Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-28
MARYLAND LEADS in
THE TOMATO INDUSTRY.
The Fruit That Is Now Used As a
Staple Food Has The Name
AyfcC ORIGIN


years ago Is evidenced by the fact that
two large varieties were described by
Matthiolus as early as 1854. but for
many years Il was only in southern
Europe that the value OF the fruit for
use in soups and as a salad was quite
generally used in Spain and Italy dur
ing the Seventeenth Century. but in
England and in northern Europe gen.
orally the plant was grown only IN the
botanical gardens as q curiosity and
FOR ornamental purposes.
It was seldom eaten, being common
~ regarded as unhealthy and even
poisonous. This belief probably arose
because of the close resemblance OF
the plant to its relatives. the night
shade, or beiladona. and had,of course,
no foundation in fact 1t was not un-
I'll the early part Of the Nineteenth
Century that the tomato came in gem
eral use as a food in northern Europe.
and even in the United States. Since
aboue 1895. however, the use and cul-
tivation of the fruit has grown to such
an extent that it has now become one
Of the most important Of our garden
crops says Edward Albes in the Bull
letin of the Pan-American Union
when a successful process Of can
ming the fruit was evolved the tomato
industry at once assumed large pro-
portions. It was found that for all
cooking purposes the canned fruit
was as good as that fresh from the
vine, and as a result the tomato has
become a staple food the year round,
and millions of dollars are now invest
ed in canning factories in the United
States whose chief output consists OF
tomatoes.
From statistics compiled by the Ma
tional Gamers Association for the
year 1914, It is learned that among the
producing states, Ma ryla n d
ranked with a production of $3.50, 900
cases Of canned tomatoes, Delaware
second with 1,335,000; Indiana third
1 ,295,O00 cases. The total production
for the whole country amounted to 15.-
222,00G cases of tomatoes and about 8 :
10000 cases of tomato pulp (used in
making catsup sauces, soups. etc.)
The total amount, therefore, over 20.
600, 600 cases of twenty-fourtw two pound
cans each, or an output of 100000 900
cans, weighing 100000 tons, and hav-
ing an approximate value of $2S,000,-
600.
If these cans were placed one on top
of each other the resulting column
would be nearly $4,000 miles high, or,
If placed end to end in a row, would
encircle the earth one and a-half times
at the equator. These figures deal
only with the caned product of facto-
lies keeping accurate statistics When
We remember that perhaps twice as
many more are eaten raw and canned
by the thrifty housewives and girls
canning clubs we may get some idea
OF the importance in our national
economy of the garden tomato
Tho name tomato" seems to be Of
Aztec origin, given as tomato by some
authorities as a Xitomate by others,
and still persist in some few OF the
older Mexican town names, such os
Tomatian, Tomatepec. etc. but the
general consensus OF opinion amonc
botanists seems obe that the plant
and its culture for edible purposes
originated in Peru. whence it spread
to other sections Of the Americas. II
Is certain, at any rate that It was
known and cultivated for IFS fruit cen
1uries before the Columbian discovery
The greatest febrifuec known today,
quinine, came into existence because
the Incas of Peru had discovered the
medical properties of the bark of the
Cnchona tree; the leaves Of ihe cocoa
plant, n South American product have
served to alleviate pain thu world over
by their esgence--cacaine Indian corr
or maize was unknown TO the Old
World before it was found to be the
great food staple of theAmericas Irish
as well as sweet potatoes had their
first home in the New World the de-
licious concoction known as chocolate
serving man both as food and drink
had been known for centuries by the
Incas Of Peru and the Aztecs 1of Mex
leo before the Spaniards found it in
these countries and introduced It in
Europe.
Tobacco, whose rings Of aromatic
smoke now circumscribe the earth, was
added to mans pleasure by the Ind
ians of America. Many other prod
ucts might be enumerated, but among
them all perhaps none ministers more
ielightfuly to the palate of the modern
epicure than does the tomato, that lus-
cious, sueculent, refreshing vegetable
fruit which gratifies the eye with its
beauty of color and form, stills hun
ger with its meat and assuages thirst
with its juice.