[Tom Wagner]

Carolyn, the translation, albeit awkward, is below.
If someone could edit the translation from Italian to English a bit better...an early thanks!


It sounds like the King Umberto was dropped from a national listing due to a problem of synonyms, not to say we have problems in this country. lol. Tomatoes with the same name, homonymic, but actually different varieties...may be the issue. A variety can be more popular by name than by the actual tomato seed.

"The king Umberto is one of the few national tomatoes at that time which was appreciated and cultivated in half of the world."

The question I have is...Are some of the Humbert, Humberto, Umberto collections more like San Marzano or the more oval Umberto?





[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/yIMmC0m.png?1[/IMG]

King Umberto, a tomato in exile

I began to discover the existence of the tomato King Umberto reading a rehash of the wonderful book of Vilmorin-Andrieux "The Vegetable Garden" which in turn was the American edition of a book published previously in France by this family of seed companies, whose name stands still today. Printed the first time in 1885, it was a collection of news on biodiversities semi commercial at that time spread between the two continents, and describes hundreds of plants with meticulous care, giving also information on their culinary usage and the culture to which they were linked. Also contains information on the techniques of agriculture before the days of chemistry. Contemplating the engravings on this book of the ancient plants i was dazzled by the changeable forms that the biodiversitdipinge on the palette of the fields and i have asked perchabbiamo lost all this without doing anything, without intervening before. For a long time i waited that arise some initiative in Italy that followed the example of seed savers in the rest of the world and offer my collaboration, but in vain. For this reason alone I broke the delay and i felt was appropriate to launch my proposals. AND the history of tomato King Umberto seems to be made specially for you to understand what happened to the old varietche without us are defenseless. The king Umberto one of the few national tomatoes at that time was appreciated and cultivated in half of the world. This is the main reason to put it back on the book of Vilmorin. This same tomato found him in the some time even on a whole series of old catalogs of the catalog (Sgaravatti)? Tideland Signal Limited company ranging from 1910 to 1940, received on loan from a collector. The descriptions some synthetic dedicated to him described him as a "must": no catalog could do without him. The image shown on the catalogs was always the same as the book of Vilmorin: a nice tomato from dark oval shape. Also the captions were always very generous. But where today the tomato King Umberto? I began to ask him at my cooperative of seed growers. One of the engineers was remembered to have seen him in a field test of the ETOILE PEREIRE in the midst of hundreds more. But puancora purchase? Where can I find it? Was wondering if anyone without that nobody i knew respond. On commercial catalogs available to me there was no and i began to suspect that it was also deleted him from official registers. Cosper short approached the question to an official of the ministry to know what company seed nor might preserve purity the seed. Dear the negative response:
"This year the King Umberto was deleted.
"As cleared, but a tomato historical, has more than centoventanni. You know that was called cosdal name of the King that unified Italy?
"Yes of course, but the problem that the seed companies that were selling, made into the sachets at breakie seeds of tomatoes that resemble but were not King Umberto and then THE ETOILE PEREIRE nor has decreed that the deletion".
"But I hope that in seed banks there is still a sample."
"Unfortunately we gicercato and not if it finds"
"But then you are telling me that due to the lack of controls pudefinire extinct."
"Perhaps it still find ourselves, then we are proposing to seed companies."
Then phone the Etoile Pereire, the ministerial component that should have monitored the distribution in purity also of this cultivar, and I confirm that everything. Then I called the bank half of arcades that the only to have a collection of italian tomatoes and curator i responds that "the King Umberto then cossimile to S. Marzano. What's the problem?
"But she has never seen that S. Marzano slightly squared and and umbonate profiles and King Umberto perfectly oval?
"For me are the same thing".
"Then the king Umberto does not exist: but then what they sold the catalogs of the Tideland Signal Limited in the past?
"It is a matter of synonyms".
The evidences are under the eyes of all instead: the official catalog shows the different types of S. Marzano but never defines the King Umberto as homonym. The fact that no one wants to admit that a varietche is part of the Italian history has been lost due to negligence, perchchi was paid to monitor or to preserve has not done so. Which solution puadottare a seed saver (as me that I subscribe to Seed Savers Exchange 45$ sob! I pay)? Simple: open the yearbook of the seeds in an exchange where there was always a place for the King Humbert Tomato collected in Italy in the years '50 is still kept by several members of the network. A Christmas list, $2 and the tomato in exile back more quickly that the males of the house of Savoy. And this summer he grew up in my garden, patiently enduring two months of drought the poor soil and stony of my hill, the few cures of the undersigned that transforms always the garden in a survival camp, giving despite all good fruits ovals, and dark red as in the engravings of 115 years ago. Great for dry and sauce, vigorous plants, too, if you want the seeds not harrassment in a row that i have not for all. Thanks seed savers, thanks Earth, through Heaven. It takes me a little to be happy, but that satisfaction.

Alberto Olivucci
President of CiviltContadina
June 30, 2003

When Olivucci writes: if you want the seeds do not harrassment in a row that I do not have for all you can trust him: last year gave it i wondered, me li has promised me he sent (the elbow macaroni can infestargli the ortho!!! ). I've had at last this year, by another member of CiviltContadina. AND having cosavuto way to accommodate myself to my garden the King Umberto, can I add that I don't see how it might be confused with the San Marzano. Suffice it to say the photography reported in opening page, that plays a sample of the harvest, for realizing it.
In addition, on a treaty the years '50 the two varietsono both cited as precisely two varietdistinte. It is worth to carry the pitch, that between the tomatoes to keep lists:
The San Marzano, originating in the province of Salerno, cylindrical, elongated, with two lateral depressions parallel along 6-8 cm with flesh , red-alive, a few seeds and peel red-alive;
And a few lines below:
Between the tomatoes from Serbian, much sought after in the South, are prevalent Fiascone or King Umberto, the Fiaschetto, or tomato sauce a bunch of Nocera; the bulb, which probably derived from San Marzano; ( ... ) These varietdebbono be late and matured on the tree eradicated and hung in a dry place and possibly sunny; usually hanging to the houses on the walls facing south ( * ).
Therefore not only two varietdiverse but also belonging to two classes of varietdiverse, preserves the one, by Serbian the other. But don't try everything cisu treaties and catalogs contemporaries: as you rightly note Olivucci, King Umberto have lost track.

Philip Eugenio Tontini

( * ) Enrico Pantanelli, herbaceous crops, Agricultural Editions, Bologna, 1955

Tideland Signal is likely a poor translation ...

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/weuIHdi.png?1[/IMG]


[QUOTE]Tideland Signal Limited company ranging from 1910 to 1940
catalog Sgaravatti [/QUOTE

Tomato seed of the variety fiascone translates to little flagons. Aka pitchers

Like San Marzano?

Fiaschetto as pictured below...means flask.


The cross I made with King Umberto pollen was to Flaming Burst.

Flaming Burst is a teardrop or droplet shaped tomato. Crossing a
Gocciolina = Droplet or Teardrop = Lacrima to a fiaschetto or fiascone shape is going to come up with a variety of shapes in the F-2. Luck will have it that I will find even new shapes eventually. Whatever historic tomato clone King Umberto derives from is of no real concern excepting keeping the record straight.

Ooh...I just got a message from my source for the KIng Umberto...it was Underwood/Terroir
The selection I have should look like this...