Tomatoes reported as "lost" in 1886

**nctomatoman** · January 21, 2008

I found this quite interesting - more info from the Ag bulletins from MI State on yearly tomato trials.

This bulletin , from 1886, already lists the following varieties as being no longer available - given that the stated date for cultivation of the tomato in the US began in 1830, that only 3 varieties were widely grown in 1847. So, these varieties came and went in a mere 40 or so years (they do make the point that it was very likely that some of these probably did exist, but were renamed along the way).

Bermuda
Large Red
Giant Apple
Improved Apple
Large Red Oval
Mexican
Round Yellow
Seedless
White's Extra Early
Funchal
Arlington
Keyes' Early Prolific
Early York
Maupay's Superior
Mammoth Chihuahua
Cedar Hill
Foard
Eureka
Chorlton's Prolific
Early Dwarf Red
Sims' Early Cluster
Grape Shot
Turk's Cap
Blount's Champion Cluster
Howard
Lyman's Mammoth Cluster
New Japanese
Painted
Powell's
Red Chief
Triumph
Early Richmond
Jones' Early Hybrid
Wonder of Italy
Standard Market and Shipping

They go on to test and describe the 42 varieties that they did acquire...this also includes nearly 40 synonyms in total)..

A few more tidbits - Cook's Favorite is described as a scarlet red variety, about 3 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep and lobed (so quite flat).

Trophy is described as being a flat tomato that is 4-5 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep with a potential to grow larger and misshapen and catface. It is likely that the Trophy that we got out of the USDA has been crossed over the years (as one would expect from a tomato released prior to 1870!).

This one is fascinating - Bronze Foliaged Trophy, stating that the darker, bronzy color of the foliage was very distinct. I wonder if this could have been the origin of Abraham Lincoln, described as having the bronze foliage coloration when released in 1923???

Fejee, or Feejee Island, or Fejee Improved, is listed as very similar to Lester's Perfected - a large, regular leaf, irregular tomato, contorted and catfaced, that they list as the first of the pink tomatoes, from 1848 or so...and probably looked very much like what we know as Ponderosa, I suspect. (This conflicts with the Baker Creek catalog story of their "find" of "True Black Brandywine" having originating with Feejee, which is claimed at that site to be a brown tomato.)

January 21, 2008	#1
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Tomatoes reported as "lost" in 1886 I found this quite interesting - more info from the Ag bulletins from MI State on yearly tomato trials. This bulletin , from 1886, already lists the following varieties as being no longer available - given that the stated date for cultivation of the tomato in the US began in 1830, that only 3 varieties were widely grown in 1847. So, these varieties came and went in a mere 40 or so years (they do make the point that it was very likely that some of these probably did exist, but were renamed along the way). Bermuda Large Red Giant Apple Improved Apple Large Red Oval Mexican Round Yellow Seedless White's Extra Early Funchal Arlington Keyes' Early Prolific Early York Maupay's Superior Mammoth Chihuahua Cedar Hill Foard Eureka Chorlton's Prolific Early Dwarf Red Sims' Early Cluster Grape Shot Turk's Cap Blount's Champion Cluster Howard Lyman's Mammoth Cluster New Japanese Painted Powell's Red Chief Triumph Early Richmond Jones' Early Hybrid Wonder of Italy Standard Market and Shipping They go on to test and describe the 42 varieties that they did acquire...this also includes nearly 40 synonyms in total).. A few more tidbits - Cook's Favorite is described as a scarlet red variety, about 3 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep and lobed (so quite flat). Trophy is described as being a flat tomato that is 4-5 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep with a potential to grow larger and misshapen and catface. It is likely that the Trophy that we got out of the USDA has been crossed over the years (as one would expect from a tomato released prior to 1870!). This one is fascinating - Bronze Foliaged Trophy, stating that the darker, bronzy color of the foliage was very distinct. I wonder if this could have been the origin of Abraham Lincoln, described as having the bronze foliage coloration when released in 1923??? Fejee, or Feejee Island, or Fejee Improved, is listed as very similar to Lester's Perfected - a large, regular leaf, irregular tomato, contorted and catfaced, that they list as the first of the pink tomatoes, from 1848 or so...and probably looked very much like what we know as Ponderosa, I suspect. (This conflicts with the Baker Creek catalog story of their "find" of "True Black Brandywine" having originating with Feejee, which is claimed at that site to be a brown tomato.) __________________ Craig