Livingston's Magnus

AlittleSalt · May 9, 2016

Livingston's Magnus tomato has huge sepals. I've been looking at them for a week or so. I never saw it flower out. I'm guessing it did that while I was unable to go out in the garden? Today, there are tomatoes growing. If they grow to the size to make those sepals look normal - they're going to be some big tomatoes.

**carolyn137** · May 9, 2016

The reason you were even able to grow Magnus is described in this link.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Magnus

Carolyn

JLJ_ · May 10, 2016

The best portion of the 'Great Magnus Rescue' wasn't in the Tatiana link. Carolyn's posted it many times in slightly varying forms. I have a collection of them, as my immediate maternal ancestor loves this tomato story. Below is a partial quote from the post containing my favorite version . . . one of Carolyn's posts about Magnus on Tomatoville's "sister" forum, idigmygarden.com

http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/s...8&postcount=13

" . . . There's a variety called Magnus that was on the cover of the 1900 Livingston catalog. A friend and I got seeds for it out of the USDA when it was still possible to do that and he couldn't get anything to germinate and sent me the rest of the seed.

after three months I got one seed up and it was Pl as it was supposed to be and I was thrilled.

Came Fall and early frosts were expected and I was back teaching and was stopping by my gardens at the old farm where my mother still lived. before each frost I'd stop on the way home from work and cover that plant, had to do that a couple of times.

Then two fruits blushed, I was elated, picked them, took them inside and told my mother I'd stop by on a Friday to get them/

I stopped by and no fruits. Mom had forgotten what I said and they'd ripened up and she cut up both of them for a salads.

Luckily we went into Indian summer and two more fruits blushed and I eventually got the seeds from them, so wherever you see Magnus offered, know ye that the original seeds came from those two tomatoes from that one plant of Magnus that I grew in my tomato patch."

----------------

My mother has gotten more laughs from that story . . . she says, "yes, that's us old mothers for you . . . leave a rare seed tomato with us, ask us how it is, and we'll tell you 'delicious!"

(As noted in Tatiana's link, Carolyn and Craig later compared notes and found that Carolyn had gotten two plants up and had sent one back to Craig, so both of them were able to produce some seeds to ensure preservation of Magnus . . . but it's still a great tomato story, I think. And aside from entertaining aged mothers, it makes the point that one should keep trying for a *long* time when making efforts to persuade seeds of any rare variety to germinate. Plus when my almost 92 year old mother eats any tomato she particularly likes, she carefully saves out some seeds before adding any seasoning and asks if we need to save them to be sure we can grow another of this kind of tomato.)

PS Probably should also mention in this context . . . not part of Carolyn's story -- but part of the Great Magnus Rescue story

http://tomatoville.com/showpost.php?...7&postcount=19

Craig's post including, among other things, that he initially couldn't find Magnus seeds listed at GRIN (when scanning via work computer in pre-personal PC days) . . . but tried scanning for the word Livingston and using wild card symbols (probably using ? or * in place of some letters in Magnus?) and lo, seeds of Magnus were found . . . and eventually obtained, persuaded to germinate, grown out, and made generally available, as per other portions of the Great Magnus Rescue story above and elsewhere.

AlittleSalt · May 10, 2016

Carolyn, that's why I'm growing it.

Al@NC · January 25, 2017

Alittlesalt,

How did Magnus turn out for you? Was it memorable? I just saw it on victoryseeds, its a potato leaf pink...

Al

AlittleSalt · January 25, 2017

It is worth growing. It grows a big plant. We got good tasting tomatoes from it. Eventually RKN killed the plant, so I can't really comment on how productive Magnus is.

Labradors2 · January 25, 2017

What a lovely story! Well done Carolyn

Linda

Spartanburg123 · January 25, 2017

This is indeed a brilliant story!

KarenO · January 25, 2017

That is a great story

KarenO

**carolyn137** · January 25, 2017

All to say that I had saved a few seeds for myself from those Indian summer late ripening ones and grew it out the next summer.

I didn't think it was that great of a variety but it was the first known PL one that was widely released in the US.

I used to have a superb link to a German site where 5 variations of PL's were shown, not colored pictures but line ink drawings,it was that old,and described,but as with many older links it no longer worked,as in RIP dearly departed PL.

Yes, I did wait 3 months I mean after all if Craig couldn't germinate anything I sure was going to try,and did. I don't remember which method of "lazarization" I was using at the time. Both of us were getting seeds out of the PC Grin when it was still possible to do and many that we got back had lousy to no germination,that I remember well, and that also happened for Mike Dunton at Victory Seeds as well. And it's his site that has everything you want to know about Livingston varieties. He had a biography there and that's where I found his wife was from a town not that far from me in upstate NY.

