New Yorker

[PNW_D]

Looking for input on this variety - and wondering why more people don't grow it after reading some good reviews. I'm sure there are better reds - but at 60 days (here in the PNW), seems hard to resist!!

B.C KO T:
60 days, det., compact regular leaf plant with high yield of red medium size fruit, 3-6 oz, excellent flavor, sweet, meaty and juicy, keeps well after picking for several days, excellent variety for growing in northern or short season areas
History
Breeder: New York Agric. Expt. Sta. (Geneva).
Vendor: Joseph Harris Co.
Parentage: (Geneva 11 x Rhode Island) x Fireball. 1966.

J Nekola:
New Yorker
2" round, meaty, fruits with sweet-rich flavor on compact 1½' vines; dries wonderfully; does not crack; bears from early in season to frost; great drier. Surprising this is not a SSE favorite.
CV Burt's Bees 1994
Developed by Dr. Robinson, Geneva NY AES.

http://sev.lternet.edu/~jnekola/Heir...ew_yorkerA.jpg

[nctomatoman]

I've not grown New Yorker, but did try Fireball....bleech! Here's hoping that in creating New Yorker, they took Fireball's incredible productivity and added in the missing flavor!

[carolyn137]

I have grown New Yorker and we did so on the farm lo those many years ago. I put it in the same category as Valiant and Marglobe and similar. That is, once a staple variety for commercial growers.

It was developed for NE growers and I still recommend it to folks for canning, more so than a fresh eating tomato.

But opinions differ.

While I think it's a very good reliable variety I think there are other varieties that are similar that are better as far as taste goes.

FYI, in the SSE listings Tania lists it at 60 days and the other folks who list it in the same 2007 SSE Yearbook list it at 85, 85 and 70 days.

[tomakers]

New Yorker was a good early tomato. Pretty firm and prolific and taste was good. I used to grow it until Harris stopped offering it sometime in the late 70s (if I remember right). It's main virtue was earliness. Almost the same as Fireball, which I think it replaced, at least in the nursery sales.
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I think the introduction of Jet Star may have led to it's demise, although New Yorker was a few days earlier.

[Tom Wagner]

Looking for input on this variety - and wondering why more people don't grow it after reading some good reviews. I'm sure there are better reds

More nostalgia with a hint of bathos, just to allow for human interest.

I was able to get some seed of New Yorker not long after it was released and compared it with the Earliana tomato that was considered a first early tomato for canning back on the family farm in Kansas. I just reviewed the pedigree of New Yorker and it reminded me that Earliana was in its heritage! I always thought there was some connection. Within just a few years I had New Yorker crossed into all kinds of diverse pedigrees. I was into early varieties that I did not have to stake or water later in the season in Kansas.

By the time I had some good hybrids and segregations going, our family wasn't into canning anymore. The breeding work was put into mothballs. I looked at some seed put away this past season and was surprised that the New Yorker was buried into single clone pedigrees of 30 to 90 other varieties. I haven't used a New Yorker in direct crosses for thirty years or more. Just derivatives.

Carolyn correctly stated that New Yorker was a variety for the NE USA, but I would add Canada into that niche.

Dr. Robinson gave me some seed of New Yorker BC4 (backcrosses) around 1979 that became the nucleus for the continuation of further breeding within my program. I was looking for earlier, more cold tolerant selections. This is the venue that works well for me now.

About this time around the late 1970's, commercial tomato production declined in New York State. That is probably one reason why it is not more popular, however home growers should have had good luck with New Yorker. I think the decline of OP varieties favoring hybrids pushed it to the hinterlands. Heirloom OP's didn't take off until later.

Carolyn compared New Yorker with Valiant. Good analysis!
Valiant is a grandparent of New Yorker. I put together some pedigree pastes to show how entrenched the pedigree of New Yorker is within NE USA varieties. See further below:

When I read the comments from Craig

I've not grown New Yorker, but did try Fireball....bleech!

I had to laugh and try to think why that could be. Fireball, the male parent of New Yorker, has a round plum line as one its parents, and we all could agree that the plum line likely did not add any flavor.

Since I have bred tomatoes adapted directly to the area I have lived, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, California, and now Washington State, my research using New Yorker is increasing in importance here in the PNW.

