1900.] ESSAYS. 107 



until shipments begin to arrive from the South. There are but 

 a very few varieties suited for forcing, and among these are 

 Aristocrat and May's Favorite. 



It may be of interest for you to know where this plant, the 

 tomato, was first grown. The story is told, that a good many 

 years ago, a man recently arrived from the Bermuda Islands 

 was committed to a Pennsylvania jail. He had with him a few 

 seeds, which he planted in the jail yard ; but before the plants 

 came to maturity he was discharged. The plants bore a strange 

 fruit, which, as it ripened, changed from green to red, and was 

 greatly admired by the prisoners. The matron of the jail, sure 

 that it was poisonous, cautioned all the inmates against eating 

 the fruit, but as she desired to save specimens of it, she planted 

 some of the seeds the following spring, and just as the fruit was 

 well ripened, the man from Bermuda revisited the jail and asked 

 to see the plant. He called for pepper, salt and vinegar, and 

 to the astonishment and horror of his spectators, ate the fruit 

 with a relish. Having finished, he told them that this strange 

 fruit was a tomato, or translated into English, a Love Apple, 

 and that it was wholesome and nutritious. The seeds were 

 therefore carefully preserved and distributed among friends and 

 neighbors who cultivated it as a curiosity, but it was long years 

 before prejudice gave way to appetite, and this now most popu- 

 lar vegetable came into general use. Even now many people 

 remember it as an ornamental rather than useful plant. 



A few years since, there was a scare arising from the doubt- 

 fully authorized story that the tomato produced cancers when 

 eaten freely, but it was of the shortest duration, due to the lack 

 of any proof of harmful results from its use, and to the common 

 sense of consumers, who recognized in it one of the most useful 

 vegetables. Probably more tomatoes are canned than any 

 other fruit or vegetable, as they can be served in so many 

 ways. Eaten raw with salt, pepper and vinegar or with a 

 salad dressing, plainly stewed, in sauces, soups, preserves and 

 pickles. The tomato is ever ready for an emergency, and the 

 provident housekeeper is sure to have it in reserve. 



One of the most successful tomato growers I know of is an 



