September 9, 1899. 
27 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
for dessert purposes. The bunches carry seven or 
eight fruits in a two ranked raceme, that add con¬ 
siderably to the beauty of the round and perfectly 
smooth Tomatos, which are of fine flavour, and suit¬ 
able for dessert purposes. Princess of Wales is a 
dwarfer growing variety, bearing larger and flatter 
fruits, that is, the latter are slightly depressed on 
the top. For outdoor culture this is a beautifully 
smooth-fruited variety, carrying its fruits in racemes 
alter the manner of Peerless. The new strain of 
Sutton’s Abundance will constitute the stock for 
next year, as it is considerably superior to the cld. 
The fruits are like those of Peerless, but larger, 
quite round, smooth, and handsome. 
The foliage of Maincrop is remarkably like that of 
a Potato, or, at least, something very distinct from 
the usual run of Tomato foliage. The fruits are cor¬ 
rugated, slightly larger than those of Magnum 
Bonum, and freely produced. In 1895 Main Crop 
Tomato was grafted upon Victoria Potato. Seed 
was gathered from it, and amongst others gave a 
variety with similar foliage, but smaller fruits, and 
bigger bunches, the fruits of which ripened four 
days earlier than those of the mother plant. In what 
particular way the Potato stock influenced the graft 
upon it is a nut for the philosophers to crack. 
Several varieties are grown purely for ornamental 
purposes, and Sutton’s Cluster is one of the hand¬ 
somest we noted. The small, globular, red berries, 
are borne in racemes 18 in. to 2 ft. lcng, drooping 
gracefully from the stems supporting them. The 
fruits are edible, it may be remarked, by those 
who prefer a slightly acidulated Tomato; but 
the best place for the variety is in the greenhouse 
or conservatory, where they would add to the 
display there, and could hardly fail to be 
admired. The smooth, round fruits of Sutton’s 
Dessert are of fine flavour, and larger than those of 
Cluster. They are large enough for dessert pur¬ 
poses for home use, though not of sufficient size to 
suit the market men. The Plum-shaped fruits of 
Chiswick Red are produced in great abundance, 
though light in weight. Though an old sort there is 
still a certain demand for it ; hence the reason for 
growing it. 
For Indoor Culture. 
Sutton’s Eclipse is perhaps a trifle flatter than Best 
of All, but is otherwise somewhat similar. The 
fruit is beautifully smooth, and is a very good 
variety for exhibition purposes. The Apple-shaped 
Tomato, namely Sutton's Ai, is remarkable for its 
great depth, the green fruits bearing a strong resem¬ 
blance to some of the Codlins. When mature it is 
certainly a handsome and strikingly distinct Tomato. 
It does best under glass. Frogmore Selected is 
much like Ai. On the other hand Best of All is 
similar to Eclipse, but deeper and better adapted for 
market work. Sutton’s Perfection is similar to 
Eclipse in shape, but much larger, later, and admir¬ 
ably adapted for exhibition purposes. Its best 
qualities are, of course, brought out only by the aid 
of glass. It is a perfectly smooth, and more or less 
flattened fruit. 
Quite of a different kind is the Peach Tomato, 
with its small, round, downy fruits. Sutton's 
Tender and True is a larger and earlier form of 
Peach and crops freely. Sutton’s Peachblow is yet 
a larger fruit than Tender and JTrue, deeper in 
colour, not so downy on the surface, but tender, juicy 
and perfectly palatable even for dessert purposes. 
Sutton’s Pomegranate is a large, brick-red, downy 
Tomato, of good flavour ; but its colour is objection¬ 
able to those who are guided more by the eye than 
the palate, a trait of the British public which is 
certainly peculiar. 
Yellow Tomatos. 
