628 MISCELLANEOUS VEGETABLES. 



smaller size and habit, two feet, or even twenty inches, be- 

 tween the plants, will be all the space required. 



TOMATO. 



Love-apple. Solanum lycopersicum. 



The Tomato is a native of South America. It is a half- 

 hardy annual, and is said to have been introduced into Eng- 

 land as early as 1596. For a long period it was very little 

 used, and the peculiar, specific term, lycopersicum^ derived 

 from lykos, "wolf," and persicon, "a peach" (referring to 

 the beautiful but deceptive appearance of the fruit), more 

 than intimates the kind of estimation in which it was held. 



It first began to be generally used in Italy, subsequently in 

 France, and finally in England. In this country, its culti- 

 vation and use may be said to have increased fourfold within 

 the last twenty years ; and it is now so universally relished, 

 that it is furnished to the table, in one form or another, 

 through every season of the year. To a majority of tastes, 

 its flavor is not at first particularly agreeable ; but, by those 

 accustomed to its use, it is esteemed one of the best, as it 

 is also reputed to be one of the most healthful, of all garden 

 vegetables. 



When fully grown, the Tomato-plant is from four to seven 

 feet and upwards in height or length, with a branching, ir- 

 regular, recumbent stem, and de'nse foliage. The flowers are 

 yellow, in branching groups, or clusters ; the fruit is red, 

 white, or yellow, and exceedingly variable in size and form ; 

 the seeds are lens-shaped, yellowish-white, or pale gray. 

 Twenty-one thousand are contained in an ounce, and they 

 retain their vitality five years. 



Propagation. The Tomato is raised from seeds, which 

 should be sown in a hot-bed in March, or in the open ground 



