Nesbit's Victoria
 

I see this one referenced in several vegetable gardening books from the 1880's to 1920's.

Ventmarin says "Red pear fruit. Variety quoted in the catalog "Burpee's Farm Annual" 1888." Which sounds just like what I'd like!

Is it still available anywhere? I also saw it spelled "Nisbit" and "Nisbett".

[QUOTE=tlintx;351679]I see this one referenced in several vegetable gardening books from the 1880's to 1920's.

Ventmarin says "Red pear fruit. Variety quoted in the catalog "Burpee's Farm Annual" 1888." Which sounds just like what I'd like!

Is it still available anywhere? I also saw it spelled "Nisbit" and "Nisbett".[/QUOTE]

[URL]http://www.google.com/#q=nesbit%27s+victoria+tomatoes&ei=TmemUdCcKcHD0QGI84HACQ&start=0&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47008514,d.dmQ&fp=fceb63b1782f5084&biw=1031&bih=380[/URL]

Best I can do.I don't see any seeds available but that doesn't surprise me since so many varieties in the mid to late 1800's quickly disappeared/

When I have time I'll look in my MI State Bulletin of 1939 to see if it's noted there or has been renamed, or whatever. But it still wouldn'tanswer you question about seed availability as I see it.:(

Carolyn

Carolyn

Thank you for checking! I found it referenced in a couple of the older books on general vegetable gardening and, while others I googled came up as still available, this one seemed to have vanished.

One the results, this Cornell report ([url="http://books.google.com/books?id=z5lBAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=nesbit's+victoria+tomatoes&source=bl&ots=mlJb_U6sG4&sig=2e2px88GleHDSJ7UKAz6Ke_gK8s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lXCmUar0IJDJ0AGkm4GYCQ&ved=0CGIQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=nesbit's%20victoria%20tomatoes&f=false"]here[/url]) says it was a "large leaf" like Mikado. Does that mean potato leafed?!?

I should go cross-reference potato leaf and pear shaped on the Tomatobase. :lol:

Oh, and I found a better description buried on page two of the results ([url="http://books.google.com/books?id=3NJOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA341&dq=nesbit's+victoria+tomatoes&hl=en&sa=X&ei=C3emUZfgB4eQ9QSKuoCIDQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q&f=false"]here[/url]).

[quote]About a year since, the English horticultural journals published glowing descriptions, with illustrations, of a new Tomato produced from the variety which our English friends had named Vick's Criterion, which was described as "about the size and shape of a Victoria Plum, and exceeding all others in flavor and fruitfulness." It was produced by Richard Nesbit, and named Nesbit's Victoria. We have grown it this season. It is Pear-shaped, and the size and form are both shown in the engraving. The fruit is borne on immense and beautiful clusters, many having twenty specimens. The flavor is unsurpassed.[/quote]