The Plum-shaped Tomato, Sunbeam, is oval, 
perfectly smooth, golden-yellow, and should do much 
to remove the prejudice that only red or scarlet 
varieties are worth the having. It is a heavy 
Cropper and very handsome. Sutton's Golden 
Nugget is practically a yellow form of Cluster ; and 
while it is suitable for dessert purposes, it is also 
highly ornamental. Prince of Wales comes midway 
between Sunbeam and Golden Perfection. The 
fruit is of a good useful size, flattened on the crown, 
but not to the same extent as in Golden Perfection, 
while it is beautifully smooth. Golden Jubilee is 
still a very handsome variety and seems to be a later 
stock of Golden Perfection. It is of the same shape 
as the latter and often tinted with orange as it 
reaches perfect maturity. The largest of all the 
yellow varieties is Golden Queen; but it is often 
deeply corrugated, though solid and juicy. The 
bunches sometimes weigh 3 lbs. each. The fruits of 
Golden Perfection are smooth, deep, and often 
beautifully tinted with orange. 
The descriptions of the above twenty-seven 
varieties show that they vary from the largest to the 
smallest; that there are perfectly smooth and corru¬ 
gated forms; and practically include all the range of 
colours met with amongst Tomatos except white. 
There is surely sufficient choice to meet the wants 
of everybody and to please the most fastidious. 
There are also heavy and light varieties, early and 
late, running through every gradation of flavour. 
The crop has yet a whole month in which to ripen, 
and by the end of that time we believe every fruit 
on the early varieties will be mature. 
-— 
LILIUM TESTACEUM. 
There are many beautiful Lilies which cause a deal 
of disappointment to beginners, that is, those who 
undertake their cultivation for the first time; but 
the Nankeen Lily (L. tes*aceum) is of the easiest 
cultivation, and not at all particular as to soil. A 
little shade should be assured, so that the surface of 
the ground about the leaves and stems may be kept 
cool in the drier and warmer parts of the country. 
Some of the less recent books describe this species 
as a native of Japan; but it is really of garden origin, 
and has been artificially reproduced as a hybrid be¬ 
tween L. candidum (white) and L. chalcedonicum 
(scarlet), between which it takes an intermediate 
position ; the large expanded flowers being of a light 
testaceous red, that is, straw coloured with a dash 
of red in it, such as scarlet and white parents might 
be expected to produce. The arrangement of the 
upper leaves of the stem recall those of L. chalce¬ 
donicum. The name L. excelsum has been given to the 
hybrid, but the plant having since been determined 
to be identical with L. testaceum, the former name 
is now regarded as a synonym. The flowers might 
otherwise be described as soft apricot with scarlet 
anthers; and they are also deliciously scented as 
well as showy. We are indebted to Messrs. Sutton 
& Sons, Reading, for this opportunity of figuring it 
Gathering and Storing Fruit —Every year there 
is much waste in fruit. Fruit is one of the best of 
natural things sent to us. To waste it then is an 
unpardonable offence. Care is needed in gathering 
and storing. There are many points to be considered 
in such work. The state of ripening is one. 
Unripe fruits if closely stored, will ferment. It is 
keenest during the first fortnight. After two months 
it has subsided. In other words, so long as there is 
much moisture In the fruits, there will be a sweating 
and probably fermentation. Apples and Pears are 
most subject to it. 
The first care in gathering is careful handling. 
Nothing sooner ruins a fruit than rough plucking. 
All should know when a fruit is ready. Then, when 
so, gather it. Practical men have acquired dexter¬ 
ity in loosening fruits. One sharp peculiar upward 
twist avoids all harm. But the boughs must at the 
same time be held. The chances otherwise would 
be that neighbouring fruits would be jerked off. 
Of course large orchardists cannot always be so care¬ 
ful. I have helped to shake down many bushels of 
Pears and Apples. They were, however, well 
looked after when stored. But for those who 
look forward to a succession of fruit through 
the winter, care must imperatively be taken. 
The fruits may at times require to be netted. If one 
has large handsome fruits why let them strain 
the branches? Only such a course is not often 
called for by the ordinary grower. 
The use of ladders for tall orchard trees forms a 
convenient way of reaching and securing Apples, 
Pears and Damsons. If the ladder be placed close 
