New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 8329 
A TEST OF TOMATO SEED. 
An experiment started in 1883, to note the influence of seed 
from ripe and green fruits of the tomato, has been carried on to 
date. ie 
The results each year being the same, the seed from green fruits 
producing plants of impaired vigor, but earlier to ripen fruits, 
_ which are small but abundant. The earliness seems to be caused 
by the scant foliage being but little ‘obstruction to the sunlight, 
~ the fruits being exposed at all times. It may be that some of our 
medium late varieties, as Mikado or Dwarf Champion, plants with 
coarse heavy foliage, might be made considerable earlier by trim- 
ming out the foliage or by training on some cheap kind of trellis. 
It has been said that the black rot of the tomato appears to 
flourish most on the more vigorous plants, and the same observa- 
tions may apply as to the late ripening of the most vigorous, 7. e., 
the heavy foliage being a bar to the sunlight. The soil remains 
damp, which in very warm weather may make very favorable con- 
_ ditions for the development and spread of the disease germs. The 
subject will receive attention in the future. 
In a test made this year of large and small fruits from the same 
plant of tomato, to ascertain the difference in productiveness, size 
and earliness, it was found that the seed from small fruits produced 
_ plants of but medium vigor and productiveness, but very early, 
- and as large fruits as the plants from large fruits. The latter were 
more vigorous and productive, and ten days later to ripen fruits. 
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