneries,  located  chiefly  in  the 
counties  south  of  Middlesex.  Statistics  secured  by  the 
New  Jersey  Station  from  both  canners  and  farmers 
show  that  at  least  15,000  acres  are  devoted  to  the  rais¬ 
ing  of  tomatoes  for  these  canneries  ;  that  the  average 
yield  per  acre  is  from  8  to  10  tons,  with  a  minimum 
Fig.  53.  See  page  50. 
selling  price  of  $6.50  per  ton  delivered  at  the  canneries. 
Statistics  secured  in  regard  to  the  raising  of  toma¬ 
toes  for  the  general  market,  while  less  complete,  in¬ 
dicate  that  the  acreage  is  at  least  2,000,  with  an  aver¬ 
age  yield  of  six  tons  per  acre,  and  an  average  selling 
price  of  25  cents  per  basket  of  30  pounds.  Calculations 
based  on  these  statistics  show  that  the  annual  value  of 
the  crop  to  the  farmers  of  New  Jersey  is  over  $1,000,- 
000.  As  compared  in  point  of  money  value  with  the 
staple  crops  grown  in  the  State,  tomatoes  rank  below 
hay,  Indian  corn  and  potatoes,  with  wheat,  and  aJwve 
oats,  rye  and  buckwheat. 
The  crop  is,  on  the  whole,  profitable,  though  in  re¬ 
cent  years  the  market-gardeners  have  had  to  contend 
with  increased  early  shipments  from  the  Southern 
States  ;  and  the  general  farmers  with  bad  seasons  and 
low  prices. 
Practical  experience  in  regard  to  the  growth  of  the 
crop  has  led  to  the  belief  that  while  both  barnyard 
manure  and  commercial  fertilizers  increase  the  yield, 
it  is  at  the  expense  of  maturity,  especially  in  the  case 
of  fertilizers ;  and  that  the  best  effect  of  barnyard 
manure  is  shown  when  it  has  been  applied  in  the  fall 
previous  to  the  year  of  growth. 
In  view  of  the  magnitude  of  the  industry  and  the 
importance,  from  both  a  scientific  and  a  practical 
standpoint,  of  the  question  of  fertilization,  the  New 
Jersey  Station  has  carried  out  field  experiments  for 
the  purpose  of  studying  the  effect  of  different  methods 
of  fertilization  with  nitrate  of  soda  upon  early  maturity 
and  yield. 
The  chief  conclusions  reached  from  a  study  of  the 
results  secured,  are  : 
1.  That  nitrate  of  soda,  while  increasing  the  yield, 
does  not  do  so  at  the  expense  of  maturity — 
a.  When  a  small  quantity  was  used. 
b.  When  a  large  quantity  was  used  in  two  appli¬ 
cations. 
2.  That  nitrate  of  soda  did  increase  the  yield  at  the 
expense  of  maturity — 
a.  When  used  in  large  quantities  in  one  applica¬ 
tion. 
3.  That  nitrate  nitrogen  was  the  ruling  element  in 
the  growth  of  tomatoes,  and  that  its  best  effect  was 
dependent — 
a.  On  the  method  of  application. 
b.  On  the  presence  or  absence  in  the  soil  of  a  full 
supply  of  the  mineral  elements,  phosphoric  acid 
and  potash. 
Tomato  growers  in  New  Jersey  are  divided  into  two 
distinct  classes  : 
1.  Those  who  grow  for  the  general  market. 
2.  Those  _who  grow  for  the  canneries. 
Both  classes  are  benefited  by  large  yields  ;  but  both 
arc  not  equally  benefited  by  early  maturity.  A  gain 
of  one  week  in  ripening  in  one  case  often  means  the 
difference  between  a  market  price  of  $1.25  per  basket 
and  one  of  25  cents,  which  may  change  the  financial 
result  of  the  crop  from  an  average  paying  to  a  highly 
profitable  one  ;  while  in  the  other,  the  gain  of  a  week 
in  earliness  does  not  affect  the  financial  result,  pro¬ 
vided  it  is  early  enough  to  escape  killing  frosts.  The 
selling  price  for  the  tomatoes  sold  from  the  New  Jer¬ 
sey  Station  plots  ranged  from  $2  to  15  cents  per  basket. 
