
173 
earliest market varieties. This attempt has proved success- 
ful. The seeds were planted March 20, and the first fruit 
ripened on August 6, or in 139 days. But one large-fruited 
variety of the ordinary type ripened so early as this, viz., 
the San Salvador (Dam. ’86) and this was very poor in 
quality and deeply ribbed. The fruit from the upright 
plant, however, was very smooth, of good size, and of re- 
markable quality, containing 
but 48 seeds. Several other 
fruits were borne on plants 
of this type equal to the first | 
in everything except earli- 9% 
ness. <A quantity of seed & 
has been saved from the 
smoothest fruits borne by 
the earliest and most pro- 
ductive plants, for propaga- 
tion next season. 
It is thought that in case 
this variety succeeds well 
under glass, it may prove of 
great value for forcing, as | 
its extremely compact habit 
will render it well adapted Fig. 1. 
for frame culture. A trial of it is to be made the coming 
winter in the greenhouse. A cut of one of the plants of 
ae new tomato, taken from a photograph, is presented in 
resents Nat 

THE INFLUENCE OF HEREDITY UPON VIGOR. 
An experiment with the tomato carried on during the 
past three seasons, furnishes some striking and important 
results. | 
In the fall of 1883, a single plant was noticed in a row of 
the Little Gem tomato that appeared more feeble in growth 
and had more of its fruits decayed than any other.» In 
order to find out whether or not this peculiarity would be 
inherited, a few of the sound fruits from this plant, with a 
few others from a neighboring one that appeared very vig- 
orous and healthy, were selected for seed, and plants from 
the two selections were grown the following season.’ The 
progeny of each plant resembled its parent except that that 
of the feeble one was still more feeble. The same selections 
were continued through 1885 and 1886, with similar results. 
The progeny of the feeble plant continued to become more 
feeble. The past season the enfeebled plants were scarcely 
more than one-fourth the size of the vigorous ones. The 
1See Report New York Agricultural Experiment Station for 1884, p. 227. 

