CHAPTER II 



History 



The garden vegetable known in this country as to- 

 mato and generally as tomate in continental Europe, 

 is also known as Wolf-peach and Love Apple in Eng- 

 land and America, and Liebesapfel in Germany, Pomme 

 dAmour in France, Pomo d'oro in Italy, Pomidor 

 in Poland. 



Origin of name. The name tomato is of South 

 American origin, and is derived from the Aztec word 

 xitomate, or zitotomate, which is given the fruit of 

 both the Common tomato and that of the Husk or 

 Strawberry tomato or Physalis. Both vegetables 

 were highly prized and extensively cultivated by the 

 natives long before the discovery of the country by 

 Europeans, and there is little doubt that many of the 

 plants first seen and described by Europeans as wild 

 species were really garden varieties originated with 

 the native Americans by the variation or crossing of 

 the original wild species. 



Different types now common, according to Stur- 

 tevant, have become known to, and been described by 

 Europeans in about the following order : 



1. Large yellow, described by Matthiolus in '1554 



and called Golden apple. 



2. Large red, described by Matthiolus in 1554 and 



called Love apple. 



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