174 
branches lay prostrate upon the ground, with discolored 
and shrivelled foliage, and fully one-half of the fruits de- 
cayed, leaving nothing but the dry skins. This decay is a 
soit rot, quite different from the black rot that often affects 
tomatoes. The fruit becomes soft, and collapses without 
changing color; the skin finally bursts, permitting the con- 
tents to flow out, when it dries, without detaching itself 
from the stem. 
Another line of experiments was commenced in 1883 on 
the use of seeds from immature fruits,! the variety being 
Cook’s Favorite, a tomato rather closely resembling the 
Little Gem. It is a matter of interest that the results upon 
the health of the plant appear to have been the same as in 
the experiments noted above. The progeny of the green 
fruit has become so feeble that the plants are but quarter 
the size of those grown from ripe seed. They have the 
shrivelled and discolored foliage noted above, and a very 
large proportion of the fruits decayed as soon as, or even 
before they matured. 
Prof. Arthur, who has examined the decayed fruits in 
both of these experiments, pronounces the rot due entirely 
to the enfeebled condition of the plant and not to any heredi- 
tary or contagious fungous disease. 
These results show clearly that the selection of seed in 
the tomato is a subject of importance, and that the vigor 
and health of varieties is endangered by the use of immature 
seed; or seed from enfeebled plants. 
INSECTS AND INSECTICIDES. 
With the exception of aphides of many kinds, destructive 
insects were not especially numerous at the Station the past 
season. Potato beetles, cucumber beetles, flea-beetles and 
currant worms came in their usual numbers, and were 
treated by the methods that have been found most satisfac- 
tory informer seasons. lor the benefit of those who may not 
have our previous reports at hand, these methods are briefly 
noted here, with such qualifications as the experience of 
the past seasons suggests. 
For the larve of the potato beetle, Doryphora decemlin- 
eata (Say ), Paris green thoroughly mixed with land plaster 
at the rate of one part to 150, was dusted over the plants 
with the ordinary sifting box. For the beetles themselves 
the mixture was made stronger, one part of the poison to 
100 of the plaster being used. 
1See Report New York Agricultural Experiment Station, 1884, p. 224; 
1885, p. 182. 
