﻿280 
  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  The 
  reason 
  is 
  plain. 
  We 
  are 
  all 
  content 
  to 
  move 
  along 
  in 
  

   lines 
  of 
  least 
  resistance, 
  and 
  are 
  disinclined 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  fresh 
  

   start. 
  It 
  is 
  merely 
  leaving 
  well 
  enough 
  alone, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   the 
  cereals 
  are 
  concerned 
  it 
  is 
  indeed 
  well 
  enough. 
  The 
  

   generous 
  grains 
  of 
  modern 
  varieties 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  barley 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  the 
  well-preserved 
  charred 
  vestiges 
  found 
  in 
  Greece 
  

   by 
  Schliemann, 
  13 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  lake-dwellings, 
  14 
  are 
  satisfactory 
  in 
  

   every 
  respect. 
  Improvements, 
  however, 
  are 
  making 
  in 
  many 
  

   directions; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  cereals 
  we 
  now 
  have, 
  we 
  possess 
  far 
  

   better 
  and 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  material 
  for 
  further 
  improvement 
  

   both 
  in 
  quality 
  and 
  as 
  regards 
  range 
  of 
  distribution 
  than 
  we 
  

   could 
  reasonablv 
  hope 
  to 
  have 
  from 
  other 
  grasses. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  cereals 
  we 
  may 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  interesting 
  groups 
  of 
  

   plants 
  comprised 
  under 
  the 
  general 
  term 
  

  

  II. 
  Vegetables. 
  

  

  Under 
  this 
  term 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  convenient 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  include 
  all 
  

   plants 
  which 
  are 
  employed 
  for 
  culinary 
  purposes, 
  or 
  for 
  table 
  

   use 
  such 
  as 
  salads 
  and 
  relishes. 
  

  

  The 
  potato 
  and 
  sweet 
  potato, 
  the 
  pumpkin 
  and 
  squash, 
  the 
  

   red 
  or 
  capsicum 
  peppers, 
  and 
  the 
  tomato, 
  are 
  of 
  American 
  

   origin. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  others 
  are, 
  most 
  probably, 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  World. 
  

   Only 
  one 
  plant 
  coming 
  in 
  this 
  class 
  has 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  

   Southern 
  Australasia, 
  namely, 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Spinach, 
  {Tetra- 
  

   gonia. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  vegetables 
  and 
  salad-plants 
  longest 
  in 
  cultivation 
  

   we 
  may 
  enumerate 
  the 
  following 
  — 
  turnip, 
  onion, 
  cabbage, 
  

   purslane, 
  the 
  large 
  bean 
  (Faba), 
  chick-pea, 
  lentil 
  and 
  one 
  species 
  

   of 
  pea, 
  garden 
  pea. 
  To 
  these 
  an 
  antiquity 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  

   thousand 
  years 
  is 
  ascribed. 
  

  

  Next 
  to 
  these, 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  age, 
  come 
  the 
  radish, 
  carrot, 
  beet, 
  

   garlic, 
  garden 
  cress, 
  and 
  celery, 
  lettuce, 
  asparagus 
  and 
  the 
  leek. 
  

   Three 
  or 
  four 
  leguminous 
  seeds 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   category, 
  as 
  are 
  also 
  the 
  black 
  peppers. 
  

  

  Of 
  more 
  recent 
  introduction 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  are, 
  the 
  

   parsnip, 
  oyster 
  plant, 
  parsley, 
  artichoke, 
  endive 
  and 
  spinach. 
  

  

  From 
  these 
  lists 
  I 
  have 
  purposely 
  omitted 
  a 
  few 
  which 
  

   belong 
  exclusively 
  to 
  the 
  tropics, 
  such 
  as 
  certain 
  yams. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  varieties 
  of 
  these 
  vegetables 
  is 
  astounding. 
  

   It 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  impossible 
  to 
  discriminate 
  between 
  closely 
  

   allied 
  varieties 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  by 
  gardeners 
  and 
  

   seedsmen 
  under 
  different 
  names, 
  but 
  which 
  are 
  essentially 
  

   identical, 
  and 
  we 
  must 
  therefore 
  have 
  recourse 
  to 
  a 
  conserva- 
  

   tive 
  authority, 
  Vilmorin, 
  16 
  from 
  whose 
  work 
  a 
  few 
  examples 
  

   have 
  been 
  selected. 
  The 
  varieties 
  which 
  he 
  accepts 
  are 
  suf- 
  

  

  