New Yorker (Geneva 11 x Rhode Island) x Fireball. 1966.

Rhode Island Early (U.R.I. 54-305) - Breeder: University of Rhode Island, Agric. Expt. Sta., Kingston. Vendor: Stokes, Canada. Parentage: (Earliana x Victor) x Danmark. Characteristics: extreme earliness; firm; uniform ripening; excellent color; uniform 4 to 5 ounce size; small blossom. Adaptation: northern United States and Canada. Rhode Island Agr. Winter 1958.

Geneva 11 no pedigree available


Fireball - Breeder and vendor: Joseph Harris Co., Rochester, New York. Parentage: Joseph Harris Co. round plum line x Valiant. Characteristics: early, firm fruit. Similar: Victor. Adaptation: eastern United States, and some use in northern Europe. Harris Catalog 1952.
Victor - Breeder: Michigan State College, East Lansing. Parentage: Allred x Break O'Day. Characteristics: early, determinate, uniform ripening, flattened, often tough fruit. Similar: Bounty and Early Wonder. Adaptation: short season areas. Mich. Arg. Expt. Sta. Quart. Bul., 23 Aug. 1940.



Earliana and Danmark no pedigree info.


Allred - Breeder: North Dakota Agric. Expt. Sta., Fargo. Parentage: uniform color line x Bison. Characteristics: believed to be the first commercial cultivar with uniform color. Similar: Bounty. 1937.


Bison no pedigree info




Valiant - Breeder and vendor: Francis C. Stokes Co., Vincetown, N.J. Parentage: selection from Stokesdale. Characteristics: 5 days earlier than Stokesdale with smaller vine and larger fruit. Similar: Stokesdale. Adaptation: northern tier states and Canada. Stokes Cat. 1937.

As tomato growers, we have history, presence, and future. Each of us is like the embodiment of these experiences with tomato varieties. It's kinda nice to share one take.

Tom Wagner

[Worth1]

I'm growing New Yorker this year so we shall see.

Worth

[nctomatoman]

Great stuff, Tom....Earliana did pop up sometime around 1900, but as you indicate, no real clear origin. Right around them came what was called a "pink Earliana" - yes, June Pink. Again, no clear pedigree. I tried it from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange a few years ago, but the fruits seemed too large and round to be what the old catalogs describe as June Pink...I should grow out the USDA accession that I have.

[Tom Wagner]

I should grow out the USDA accession that I have

Craig, I know your concerns about growing out old varieties from various seed banks and the USDA accessions. It would be our wish that there are no exceptions in the verities of any historic variety.

I used to grow out PI numbers of tomatoes, stuff from SSE, the Ames, Iowa collections growing in the field, etc. My goal was to use them in breeding, not to maintain them.

The variation, off types, seed mixtures, outcrosses or segregations were beyond my role to establish prototypes. I have had my hands busy with crosses, so I would cherry pick selections for whatever traits I wished to keep, true or not.

Your desire to have the true type for a particular variety is commendable. I never felt I would have any, and I mean any, support for my take on a variety of antiquity.

Earliana in my day was probably the most advertised tomato variety for early tomatoes. Old Capper's Weekly ads included. That the pedigree is unknown is not surprising. Few people were doing extensive crossing like I have done in the past 50 years during the late 1800's and early 1900's. One of the things I hate is that I have sought a way to publish the pedigree info on my established varieties out of my breeding program and simply have not found a way that satisfies me. I think it would make interesting history.

Tom Wagner

[greggf]

I've grown New Yorker two or three times in recent years. It's great. TGS sells it.

I grew Fireball once. It was terrible.

My mother grew New Yorker many seasons around 1968++, when I was in junior high school. I can remember stopping mowing on hot late summer days so that she or my grandmother could give me half a New Yorker tomato-and-mayo sandwich.

I think later on she replaced it with BasketVee or HarvestVee, which were from Stokes, and were bred, I think, in Canada, which was only 18 miles from where I grew up. She canned. BasketVee was (and others say still is) good, too, for canning and fresh eating. Gotta grow it myself soon.

New Yorker is, happily, the standard tomato in my memory, and probably my standard for taste. It could well be why I don't consider "stronger tasting" to mean "better tasting."

