EXPERIMENTS ON THE SPOILAGE OF TOMATO KETCHUP. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum, is supposed to be native to 

 South or Central America. The large fruits commonly used grow 

 only under cultivation, but the variety with small, spherical fruits, 

 known as L. cerasiforme, has been found on the shore of Peru and is 

 considered by De Candolle a as belonging to the same species as 

 L. esculentum. Though grown extensively in Europe, there is nothing 

 to indicate that it was known there before the discovery of America. 

 The tomato was introduced into China and Japan at a comparatively 

 recent date. De Candolle is of the opinion that the tomato was 

 taken to Europe by the Spaniards from Peru and was later introduced 

 into the United States by Europeans. Tomatoes were brought to 

 Salem, Mass., by an Italian painter in 1802, 6 who is said to have had 

 difficulty in convincing the people that they were edible. They were 

 used in New Orleans in 1812, though as late as 1835 they were sold by 

 the dozen in Boston. After 1840 they came into general use in the 

 Eastern States, but it was later than this before tomatoes were used 

 freely in the Western States, many persons having the impression that, 

 since they belonged to the nightshade family, they must be un- 

 wholesome. The extent to which tomatoes are used at the present 

 time shows how completely this prejudice has been overcome. 



The name Lycopersicum is from two Greek words, meaning a wolf, 

 and a peach, the application of these terms not being apparent; the 

 name of the species, esculentum, is from the Latin, meaning eatable. 

 The common name " tomato" is of South or Central American origin, 

 and is believed to be the term used in an ancient American dialect to 

 designate the plant, c but its meaning is unknown. The English call 

 the tomato "love apple/' which in French is "pomme d' amour." 



The tomato is considered a typical berry, the ovary wall, free from 

 the calyx, forming the fleshy pericarp, which incloses chambers filled 

 with a clear matrix containing the seeds. The fruit measures from 1 

 to 5 inches in diameter, and is red, pink, or yellow when mature. 



The plant sports freely, producing many varieties, which differ 

 mainly in the size, shape, and quality of the fruit. The varieties 



a Origin of Cultivated Plants, 1890. 



& Webber, H. J., Yearbook, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1899. 



cU. S. Dept. Agr., Exper. Sta. Record, 1899-1900, 11: 250. 



