Evening star., 1937-11-25
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,

The world and the ages and half
dozen vanished civilizations make their
contributions to the American Thanks
giving dinner.
Pumpkin, squash beans and potatoes
from America. peas from Ethiopia. onions
from ancient Egypt parsnips and turnips
from ancient Chin
The Aztec and the Maya. the wild
IroouoiS. the Skin-Wrapped Cro-Magnon
all did their part III the darkness OF pre-
history to make possible the vegetables
which will be loaded on plates so lavishly
They did better than they knew. Very
few new vegetables have been introduced
in historic times. In many cases little
improvement has been made on the
products of the ancients.
Something of the romance Of the
Thanksgiving dinner is cleaned from the
yearbook of the Department of AgriCul-
ture. just off the press, which is the
second of the brochures prepared under
the direction of Secretary Wallace on the
genetics of farm crops and animals. This
one takes up the vegetables, the fruits
and the grains.
The story of potatoes alone contains
cIlOuSll INStClH anu duNtIlLul { lOl d
sized novel. 1t was one of America s
greatest contributions to civilization. Its
origin is unknown, but its wanderings
from America to Europe to America again
constitute facinating story.
The species of cultivated lettuce never
has been found wild. 1t is believed to
have been derived from India or Central
Asia. One of the oldest known vegetables,
Herodotus, Pliny, Hippocrates and Aris-
totle mention it in Greek gardens
Chaucer refers to it's cultivation in Eng
land in 1340. 1t was brought to America
very early and Is varieties are listed as
being grown in American gardens in 1906.
Celery is biennial plant native to the
marshlands OF Southern Europe, Northern
Africa and Southwestern Asia. 1t was
long considered poisonous and was not
used as an article of food until modern
times. For long time it remained
luxury and only recently has it become a
common article of food
The Israelites complained to Moses in
the wilderness because they couldn't have
onions, to which they had become ac-
customed during the captivity in Egypt.
The cultivated onion probably originated
in Afghanistan. There is no record of its
first introduction to North America.
Pumpkins and squasheS were grown in
America long before the white man came
on the scene. Remains of both have been
found in ruins of the Basket Makers,
earliest agricultural people on this Con-
tinent. Both probably came from Mexico.
Pumpkin pie was delicacy before the
Revolution. The Hubbard squash, most
popular variety, came to light in Marble
head, Mass, in 1855. 1t had already been
growing there for more than 60 years.
Another popular winter squash came from
seeds furnished by the IrOquoiS Indians.
Peas are the oldest known vegetables.
They are believed to have originated in
Ethiopia, but to have spread over Europe
and Asia long before the dawn of history.
They were eaten, and perhaps even cul-
tivated after fashion, by men of the
New Stone Age in Europe. Columbus
planted some in the West Indies in 1893
They spread rapidly among the Indians.
They constituted one of the chief crops
of the Iroquois which were destroyed by
Gen. Sullivan in the campaign of 1779.
The species from which the cabbage is
derived grows wild in North Africa and
along the European shore of the Mediter-
ranean. 1t has been cultivated for 1000
years. Greeks and Romans grew it in
their gardens. Most of the American
varieties originated in the gardens OF
North Europe.