A fine showy variety, of good quality; remains good a long time before becoming pithy; excellent for summer use. Resembles Olive Rose, but perhaps rather better; becomes pithy very soon. A well known sort, but doubtless superseded by better kinds. Very tender at first, but remains good only a short time; same as Round Deep Scarlet Turnip. Long White Naples-A. W. Livingston's Sons.. Round Deep Scarlet Turnip-A. W. Livingston's Sons.... TOMATOES. Seed was sown in the hot bed April 20. The plants were once transplanted and set in the field June 2. The tomato is quite variable as to earliness; the variety that is earliest one season may not be so the next. If the order of ripening, as given in Table XIII., and that given in Table IX. of the last report are compared, there will be found to be much diversity. Perhaps the method pursued in this report of giving the number of ripe fruits found at the time of each picking is less objectionable than that of merely giving the date of the first ripe fruit, but it is very doubtful if any method whatever can be pursued that will give anything more than an approximation. With none but well established varieties, brought to a high degree of fixity and uniformity by selection, it is possible to determine earliness. Most of the so-called varieties of tomatoes are merely strains that have not become fixed by thorough selection, hence it is impossible to affirm anything whatever concerning them. will be seen that Acme seed taken from the first ripe fruit, produced plants that gave fruit earlier than that taken from the last ripe fruit. Doubtless, the plan of saving seed from the first good fruit, or from plants that give the most early fruit. is a good one. It has been observed that the finest, if not the earliest fruit is secured by this method of selection. There was no difference observed between seed saved from fruit affected by rot, and that saved from sound fruit. Seed saved from green fruit failed to germinate. Essex Hybrid--Peter Henderson & Co...... 11 5 12 10 10 10 10 9999 10 17 26 30 24 11 3 8 13 Advance.-Rather larger and not so rough as the Alpha, but not large and smooth enough to become a profitable market variety. It may be profitable in some sections, but in this market the fruit could not be sold at any price as soon as the large fruited sorts ripen. Climax.-A fine, smcoth fruited variety, much resembling the Favorite. Cardinal.-Fruit of good form and color, but rots quite as badly as the Acme. Not superior to that variety, except for markets where its color is in its favor. Market Champion.—Resembles the Cardinal, and whether identical or not, is a fine variety or strain. Mayflower. Fruit often irregular. Has not come up to the promises made for it. Optimus.-Fruit quite smooth, resembling the Perfection in color. It may be identical with that variety, but is hardly superior to it. Precursor.-Fruit quite irregular. Scarcely better than Canada Victor. Rochester.-Fruit quite large, but somewhat irregular, and ripens unevenly. Standard Market and Shipping -Quite regular and smooth, but resembles the Perfection. New Tree Tomato.-Identical with the Upright Red. Fruit too rough and late. Wonder of Italy. --Fruit small and worthless. SEED TESTS. BY W. S. DEVOL. The testing of the vitality of seeds was done as near as it was possible during the season of planting, (excluding tests given in Table II.), beginning February 24th, and ending August 10th. The plan of conducting the germinations at this time was adopted that any differences in vitality that might arise from the time of year and age of seed might be eliminated, and the comparison of tests thereby made as just as it is possible to make it. The total number of germinations made in the period intervening between the above mentioned dates was 887, as follows: Corn sent to the Station for testing, 290 samples; varieties of field corn used in field experiments from specimen ears sent to the Station, 82 tests; varieties of sweet corn used in field experiments, 40 tests; garden seeds, and a few miscellaneous seeds, 505 tests. All the tests were made in the germinater described in our first annual report. The temperature for the germination of corn was 82° to 92° Fahrenheit. For other seeds it was kept between 78° and 85° Fahrenheit. SEED CORN. Corn harvested in 1884 was housed in better condition than it had been for two or three years before, and withstood the cold of the winter better, coming out at seeding time mostly uninjured. Better care, too, was taken in cur ing and keeping seed corn than formerly, as evinced by the remarks accompanying seed sent to the Station for testing. Two hundred and sixty tests of seed corn were made during the spring of 1885, for persons in all parts of Ohio, and a few from without the State. These