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Show :j Tie Standard's U. A. C Bureau I Articles of Interest to Farmers, Housekeepers and Others H Written for The Standard by Experts at Utah's Noted I Agricultural College at Logan tt. IMPROVING THE TOMATO. BY M. C. MERRILL, Horticulturist, Utah Agricultural college. . Inasmuch a3 Weber and neighboring neighbor-ing counties are dotted with tomato canne ed and the tu.-n'it industry, has asoJiP.e.l r'uru pi ud.Ii i m importance import-ance throughout that section, tne readers ot.th-5 6 . nda.' l -Exmnliui: win probably 'Co interested Sr. the various phases of tonu'3 irnprovniMil. I The tom.t'o is a plant of Aincr.oan origin, Us native hoi.tu being l'trru, as nearly as can bo determined. Jt is a most interesting plant to grow nna study for many reason.;. Because of lis long period of existence in the Uup-Ics Uup-Ics it has becomo adapted to a long 1 growing season and docs- best In warm weather. It therefore keeps right on growing and flowering, and producing fruit In tho northern latitudes until it is killed by tho frost. To get tho greatest production beforo tho com weather of Urn fal. it, is stated in hot-beds. Care is taken to protect it trom the spring frosts, for this trotM-cal trotM-cal plant is very tender. in the course of time the tomato will undoubtedly evolve In the northern north-ern regions into a plant with a mueu shorter growing period than at prc-i sent. This will be dono by breeding and selection. The department of horticulture or the Utah experiment station Is nu starting upon the third year of expori-mcntation expori-mcntation with the tomato. About 100 strains and varieties of canning tonia-j tonia-j toes grown in various sections of tho I United States aro being tested, hred, I and selected. Thero aro three main features In tho Improvement of tho tomato that arc being sought. These are. 1. Tho development of an earlier variety so tho fall fro3ts will not take such a heavy toll each year. 2. The breeding of higher yielding varieties. 3. The production of a tomato of better quality than wo have at present. pre-sent. Great strides have been made In tho past few decades in. tho development or evolution of the tomato from the small wild native tomato to our pic-scnt pic-scnt tomatoes of Increasing excellence Wc have gone a long way In a short time In the Improvement of the tomato. toma-to. But yet wo have Just barely started. start-ed. Tho original uatlvo tomato was small, spherical and with only two seed cavities. It very closely reaem bled bl-ed our present cherry tomato. The most notable advance in its improver merit has been an Increase in size. iui along with that increased size has been an increase In the number of seed cavities, which aro undesirable. Furthermore, there has been a development de-velopment of angularity or irregular Slirfaeos. anothor h;id fontnrf It Ik true there are some varieties now producting beautiful smooth tomatoes of spherical shape. This is the type desired, but it must be improved uijuu as regards quality. The Improvement will proceed along the lines of ear-Uness, ear-Uness, greater yield, a lower percentage percent-age of culls, a tougher skin, a more solid interior with fewer seods and watery seed cavities. Tomatoes arc readily subject to change as a result of brooding and of environmental influences. Tomato varieties tend rapidly to "run out" or change markedly and new varieties arc constantly appearing. This condition con-dition favors the development of new and superior varieties. The future will no doubt see tho origin and development of tomato varieties var-ieties as much superior to our present varieties as these are superior to the wild native tomato. |