Trophy
 

[FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=3]I saw a few references to Trophy in this section and wanted to add this info from an 1875 D.M. Ferry & Co’s catalogue I recently obtained.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][B]Trophy.[/B] – Undoubtedly the best new variety that has yet been brought to notice. Is medium early, of enormous size, uniformly smooth and well formed; solid to the center, and very heavy. [I]The seed we offer is our own growth, from stock procured from Mr. Waring, the originator, and is perfectly pure and true.[/I][/FONT][/SIZE]

Very interesting Jerry.
Have you ever grown this variety? I wonder how they qualify
"enormous size"?

Sounds like one to try.

Lee

Ah, Trophy. It was sitting there in the USDA back in 1994 when I grabbed it out of there and Carolyn and I got to try it out. The problem with a tomato this old is that it is unlikely that the sample sitting there was exactly what was released back in the 1870s. We ended up finding a medium sized rather ordinary red. Another hint in the literature as close to the release as the 1880s indicates that the variety "ran out" - their term at the time for something that wasn't coming true to descriptions.

[COLOR=black]I grew it 2006 from seed I got from Carolyn. As Craig said above it was [/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]a medium sized rather ordinary red.[/COLOR] [/FONT][/COLOR]