tests are given in detail in Table I. In the first column in the left is the number of test as recorded at the Station. Following this in order are given: the name of the variety of corn; the color of the grain, "y" yellow, "W" white, "R" red, "S" striped or spotted; the name and address of the person sending the corn; the number of hours from the time the test was begun until the first kernel was observed to have sprouted; the number of days from the time the sample was put in the tester until the last seed to germinate had done so; the per cent. of seed that germinated; the number of ears from which the sample was taken; the place on the ears from which the kernels were taken; and remarks concerning the manner in which the corn had been cured and kept. An average of over 95 per cent. germinated of the samples taken from that which had been thoroughly dried by being spread thinly upon a floor, placed on shelves, ricked up, hung up by the husks, or some such manner, while of the samples taken from the crib, an average of but a little over 90 per cent. germinated. This is equivalent to the saving of over 5 per cent. of the seed in planting, besides, what is of much more importance, the greater certainty of the corn being evenly distributed over the field when it comes up, for the poorer the seeds the more variable will be the number of stalks in a hill. The difference in the vitality of the seed due to different ways of curing and keeping the corn may be made evident by selecting a few examples from the table. Take samples of Leaming corn, Nos. 1487-9, left in the shock in the field until February, at which time it was tested. The average germination from the three tests, from the tips, middles and butts of the same fifty ears, was 81.3 per cent., and from the middle of the ear, which represents the greater part of it, only 72 per cent. The three succeding tests (Nos. 1490-2), made at the same time, are of the same variety, grown near the above, but properly cured in October. An average of 98.7 per cent. germinated, and 100 per cent. from the middle of the ear, a difference of 28 per cent. from the middle of the ear. Compare Nos. 1469-71 with Nos. 1472-4. The treatment of both lots was the same until it was cribbed in the fall, when the corn from which the three first named tests were made, was spread thinly in a loft at the same time as that from which the last named tests were made was put in the crib. In these there was a difference of 20 per cent. in the germinations from the middle of the ears. It is evident to any one who has given the matter attention, that we do not as a rule, in curing, storing and keeping our seed corn, take the care necessary to insure the best germination, even when planted under the most favorable circumstances. Nor will this care be given until we are convinced that it will pay to do so. Is it good economy to take the time and trouble necessary to select, thoroughly dry and properly store the corn that is to be used for seed? In1884 over 2,600,000 acres were planted to corn in Ohio. Assuming five quarts of seed to have been required per acre to plant this, it required over 400,000 bushels of seed corn. From the table of germinations it was found that over 5 per cent. more of corn that was properly cured germinated than that simply kept in cribs. In other words it would require over 5 per cent. more of seed from the crib than of the cured seed to get the required number of stalks on a given area of ground. It would therefore require over 20,000 bushels more for seed, than if it were all properly cured, and at the average market price of corn for the year, cost over $9,000. But an average of 5 per cent. difference in vitality required the planting of not only the 5 per cent. of extra seed to insure the proper number of stalks, but much more, say another 5 per cent. to insure the proper distribution of the stalks. This will raise the cost of seed to $18,000. But seed corn sells for more than the average price of corn, often four and five times the price. Suppose that on an average it was twice as high, the extra cost of seed is thus seen to be $36,000 per year in Ohio alone. But this not all. It is, indeed, but a small part of the expense caused by poor or inferior seed. The cost of replanting, the delay occasioned by this often resulting in an entire failure of the crop, the expense of thinning where too many kernels had been planted to insure enough stalks in the hill, and the poor corn thrown upon the market from uneven ripening and mixing caused by replanting makes the cost to the farmers of the State far more than at first appears. Compared with the cost from neglecting to do so, the expense of properly curing and storing the necessary amount of corn for seed, is quite insignificant. |