River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-02-18


In an article upon Kitchen Garden
Esculents of American Origin, in the
Amcricau Naturalist, DIR. +. l.. Sturte-
want has some interesting remarks up
on the tomato, from which we make
the following extracts: Tomatoes were
eaten by the Nahua tribes, and were
called (singly) tomaH puraD to-
ulapg The tomato was described
BY various European botanists Of the
sixteenth century IL seems to
have been grown in European gardens
as fruit. from its first introduction,
Judging from the references in Dodo-
npus and Gerard; but Parkinson, 1906,
speak, of it as grown in England for
ornament and curiosity only. In italy,
ChateauyieuX, 1912. mentions its cult-
walton on large scale for the Naples
ana Rome market. Il is probable that
It's Use was ut first more general among
southern nations, AS we und that the
AnrlO-SaNOn race was the last to re-
cei,e ID into the kitchen garden. Thus.
in 1874, Long describe the fruit we'll.
ana mentions IL, Fl. Juent use I'm soups
aud sauces. and odds that il is likewise
fried and served up with eggs. Ia 1873
Marie and Abereromhle mention five
varieties as known, two of which are
described as sceutless and burnett
leaved. and add that they are eaten by
the Spauiards ard Portuguese in par
ticular. and are in high esteem.
In the United Statesi its Introduction
preceded bv many years its use as we
at present know it. 1t Is said To- have
reached Philadelphia from st. Domin-
90 in l79S, but not to have sold in the
markets until 1922. 1t was used rs nm
article of food in New Orleans i'm 1912.
The FIRST notice of il in American gar
dcns was apparently by Jefferson, VINO
notes it IN Virginia gardens in 1881.
Il was introduced into Salem, Mass.
ABOUT 1892, bg an Italian, but he found
il difficult 10 persuade people even to
taste the fruit. Among American
writer's on gardening, Mcmahon.
1902, mentions the tomato. but no
varieties, as in much esteem for culin-
airy purposes; Gardiner and Hepburn,
1878, say, Make excellent pickles;
Fe-sendcn. 1923. quotes from LoudOn
only; Bridgeman, 1882, says, Much
cultivated for its fruits in soups and
sauces. They were first grown in
western New York in 1928, the seed
from Virginia, and in 1880 were not
produced by the vegetable gardeners
about Albany: vel directions for cult
waiting this fruit appeared in Thor
. II .af. t.l
New York, 2Sl7. Buist writes that as
an esculcut plant i'm lS2S-z9 he tomato
was almost detested, yet in ten years
more every variety of pin and pauacea
was extract of tomato. Mr. J.. >.
Gold. Secretary Of the Connecticut
Board of Agriculture, writes me that
we raised our first tomatoes about
1882, only as a curiosity, made no use
Of them, though we had heard that the
French ate them They were called
love apples. ID. j. Browne, 1884. de
scribes six varieties, and says; The
tomato until within the last twenty
years was almost wholly unknown in
This country as an esculent vegetable.
In 1885 they were sold by the dozen in
Quincy Market. Boston. In the Maine
Farmer. October Is. 1885, I'm an editor
ial on tomatoes. they are said to be cul-
tivaicd in gardens in Maine, and to be
n useful article OF diet, and should be
found on every man table. In To-
cal lecture in one Of the Western col
leges about this time, a DIR. Bennett re-
fers to the tomato or Jerusalem apple
as being found in the markets in great
abundance, and in the New York
Farmer Of this period one person is
mentioned as having planted large
quantity for the purpose Of making
sauce. In 1874 the tomato was now
acquiring that popularity which mades
it SO indispensable at present, writes
r. Manning" From this it appears
that "thc esculent use of the tomato in
America does not antedate the present
century. and only became general
about 1880 TO 1910.