The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-10-23
HISTORY OF THE TOMATO.


Eaten Over Three Hundred Years Ago
when It Came Into Common Use.
A writer on horticulture states that
the tomato is of South American origin,
and was introduced into Europe by the
Spaniards in the sixteenth century. who
discovered its valuable qualities As an
esculent. From Spain its cultivation
extended to Italy and the South Of
France, and finally to this country
where it first began to be used as vege-
table in the latter part of the last CEN
&ry. The tomato is mentioned by q
writer on plants in England Is early as
1897. Parkinson calls them ''love
apples in 1856. and says "they are re-
garded as curiosities." DodoeDs. .
Dutch heroalist, writes in 1883 of their
use as q vegetable. ''to be eaten with
pepper. salt and OIL" They were eaten
by the Maylays in 1855. Arthur Young,
the English agriculturist. saw tomatoes
in the market at Montpelier, in France,
in 1898. The potato was probably
brought from San Domingo by the
French refugees. who also introduced
into this country the eggplant, the
okra. and the small Chill pepper.
DR.. James Tilton, of Delaware, stated
that when he returned from study in
Europe, about 1902. he found the toma-
to growing in the gardens of the Du-
points, Goresches, and other French emf
grants from San Domingo, and re-
marked to his family that it was a veg.
etable highly esteemed and generally
eaten in France, Spain and Italy. and
especially valuable as corrective OF
bile in the system. DR.. Tilton emf
grated to Madison, Ind, in 1929, and
raised the tomato in his garden there.
1t was then unknown in Louisville or
the adjacent parts of Kentucky. 1t is
also known that the tomato was planted
early in the present century on the east
ern shore of Maryland, that land of ter
rapins, soft crabs, oysters. canvas-back
ducks, and other epicurean delicacies.
Many years elapsed, however, before
the tomato became favOrite esculent
in that region. In 1911 the Spanish
Minister saw the tomato growing in the
garden of Mrs. Philip Barton Key, whose
husband wrote the "Star.Spangled Ban
ner," and recommended it as having
been used in Spain for many years. In
1914, gentleman dining with friend
at Harper's Ferry, and seeing tomatoes
on the table, remarked: Il see you eat
tomatoes here; the District people are
afraid of them" Tomatoes were
brought to Massachusetts by DR.. Will
liam, a son of William Goodwin, cashier
of the Bank of Plymouth, Mass. DR..
Goodwin spent many years of his early
life in Spain. at Cadiz. Alicante and
Valencia. and was American Vice Con-
sui at Tarragona during its terrible
siege by the French Troops in the PENN
sular war. He came home to Plymouth
in 1917, and died in Havana in 1925.
He belonged to family of epicures on
his fathers side, and his mother. a
daughter of Captain Simeon Sampson
of the armed ship Mercury, on which
Henry Laurens sailed for Holland in 1880
was renowned for the excellence of her
cuisine. He planted the seed of the to-
mato in the bank garden in Plymouth.
whence the plant was disseminated
throughout the town, and to Clark's Is
land, in Plymouth harbor. In Mr.. Good
wins family and that of MIR. Watson,o n
the island. II was used as vegetable as
early as 1928.
Tomatoes were sold at the markets in
New York city in 1920. They were only
eaten, however, to limited extent. be-
ing generally used for the manufacture
of catsup. As early as 1926 the tomato
was served up on the table of good old
Mrs. Halliburton in New Hampshire, al
though she could seldom induce her
boarders to partake of it. Her husband,
Captain Halliburton, had doubtless i'm
bibed q taste for it in Spain.-DetroH
Post.