Rutgers, Marglobe and History

[gflynn]

These seem like staple crop tomatoes used by farmers before the advent of hybrids.

I am correct in thinking this? Where do these characters fit in a book on tomato history?

Greg

[korney19]

Greg, I don't recall all their histories, Craig will help here, but Rutgers was developed by Campbell's as a cross between Marglobe and JTD.

[Fert1]

Those are 2 varieties that my dad used to grow, and he grew up on a farm. I think his dad grew them as well. So that sounds about right to me, at least where my relatives/ancestors are concerned.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by korney19

Greg, I don't recall all their histories, Craig will help here, but Rutgers was developed by Campbell's as a cross between Marglobe and JTD.

Craig and Sue are on vacation while their daughters take care of plants and critters at home.

So sorry, but you'll have to put up with me.

Yes, Rutger's is a selection from a cross between Marglobe and JTD, and was done by the Campbell Soup Co in concert with Rutger's University. It was first released in 1928 and then again in 1933, as so called improved ( the 1928 release was indet) and the 1933 release is what is basically what we have today although there were, at last count in the SSE YEarbooks, about 8-9 different strains..

The one parent, JTD, was also bred by the Campbell Soup Co and is supposed to have Greater Baltimore in its lineage. It was named JTD in honor of Dr. John T Dorrance who I assume was with the Campbell Co, but don't know for sure.

The other parent of Rutgers was Marglobe.

Marglobe is a selection from a cross between the varieties Marvel and Globe.

Super Marglobe was developed at the Oakview Station of the Ferry Morse Co at Rochester, MI and released in 1936 and was felt to be a very uniform strain of the variety and the prototype for what was grown as Marglobe all those years, and is still grown.

[gflynn]

Thanks for the information folks and here is what I found out:

1. At one time in US history Rutger made up 70% of all tomatoes grown in the united states.

If this be true then where did it go? Did hybrids replace this one? When and why?

2. Lineage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers 1933
. . . . . .__________|___________
. . . . JTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marglobe 1917
. . ___|___ . . . . . . . . . . . . . ______|______
. . ? Greater Batimore . . Marvel . . . . . . Globe 1905
.1905 (found in a feild of) (Euro parents) (Livingston)
. . . . . (Livingston Stone) . . . . . . . . . . . . |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ___________________|______
. . . . . . Livingston Stone 1889 . . . . . . . Ponderosa 1891
(from a Ohio Market Gardener) . . . . . (Peter Henderson)

This is sort of like Geneology huh :-)

Greg

[travis]

Marglobe enjoys the distinction of being kind of THE standard tomato.

PV

[korney19]

This was from Fedco, specifically about the INDETERMINATE version of Rutgers:

"Ind. There are two varieties called Rutgers. We sell the original strain of this famous New Jersey tomato, developed by Campbell’s Soup Co. in 1928 as a cross between Marglobe and JTD. When Rutgers University “refined” the variety in 1943, they took out some of the vininess but also some of the flavor. Our taste tests confirm that the original indeterminate strain is better. Long considered an outstanding slicing, cooking and canning tomato, the medium-sized 5-8 oz. unblemished deep oblate fruits with rich red interior and pleasing texture have that great old-time flavor!"

I don't know if that 1943 was meant to be 1933 or not.

[WVTomatoMan]

Just to add a little something. Marglobe was created in 1917 (some list it as 1918) by Fred Pritchard of the USDA. It was "resistant" to a fungal disease call nailhead spot. Anyhow, those are the things I find interesting about Marglobe, that it was created by the USDA and was disease "resistant".

Randy

[carolyn137]

I don't know if that 1943 was meant to be 1933 or not.

It should be 1933. See also Greg's geneology chart, which is also online, and my info from a different source also says the "improved" strain, described as semi-det or det, was released in 1933.

[Tomatovator]

Is there currently a source for seeds for the indeterminate Rutgers tomato? I found one seed company that lists "Rutgers Select" as an indeterminate but all the others list "Rutgers" as determinate. What is "Rutgers Select"?

[bizzarbazzar]

Off Campbell website.....Arthur Dorrance succeeded Joseph Campbell as President of Campbell soup company in 1894

1897
Arthur Dorrance reluctantly agrees to hire his 24-year-old nephew, Dr. John T. Dorrance, as a company chemist at a token wage of just $7.50 a week, using his own laboratory

Just for info on Dr. John T. Dorrance

[carolyn137]

What is "Rutgers Select"?

I asked Linda at TGS that same question several years ago b'c she lists it and Rutgers and she said there was just a few days difference in fruit maturity and right now I don't remember which was first. But with just a few days difference it really shouldn't matter that much.

In the current 2006 SSE Yearbook there are 8 strains of Rutgers listed. It's one that lots of seed companies and breeders have fiddled with over the years.


IN an earlier post in this thread Mark Korney said that Fedco was selling seeds for the so called original indeterminate.

[Tomatovator]

Thanks for the info. I checked Fedco for Rutgers and they are showing it as out of stock. I'll keep checking and maybe they will have it back in stock in a few months.

[Tomstrees]

on my packet of Rutgers
its says its a det. -
is this true ?
I would think they'd be ind. ~

~ Tom

[bizzarbazzar]

The packet I have is Rutgers Select and it says indeterminate.