6 9 



England until about three hundred years ago, according 

 to the reckoning of the London Standard. The children 

 of Israel, when they loathed manna in the wilderness, re- 

 membered " the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, 

 and the onions, and the garlick," which they did eat in 

 Egypt. 



Most authorities agree that the many varieties of cab- 

 bage, cauliflower, turnip, etc., are natives of the temper- 

 ate and cold regions of Europe and Asia, and they are 

 believed to owe their parentage to the wild brassica of 

 the cliffs and seashore, although, after their long culti- 

 vation, it is difficult to trace any semblance to the orig- 

 inal. 



The gourd is a native of Africa andiAsia, perhaps, also, 

 of America; and the squash, called edible gourd in Eng- 

 land, and cultivated upon both continents long before the 

 time of Columbus, probably had a hybrid origin. 



The common spinach has been cultivated in this coun- 

 try for more than three hundred years. It was noticed 

 in Turner's "Herbal," published in 1568, as "an herb 

 lately found and not much in use." It is generally sup- 

 posed to be a native of Western Asia, but no positive 

 evidence of its origin can be had. 



The tomato, now grown as an article of food in all 

 warm and temperate climates, is a native of tropical 

 America ; and the garden lettuce, believed to have been 

 introduced from Asia, is said to be traced from a wild 

 plant, but the statement has never been satisfactorily cor- 

 roborated. 



The first mention of wheat occurs in the account of 

 Jacob's sojourn with Laban (Gen. 30 : 14). Egypt was 

 celebrated for wheat, and it was plentiful in Syria and 

 Palestine. Corn, as usually applied, is the generic name 

 for all seeds used in making bread, and especially thu 

 seeds of cerelid. The grains and leaves of Indian corn 

 (maize) have been found under the heads of Egyptian 

 mummies, and it is supposed to be mentioned by Homer, 



