STURTEV ant's NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 387 



been communicated to any other nation, for it was certainly from Portugal, where it was 

 brought from America, about 1559, that its general diffusion over. Europe and the East 

 commenced. In 1560, it was introduced into France by John Nicot, ambassador of France 

 at the Court of Portugal, who, at Lisbon, was presented with a specimen of this plant 

 recently brought from Florida' Humboldt^ says from Yucatan. So late as the reign 

 of Henry IV, tobacco was raised only in gardens and was used only for medicinal purposes. 

 In the reign of Louis XIII, it began to come into request as a luxury and to be taken in 

 the form of snuff. About this date, it was introduced by St. Croix into Italy and, about 

 the beginning of the seventeenth century, Pope Urban VIII issued a bill prohibiting the 

 using of snuff in churches during divine service. It was about the beginning of the seven- 

 teenth century that the tobacco plant was introduced into Russia, either from Portugal 

 or from Italy by the way of Astrakhan, but the notices of it at this date are obscure. About 

 the middle of the sixteenth century, it spread from Italy over Germany and Holland.* 

 Tobacco reached India in 1605 * and about 1625 or 1626 Amurath IV, Sultan of Turkey, 

 passed a law prohibiting its use on pain of death, and a similar law about this time was 

 passed in Persia. According to some, it reached Hindustan and China between 1560 

 and 1565. Lobel asserts that tobacco was cultivated in England as early as the year 

 1570. Phillips * says it was brought to England by Drake in 1570, who that year made 

 his first expedition against the Spainards, but Drake did not return until 1573. Its intro- 

 duction is, however, usually ascribed to Raleigh in 1586, at which time, says Humboldt,* 

 whole fields of it were already being cultivated in Portugal. 



In 1586, tobacco was in cultivation in Virginia by Raleigh's colonists. In 161 1, 

 it was first cultivated by the use of a spade and in 161 6 it was cultivated to such an extent 

 that it occupied even the streets of Jamestown. It was activated in New Netherlands 

 as early as 1646 and was introduced into Louisiana in 17 18.' In 1640, tobacco culture 

 in Connecticut was stimulated by legislation which required the colonists to use tobacco 

 of Connecticut growth. 



Gesner, who died in 1564, is said to have been the first botanist who mentions tobacco, 

 and he used it for chewing and smoking.* 



Nigella arvensis Linn. Ranunculaceae. wild fennel. 



Europe, Mediterranean region and the Orient. The seeds are used as those of A'^. sativa 

 as are also the leaves. 

 N. damascena Linn, wild fennel. 



Mediterranean region. This species is grown in Turkey for its seeds, which are used 

 as a condiment.' 



' Stille, A. Therap. Mat. Med. 2:360. 1874. 



Humboldt, A. Trat;. 2:507. 1889. 



' Journ. Agr. 1:761. 1829. 



* Dutt, J. C. Mat. Med. Hindus 212. 1877. 



'Phillips, H. Cotnp. Kitch. Card. 2:T,y). 1831. 



Humboldt, A. Tran. 2:508. note. 1889. 



' U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 236, 237. 1853. 



' Hallam Lit. Europe 1:240, 241. 1856. 



Archer Bot. Soc. Edinb. 8: 163. 1866. 



