﻿G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  283 
  

  

  for 
  preserves 
  and 
  pickles 
  ; 
  should 
  we 
  not 
  look 
  upon 
  our 
  experi- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  this 
  new 
  plant 
  as 
  a 
  failure? 
  This 
  

   is 
  not 
  a 
  hypothetical 
  case. 
  

  

  The 
  Tomato, 
  17 
  the 
  plant 
  in 
  question, 
  was 
  cultivated 
  in 
  Europe 
  

   as 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1554 
  ; 
  18 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  in 
  Virginia 
  in 
  1781 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  Northern 
  States 
  in 
  1785 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  found 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  favor 
  

   slowly, 
  even 
  in 
  this 
  land 
  of 
  its 
  origin. 
  A 
  credible 
  witness 
  

   states 
  that 
  in 
  Salem 
  it 
  was 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  induce 
  people 
  

   to 
  eat 
  or 
  even 
  taste 
  of 
  the 
  fruit. 
  And 
  yet, 
  as 
  you 
  are 
  well 
  aware, 
  

   its 
  present 
  cultivation 
  on 
  an 
  enormous 
  scale 
  in 
  Europe 
  and 
  this 
  

   country 
  is 
  scarcely 
  sufficient 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  increasing 
  demand. 
  

  

  A 
  plant 
  which 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  the 
  tomato 
  has 
  been 
  

   known 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  strawberry 
  tomato. 
  

   The 
  juicy 
  yellow 
  or 
  orange-colored 
  fruit 
  is 
  enclosed 
  in 
  a 
  papery 
  

   calyx 
  of 
  large 
  size. 
  The 
  descriptions 
  which 
  were 
  published 
  

   when 
  the 
  plant 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  market 
  were 
  attractive, 
  and 
  

   were 
  not 
  exaggerated 
  to 
  a 
  misleading 
  extent. 
  But, 
  as 
  you 
  all 
  

   know, 
  the 
  plant 
  never 
  gained 
  any 
  popularity. 
  If 
  we 
  look 
  at 
  

   these 
  two 
  cases 
  carefully 
  we 
  shall 
  see 
  that 
  what 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   caprice 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  is 
  at 
  bottom 
  common 
  sense. 
  

   The 
  cases 
  illustrate 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  any 
  which 
  are 
  at 
  command, 
  the 
  

   difficulties 
  which 
  surround 
  the 
  whole 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  introduc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  new 
  foods. 
  

  

  Before 
  asking 
  specifically 
  in 
  what 
  direction 
  we 
  shall 
  look 
  for 
  

   new 
  vegetables 
  I 
  must 
  be 
  pardoned 
  for 
  calling 
  attention, 
  in 
  

   passing, 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  which 
  are 
  already 
  in 
  limited 
  

   use 
  in 
  Europe 
  and 
  this 
  country, 
  but 
  which 
  merit 
  a 
  wider 
  em- 
  

   ployment. 
  Cardon, 
  or 
  Cardoon 
  ; 
  Celeriac, 
  or 
  turnip-rooted 
  

   celery; 
  Fetticus, 
  or 
  corn-salad; 
  Martynia 
  ; 
  Salsify; 
  Sea-kale; 
  

   and 
  numerous 
  small 
  salads, 
  are 
  examples 
  of 
  neglected 
  treasures 
  

   of 
  the 
  vegetable 
  garden. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  which 
  are 
  even 
  less 
  known 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  

   as 
  fairly 
  promising. 
  19 
  

  

  (1) 
  Arracacia 
  esculenta, 
  called 
  Arracacha, 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  

   Parsley 
  family. 
  It 
  is 
  extensively 
  cultivated 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   northern 
  States 
  of 
  South 
  America. 
  The 
  stems 
  are 
  swollen 
  

   near 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  produce 
  tuberous 
  enlargements 
  filled 
  with 
  

   an 
  excellent 
  starch. 
  Although 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  of 
  comparatively 
  

   easy 
  cultivation, 
  efforts 
  to 
  introduce 
  it 
  into 
  Europe 
  have 
  not 
  

   been 
  successful, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  found 
  favor 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  

   Indies, 
  and 
  may 
  prove 
  useful 
  in 
  our 
  Southern 
  States. 
  

  

  (2) 
  U 
  Uncus 
  or 
  Ollucus, 
  another 
  tuberous-rooted 
  plant 
  from 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  same 
  region, 
  but 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Beet 
  or 
  Spinach 
  

   family. 
  It 
  has 
  produced 
  tubers 
  of 
  good 
  size 
  in 
  England, 
  but 
  

   they 
  are 
  too 
  waxy 
  in 
  consistence 
  to 
  dispute 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  

   better 
  tubers 
  of 
  the 
  potato. 
  The 
  plant 
  is 
  worth 
  investigating 
  

   for 
  our 
  hot 
  dry 
  lands. 
  

  

  