I 



THE ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS 149 



tart and diminutive fruits of our native crab apples, plums and 

 cherries. Our gardens would possess only dahlias and poin- 

 SETTiAS. Although numerous plants of economic importance have 

 originated in the new world, the great majority of these are 

 natives of Central and South America (fig. 88). 



The most important textile plant of the American region 

 (using the term in its broadest geographical sense) is cotton, 

 developed in the tropical areas. Likewise from tropical America, 

 CACAO (from which cocoa and chocolate are derived) is the new 

 world contribution to the world's beverages. From Central and 

 South America comes the staple cereal native to this region, 

 MAIZE — commonly known as corn. Maize and cacao have both 

 been under cultivation for at least 2000 years. 



Vegetable foods originating in the new world include many 

 important items of our diet. The sweet potato came originally 

 from Central America, and the white potato from South 

 America; the former has been under cultivation the longer time — 

 perhaps as long as maize or cacao. Other native vegetables in- 

 clude the KIDNEY BEAN, from which all our modern edible bean 

 varieties have been produced; pumpkin, squash, tomato, peppers 



and LIMA BEANS. 



Few cultivated fruits originated in the North American 

 portion, except the berries and persimmons already noted. 

 Central and South America have contributed, in addition, the 

 PINEAPPLE and the avocado. 



Tropical America produced two plants which after the dis- 

 covery of this continent, became of widespread importance to 

 the human race — rubber and tobacco. Flowering ornamentals 

 include petunias and most of the commercial varieties of 



ORCHIDS. 



Methods Used in Cultivating Plants 



Observant members of the human race, in their searchings 

 for plants with useful properties, soon discovered the biologic 

 principle that no two plants of the same species were exactly 

 alike, or produced the same sized fruits, equally strong fibers, or 

 beverages of identical flavor. This discovery of the universal 

 occurrence of variations became of great importance when man 



