﻿MAR. 
  19, 
  1922 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  : 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY 
  163 
  

  

  The 
  very 
  early 
  dissemination 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  led 
  to 
  conflicting 
  

   theories 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  origin. 
  A 
  recent 
  writer, 
  unhampered 
  by 
  botanical 
  knowl- 
  

   edge, 
  declares 
  that 
  tobacco 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  well 
  known 
  American 
  eco- 
  

   nomic 
  plants 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  America 
  from 
  the 
  Old 
  World. 
  He 
  stigmatizes 
  

   Columbus 
  and 
  his 
  companions 
  as 
  liars, 
  and 
  modern 
  ethnologists 
  as 
  fools. 
  

   Even 
  botanists 
  have 
  advanced 
  erroneous 
  theories 
  regarding 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  

   well-known 
  food 
  plants, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  authorities 
  on 
  the 
  gourd 
  family, 
  for 
  in- 
  

   stance, 
  declaring 
  the 
  squashes 
  and 
  pumpkins 
  of 
  America 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  Asiatic 
  

   origin. 
  De 
  Candolle 
  himself 
  was 
  governed 
  too 
  much 
  by 
  acounts 
  of 
  early 
  

   travellers, 
  which 
  were 
  often 
  vague 
  and 
  unsatisfactory. 
  Owing 
  to 
  such 
  ac- 
  

   counts, 
  the 
  South 
  American 
  potato 
  {Solanum 
  tuberosum) 
  has 
  been 
  con- 
  

   fused 
  with 
  the 
  openauk, 
  or 
  ground-nut, 
  of 
  the 
  Virginia 
  Indians 
  (Glycine 
  

   apios), 
  w^hich 
  the 
  early 
  French 
  colonists 
  called 
  "racine 
  a 
  chanelet;" 
  and 
  the 
  

   peanut 
  (Arachis 
  hypogea) 
  has 
  been 
  confused 
  with 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  ground 
  

   bean 
  {Falcata 
  comosa) 
  and 
  the 
  African 
  Voandzeia 
  suhterranea, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  

   have 
  subterranean 
  fruits. 
  Other 
  examples 
  are 
  the 
  confusion 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   Cucurhita 
  maxima 
  and 
  C. 
  pepo 
  with 
  Old 
  World 
  gourds. 
  Fortunately 
  we 
  have 
  

   an 
  abundance 
  of 
  material 
  from 
  prehistoric 
  graves, 
  including 
  remarkably 
  well 
  

   preserved 
  fruits, 
  seeds, 
  and 
  tubers 
  of 
  food 
  plants, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  beautiful 
  repro- 
  

   ductions 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  funeral 
  vases 
  of 
  terracotta. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  food 
  products 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  screen 
  were 
  specimens 
  of 
  maize 
  

   from 
  ancient 
  graves 
  and 
  burial 
  mounds 
  of 
  South 
  and 
  North 
  America 
  ; 
  seeds, 
  

   shells, 
  and 
  stems 
  of 
  squashes 
  and 
  pumpkins, 
  and 
  beautiful 
  reproductions 
  of 
  

   Cucurbita 
  pepo 
  and 
  C. 
  maxima 
  in 
  terracotta 
  ; 
  many 
  distinct 
  varieties 
  of 
  Pha- 
  

   seolus 
  vulgaris 
  and 
  P. 
  lunatus; 
  actual 
  specimens 
  of 
  Arachis 
  hypogea 
  in 
  a 
  re- 
  

   markably 
  perfect 
  state 
  of 
  preservation, 
  and 
  terracotta 
  vases 
  incrusted 
  with 
  

   peanuts 
  modeled 
  from 
  the 
  fruits 
  themselves; 
  specimens 
  and 
  models 
  of 
  pota- 
  

   toes 
  {Solanum, 
  tuberosum), 
  sweet 
  potatoes 
  (Ipomoea 
  batatas), 
  mandioca 
  (Man- 
  

   ihot 
  utilissima), 
  and 
  dichotomous 
  roots 
  of 
  Canna 
  edulis. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  models 
  

   were 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  idols, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  squashes 
  having 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  god 
  mounted 
  

   upon 
  it, 
  and 
  a 
  canna 
  root 
  having 
  also 
  a 
  human 
  head 
  depicted 
  on 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  root. 
  A 
  corn 
  god 
  surrounded 
  by 
  ears 
  of 
  maize 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  

   monster 
  with 
  great 
  tusks 
  protuding 
  from 
  the 
  mouth; 
  a 
  terracotta 
  figure, 
  

   evidently 
  the 
  god 
  of 
  agriculture, 
  held 
  in 
  one 
  hand 
  a 
  stalk 
  of 
  maize 
  bearing 
  

   ears 
  and 
  tassel 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  stalk 
  of 
  mandioca 
  bearing 
  a 
  fascicle 
  of 
  fusi- 
  

   form 
  roots. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  shown 
  were 
  from 
  collections 
  made 
  by 
  

   the 
  lecturer 
  while 
  exploring 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  Lantern 
  slides 
  of 
  wild 
  fruits, 
  tubers, 
  and 
  edible 
  roots 
  were 
  also 
  exhibited 
  

   including 
  the 
  principal 
  species 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Virginia 
  and 
  New 
  England 
  Indians, 
  

   and 
  wild 
  grapes 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  Concord, 
  Catawba, 
  Niagara, 
  and 
  other 
  well- 
  

   known 
  varieties 
  of 
  cultivated 
  grapes 
  have 
  been 
  developed 
  in 
  modern 
  times. 
  

  

  William 
  R. 
  Maxon, 
  Recording 
  Secretary. 
  

  

  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  SOCI 
  ETY 
  

   337 
  meeting 
  

   The 
  337th 
  regular 
  meeting 
  was 
  held 
  on 
  February 
  3, 
  1921 
  in 
  Room 
  43 
  of 
  

   the 
  new 
  building 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  with 
  President 
  Walton 
  in 
  the 
  

   chair 
  and 
  32 
  members 
  and 
  6 
  visitors 
  present. 
  The 
  following 
  were 
  elected 
  

   to 
  membership 
  in 
  the 
  society; 
  E. 
  H. 
  Blackmore 
  of 
  Victoria, 
  B. 
  C. 
  ; 
  R. 
  J. 
  

   TiLYARD 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand; 
  B. 
  A. 
  Porter 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology; 
  

   and 
  Melville 
  H. 
  Hatch 
  of 
  Ann 
  Arbor, 
  Michigan. 
  

  

  