The race to #250 is on! Let’s go! Of this set, Red Brandywine is the winner. Burcham New Generation should be more widely known.

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Tomato #221 - Burgess Colossal Crimson - This is another tomato sent to me by Barney Laman of California (he of Mexico Midget fame) in 1990. I didn’t get to grow it. First listed in the 1927 Burgess catalog, it is said to be a selection of the Henderson variety Winsall, which was released in 1924. All of these regular leaf pink varieties are likely very similar to the 1890s Henderson variety Ponderosa, a regular leaf large meaty pink tomato.

Tomato #222 - Pink Delight F2 - Barney sent this to me in 1990 because he loved the hybrid Pink Delight, which was removed from catalogs - he was hoping saved seeds would give similar results. Alas, I didn’t grow it.

Tomato #223 - Big Pink - this is the last of the 1990 tomatoes Barney Laman sent me. I know nothing about it, and can’t find it listed anywhere - then again, the name is completely generic! Someone in the SSE lists it as a “large pink tomato” - there is no way of knowing if it is the same as the one Barney sent me. I never did grow it.

Tomato #224 - Azteca 10 - I got this from Ron Thuma of Kansas, SSE member, in 1990. I did grow it in 1990. My description is “medium sized, semi determinate round red, OK taste”. Needless to say, I did not return to it!

Tomato #225 - Red Brandywine - Acquired from Steve Miller of Pennsylvania (Landis Valley Museum) in 1990, this is a fine tomato I’ve grown many times. It is totally different from the large potato leaf pink or yellow varieties that have Brandywine in the name. I believe this to be the tomato released by Johnson and Stokes in 1890. It is regular leaf, scarlet red, smooth, medium sized and has a fine, well balanced flavor. This is often the variety I recommend to people that are looking for an “old fashioned red tomato on the tart side”.

Tomato #226 - Burcham’s New Generation - this monstrously large oblate pink tomato was sent to me by Norma Vinyard of Missouri in 1990. It supposedly originated with Mr. Burcham, who selected it for size and flavor. He sent a sample to Jan Gibson of Chapel Hill, NC, who shared it with Norma Vinyard - who listed it in the SSE. It was very large, very smooth, oblate, regular leaf pink with a fine flavor. It deserves to be known and grown more widely.

Tomato #227 - Holy Land - I received this from SSE member Lloyd Duggins of Indiana in 1990 and grew it that year. It was indeterminate, oblate to round scarlet red, and very bland. Lloyd received seeds from a local woman who brought the seeds back from Palestine wrapped in a napkin. I was not impressed.

Tomato #228 - Red Rose - also received from Mr. Duggins, supposedly arising from a Brandywine X Rutgers cross. SSE still lists it as a medium sized, tasty pink tomato. I’ve not grown it.

Tomato #229 - Vogliotti - received from major SSE tomato collector Calvin Wait of Missouri, I’ve not yet grown this variety. SSE lists it as a large oblate scarlet red tomato of excellent flavor. I would have to go to old SSE yearbooks to find the history, if any is provided.

Tomato #230 - Alberta’s - this was also received from Calvin Wait - I never did grow it, and can’t find a thing about it - back to the SSE yearbooks to find out what in the description drew me to asking for seeds!

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As you read, above, only two real stars in this set of tomatoes, with quite a few relative unknowns. Red Brandywine is indeed the star, and Burcham’s New Generation probably should be an additional star.