[cdntomato]

New Yorker was a very common canning variety in Ontario until the 1970s. Viceroy and Ferguson were also popular. I LOVE the latter two Canucks and aim to try the Valiant and NYer (PGRC 'versions' and one or 2 others) in field trials this year. Sad when one has to compare and contrast for varietal veracity from genebanks.

Jennifer

[cottonpicker]

First of all, let me say I thoroughly enjoy this thread discussing "yesteryear varieties". I read earlier in the thread that the origins of Earliana were unknown. This piqued my curiosity since I remember my grandparents mentioning & planting Earliana in their western Oklahoma garden in the 1940s-1950s. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Earliana referred to "Sparks Earliana" which originated in the 1890s--1900 through a selection (sport) from "Stone" (origins unknown) by George Sparks of New Salem, NJ and was first offered in the Johnson & Stokes catalog of 1900.

LarryD

[Tom Wagner]

I, too, find the history of New Yorker rather fascinating. From the obvious thread of thought that New Yorker goes back to Earliana in its pedigree; the fascination continues.

Let it be known that I am not a historian. I certainly don't have the resources of an Amy Goldman to do this.

Searching the Internet for pedigree is nebulous at best, it is tantamount to discovering that my Great Great Grandfather sired children over a 50 year period!

I don't know the proper ways of alluding to where information should be credited. For that shortfall or inadequacy on my part, I shall use the quote symbol to show pertinent points and hyperlinks for proof.

If I had any eloquence, I would summarize or cherry pick information into a sentence or two. Why bother when you can figure out what I am saying.

"Earliana-" Sparks Earliana - 65 days - Indeter. reg. leaf- clusters of 3-6 oz great tasting red fruit.

http://www.heirloomtomatoes.net/Varieties.htm#Sabre

Earliana
65 days, indeterminate— Extra early five to six ounce fruit is set in clusters of six tomatoes or more. The bright red color and tasty flavor makes this a great early tomato.
It was introduced in 1900 by Johnson & Stokes of Philadelphia. The original stock was produced by George Sparks of Salem, New Jersey and is reported to have been developed from a single plant selection made in a field 'Stone'.(1)

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

'Earliana'

One of the first tomatoes developed for short- or mild-summer areas, 'Earliana' is still valued for flavor. George Sparks of Salem, New Jersey developed this variety and seedsmen Johnson & Stokes introduced it in about 1900. A decade later, Buckbee's catalog it as "An extremely smooth, bright red tomato of good size and flavor. Is among the very first ready for the market. This tomato is not only remarkable for its earliness, but for its very large size, handsome shape and bright red color. Its solidity and fine qualities are quite equal to the best medium and late sorts."
Today, 'Earliana' still lives up to much of this description, though it is not as Buckbee's claimed, "very large." In fact, the 'Earliana' is medium-sized. It is larger than a cherry tomato but considerably smaller than Ponderosa types. What is true in Buckbee's write-up is that they have good flavor. In tomato taste-offs held in Seattle, Washington, the 'Earliana' consistently places in the top ten for flavor. Unfortunately, the 'Earliana' has noticeable skin, a shortcoming that is easy to overlook when the tomatoes on every other variety are not even close to ripe.

Kathy Mendelson prepared this Website
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

Thus, it is virtually impossible to know with certainty the obv genotype of the original Stone from which Sparks selected Earliana. ...

http://www.google.com/search?client=...=Google+Search

tomato breeding can be said to have originated in Canada in 1900. W.T. Macoun, at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, began making selections from Spark’s Earliana. The best of these selections was dubbed Alacrity and released across Canada via the other research stations and local Department of Agriculture branches. Alacrity was not a static selection —improvements continued to be made to the variety, which was a top producer in trials across Canada until the 1930s. As well, different Alacrity selections were made for different purposes — some for earliness, some for higher yield and uniformity.

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

Tom Wagner (Tending tomato clones going back 25 generations of crossing to Earliana)

[cozy]

All good/timely info ... Thanks!
I had yet another weak moment ( craving) and decided that I would try to grow some 'maters in the greenhouse. I settled on Campbells 1327 and New Yorker.
Not sure how far they will get but here she is as of 10 minutes ago ... potted up to a 1 gallon container 2 days ago. They look better in real life, might be the snow.

