The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1900-03-02
VEGETABLES ARE OLD
DATE BACK TO OLD TESTAMENT
TIMES.
Origin of the Commoner Varieties of
Garden Truck-Only Maize and the
Ground Artichoke Are Natives of
North America-Grocer Enlightened.

Garden Truck-Only Maize and the
Ground Artichoke Are Natives of
North America-Grocer Enlightened.
"How many housekeepers picking
over the vegetables on the stall know
anything about themT asked a con-
templative customer of friend, as he
watched his green grocer fill a small
measure with potatoes.
Lots of them," promptly replied the
other marketer. why, here are the
potatoes in my hand, for instance. They
are native American. l guess Sir Wal
ter Raleigh introduced them to Eu-
rope.
Il guess he never ate one, for In his
day they were not considered tit to eat.
They went to Europe from the hills Of
South America, and a strange matter
Of fact, when you come TO think of 1t,
is that In the United States, where,
barring few sections, vegetables grow
In greater abundance and beauty than
any other part of the world, none save
maize and the ground artichokes are
native products"
Nonsense" calculated the amazed
Yankee.
mo nonsense about IT," continued the
contemplative customer. Europe,
Asia, Africa and South America are
all more richly endowed than we. |
used to think the watermelon was ours,
but bless you! the North African tribes
grew the big, juicy fellows and gave
us our first seeds. AS to the muskmel-
on, 1t Is a vegetable of such ancient
lineage that, like the cabbage and let
tuce, nobody knows just who were
their first wild progenltors. The mel
on, at any rate, came out Of Persia as
developed table dellcacy, while the
Adam of the cabbage family is agreed
by botanists to have fourished way
back there in Central Asia, where they
say the Caucasian race came from.
The Romans ate cabbage salad, and,
according to count, there are nearly as
many varieties of this sturdy old green
goods as there are different races of
men.
"There is another Roman delicacy,"
continued the customer, pointing to
box of beets. "They do say that the
Greek philosophers thought dish of
boiled beets, served up with salt and
oil, great aid to mental exercise. For
my part, though, don't know vege-
table that should be prouder of its fam
lily history than the radlsh. Radishes
came from China, but scientific Jour-
nal the other day announced the dis
covery, from a translation Of Egyptian
hieroglyphics, that Pharaoh fed his
pyramid builders on radishes. He even
went SO far as to spend 1900 silver
talents in order to regale his masons
with the crisp and spicy root. Again,
II you read the Old Testament careful
ly, you will be sure to come across the
announcement that in Egypt the chill
dren of Israel ate melons, beets, onions
and garlic, and evidently, in travelling
through the wilderness, Moses had
great deal of difficulty in persuading
them to cease yearning after these
Egyptian dainties.
Besides the melons and peaches and
geraniums," continued the garrulous
customer, "for all of which we have
to thank productive Persia, water
cress comes from her valleys and
brooks and she taught the world how
to grow and head lettuce. However,
the Roman gourmands, who adopted
both these salads, ate green peas and
beans that their gardeners
found growing in France and South
Germany, and cucumbers were as pop
ular with them as with the Jews and
Egyptians.
ITO Arabia honor is due for the burr
artichoke. They ate 1t for liver diff
as matter Of fact, there
Is no vegetable so good for men and
women who lead a sedentary life, just
as carrots, that grew first In Belgium,
are an admirable tonic for the COM
plexlon, spinach for the blood. potatoes
for the hair and celery for the nerves.
Rhubarb, they say, was never known
until the fifteenth century, when the
Russians found 1t on the banks of the
Volga, and If you will believe 1t, the
only European people that appreciate
the egg plant as we do are the Turks.
North Africa first produced this fruit;
In France 1t is eaten raw often as not, |
and in obstinate England they use it |
for decoration. However, the potato !
had to make desperate struggle for |
and for nearly a century
after 1t was imported and grown In |
Europe nobody could be persuaded to
touch It, Finally Parmentier gave it |
a boom that in two centuries has not in
the least diminished, and twice this
little tuber has saved Europe from
what promised to be cruel famine"
Whereupon the customer hurried off |
down the street, leaving the green gro
GER staring at his stock of truck with |
4 refreshing expression of pride and
nterest.-St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
PLAIN SPEECH IN A PRAYER.