Carolyn, who did take German in college and could follow the text enough to understand what it said referring to that RIP german link..

May 9, 2016	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	The reason you were even able to grow Magnus is described in this link. http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Magnus Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

May 10, 2016	#3
JLJ_ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Wyoming Posts: 759	The best portion of the 'Great Magnus Rescue' wasn't in the Tatiana link. Carolyn's posted it many times in slightly varying forms. I have a collection of them, as my immediate maternal ancestor loves this tomato story. Below is a partial quote from the post containing my favorite version . . . one of Carolyn's posts about Magnus on Tomatoville's "sister" forum, idigmygarden.com http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/s...8&postcount=13 " . . . There's a variety called Magnus that was on the cover of the 1900 Livingston catalog. A friend and I got seeds for it out of the USDA when it was still possible to do that and he couldn't get anything to germinate and sent me the rest of the seed. after three months I got one seed up and it was Pl as it was supposed to be and I was thrilled. Came Fall and early frosts were expected and I was back teaching and was stopping by my gardens at the old farm where my mother still lived. before each frost I'd stop on the way home from work and cover that plant, had to do that a couple of times. Then two fruits blushed, I was elated, picked them, took them inside and told my mother I'd stop by on a Friday to get them/ I stopped by and no fruits. Mom had forgotten what I said and they'd ripened up and she cut up both of them for a salads. Luckily we went into Indian summer and two more fruits blushed and I eventually got the seeds from them, so wherever you see Magnus offered, know ye that the original seeds came from those two tomatoes from that one plant of Magnus that I grew in my tomato patch." ---------------- My mother has gotten more laughs from that story . . . she says, "yes, that's us old mothers for you . . . leave a rare seed tomato with us, ask us how it is, and we'll tell you 'delicious!" (As noted in Tatiana's link, Carolyn and Craig later compared notes and found that Carolyn had gotten two plants up and had sent one back to Craig, so both of them were able to produce some seeds to ensure preservation of Magnus . . . but it's still a great tomato story, I think. And aside from entertaining aged mothers, it makes the point that one should keep trying for a long time when making efforts to persuade seeds of any rare variety to germinate. Plus when my almost 92 year old mother eats any tomato she particularly likes, she carefully saves out some seeds before adding any seasoning and asks if we need to save them to be sure we can grow another of this kind of tomato.) PS Probably should also mention in this context . . . not part of Carolyn's story -- but part of the Great Magnus Rescue story http://tomatoville.com/showpost.php?...7&postcount=19 Craig's post including, among other things, that he initially couldn't find Magnus seeds listed at GRIN (when scanning via work computer in pre-personal PC days) . . . but tried scanning for the word Livingston and using wild card symbols (probably using ? or * in place of some letters in Magnus?) and lo, seeds of Magnus were found . . . and eventually obtained, persuaded to germinate, grown out, and made generally available, as per other portions of the Great Magnus Rescue story above and elsewhere. Last edited by JLJ_; May 10, 2016 at 02:46 AM.

January 25, 2017	#10
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	All to say that I had saved a few seeds for myself from those Indian summer late ripening ones and grew it out the next summer. I didn't think it was that great of a variety but it was the first known PL one that was widely released in the US. I used to have a superb link to a German site where 5 variations of PL's were shown, not colored pictures but line ink drawings,it was that old,and described,but as with many older links it no longer worked,as in RIP dearly departed PL. Yes, I did wait 3 months I mean after all if Craig couldn't germinate anything I sure was going to try,and did. I don't remember which method of "lazarization" I was using at the time. Both of us were getting seeds out of the PC Grin when it was still possible to do and many that we got back had lousy to no germination,that I remember well, and that also happened for Mike Dunton at Victory Seeds as well. And it's his site that has everything you want to know about Livingston varieties. He had a biography there and that's where I found his wife was from a town not that far from me in upstate NY. Carolyn, who did take German in college and could follow the text enough to understand what it said referring to that RIP german link.. __________________ Carolyn

May 10, 2016	#4
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Carolyn, that's why I'm growing it.

January 25, 2017	#5
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	Alittlesalt, How did Magnus turn out for you? Was it memorable? I just saw it on victoryseeds, its a potato leaf pink... Al

January 25, 2017	#7
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	What a lovely story! Well done Carolyn Linda

January 25, 2017	#8
Spartanburg123 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Spartanburg, SC Posts: 1,262	This is indeed a brilliant story!

January 25, 2017	#9
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	That is a great story KarenO