[Tom Wagner]

I rather like the title of this sub forum "The Legacy of Yesteryear Varieties", especially since it links the potential interests of genetics buffs like myself to trace the pedigree from modern day tomatoes back to historical ties.

The history of the New Yorker would not be complete without giving a few hints of its ancestral heritage of Earliana back to Stone. If you read on, there may be some "hints" of Favorite and Beauty as possible parents in the origin of Earliana on down through extra breeding lines to New Yorker.

I have not started a collection of really old catalogs like Craig, however, his input is certainly welcomed to this discussion about the ancient parentage of New Yorker; namely Stone and anything about Favorite and/or Beauty.

When I think of the Stone tomato,I remember an old timer back in the mid 1970's who was reminiscing about his favorite tomato of his youth. So I requested seed of Stone from the tomato collection at Ames, Iowa. I had the plants ready for him in 8 weeks as I recall. It sure makes me think back in the days when I would contract the tomato varieties to be grown by a greenhouse grower in St. Joseph, MO. I was so proud to display this tray of Stone tomato plants in three inch peat pots at the Garden Center along the Belt Highway in St. Joseph, Missouri. I had a fun time talking with the old timers, most of whom were born in the late 1800's or Indian Territory! I bought three plants to grow myself. As the assistant manager, I would contract the perfect pair (Jet Star and Supersonic) along the Big Boys, Better Boys, Golden Jubilees, along with some of my creations before they became known to the public.

Most of us who tried the "Stone" went back to the newer hybrids. I ate some of the Stone tomatoes that summer and wondered what the fuss was about. But maybe what I received was not quite what the old timers had.

As to the "Legacy" of Stone, I am including some "quotes" from the 'Net.

78 days. (ab, fw1) (Indeterminate) [Introduced by The Livingston Seed Co. in 1889. The original plant was found by Mr. Nichols between rows of 'Favorite' and 'Beauty'.] Fruits are slightly flattened globes weighing about 5 to 7 oz. with uniform ripening and attractive bright color. A good all-purpose tomato with good keeping quality, especially recommended for canning. Vines are vigorous, highly branched, and provide good protection of the fruit. Fruits are somewhat acidic, and not as sweet as other varieties, but 'Stone' is a dependable, very drought hardy tomato that will last the full season. This old variety has shown better resistance to foliage disease and fruit rot than some of the other old varieties we have grown.

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

Alexander W. Livingston, a Reynoldsburg, Ohio seedsman, in 1870 developed the first commercially successful variety of tomato. He changed the tomato from an ugly duckling of horticulture (small, ribbed, hard cored, and almost hollow) into the uniform, smooth-skinned, juicy, flavor-packed, meaty beauty that is one of the world’s favorite foods. Livingston and his seed company eventually introduced more than 30 varieties of tomatoes. By 1910, half the major varieties of tomatoes grown in the United States were Livingston products, and he won praise from the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
"With all due credit to the important contributions of other growers, seedsmen, and investigators, it is not out of place to call attention again to the great contribution of the Livingston Seed Co. to tomato improvement. Of about 40 varieties that had attained a distinct status prior to 1910, a third were productions or introductions by the Livingston company. If we add those varieties derived directly from Livingston productions and introductions, it appears that half of the major varieties were due to the abilities of the Livingstons to evaluate and perpetuate superior material in the tomato."
-- The Yearbook of Agriculture 1937, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Stone and Globe are among the Livingston varieties grown today. Seed producers still carry heirloom Livingston seeds such as Acme, Beauty, Buckeye State, Dwarf Stone, Golden Queen, and Perfection.
Alexander Livingston sold 5,000 pounds of seed for his delicious "Beauty" tomato in 1893.

http://www.heartlandscience.org/agrifood/tomato.htm



Tom Wagner

[lumierefrere]

I've grown New Yorker about 4 times. It's later season for me rather than earlier, it gets quite tall about 5' and it's fair to middling. A few years it did nothing at all, one year it was very successful. Last year I started a number of seeds just to give the plants away as an amusement. New Yorker tomatoes here in New York, wow. For me, a disappointment, really. Should do better here than something from Kasachstan but it doesn't. (Your mileage may vary)