In  the  average  season  those  which  sell  for  50  cents  or 
more  per  basket  must  be  marketed  previous  to  August  1 . . 
When  nitrate  of  soda  was  used  alone,  the  smaller 
quantity  (160  pounds  per  acre)  produced  a  net  gain  of 
$10.13  over  the  larger  (320  pounds  per  acre). 
When  used  alone  in  two  applications,  the 
gain  is  increased  to  $14.48. 
When  nitrate  of  soda  is  used  in  connection 
with  mineral  elements,  the  larger  quantity 
produced  a  net  gain  of  $20.77  over  the  smaller. 
•  When  used  in  two  applications,  that  gain  is 
increased  to  $48. 
When  nitrate  of  soda  is  added  in  two  appli¬ 
cations  in  connection  with  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash,  the  net  value  of  the  crop  is  increased 
by  $42.44  over  the  increase  secured  from 
nitrate  of  soda  used  alone  and  applied  in  the 
same  manner.  These  conclusions  show  that 
financial  profits  from  the  use  of  nitrate  of  soda 
are  also  governed  by  the  method  of  application 
and  by  the  presence  or  absence  in  the  soil  of  a 
sufficient  excess  of  mineral  elements. 
From  statistics  secured  by  the  New  Jersey 
Station  from  leading  growers  and  canners 
throughout  the  State,  it  is  learned  that  the 
minimum  price  paid  per  ton  is  $6.50,  and  the 
average  yield  per  acre  in  a  good  season  is  10 
tons. 
It  is  shown  by  the  New  Jersey  experiments 
that  yield  was  increased  from  35  to  60  per  cent 
on  the  different  plots  by  the  use  of  nitrate  of 
soda.  Comparing  the  net  value  of  crops  secured 
from  this  use  of  nitrate  of  soda  with  the  value 
of  an  average  yield  of  10  tons  at  $6.50  per 
ton,  we  find  a  large  profit  from  its  use  in  every 
case,  ranging  from  $17  per  acre,  where  nitrate  of  soda 
was  used  alone  in  large  quantities  in  one  application, 
to  $39,  where  nitrate  of  soda  was  used  in  small  quanti¬ 
ties  in  two  applications  in  connection  with  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash.  These  figures  are  significant  when 
applied  to  field  crops,  and  lead  to  the  practical 
question  : 
How  far  can  the  results  of  this  experiment  on  tomatoes  be 
applied  in  determining  lines  of  practice  on  other  farms? 
It  is  admitted  that  this  is  but  a  single  experiment, 
carried  out  on  but  one  farm,  and  that  conclusions 
reached  may  be  modified  in  certain  particulars  by  fur¬ 
ther  investigation;  but  it  is  believed  that,  since  the 
conclusions  reached  so  closely  verify  the  results  reached 
by  other  experimenters  from  a  large  number  of  field 
experiments  with  nitrate  of  soda  on  plants  of  the  same 
family,  they  may  be  applied  in  a  general  way  to  all 
soils,  with  a  reasonable  expectation  of  getting  results 
which  correspond  in  proportion  to  those  secured  from 
this  experiment. 
The  experiments  show  that  the  soil  without  manur¬ 
ing  contained  sufficient  nitrogen  for  the  normal  pro¬ 
duction  of  10  tons  of  tomatoes  and  enough  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash  for  14  tons.  These  elements  have  been 
supplied  in  previous  years  almost  entirely  in  the  shape 
of  barnyard  manure;  but  the  large  quantity  of  nitrogen 
applied  in  the  manure  last  year  was  not  sufficiently 
available  to  increase  the  yield  possible  from  the  amount  of 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash  present  in  the  soil. 
Individual  farmers  should  know  the  present  capacity 
of  their  soil  for  crops,  and  also  whether  it  has  been 
manured  heavily  with  all  the  elements,  or  with  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  and  potash,  or  with  either  alone.  This 
knowledge  must  guide  in  the  application  of  the  results 
of  such  experiments,  keeping  in  mind  the  important 
fact  that  tomatoes  are  a  quick-growing  crop,  and  that 
in  order  to  get  a  maximum  yield,  comparatively  large 
