456 Kitchen Garden Esculents of American Origin. [May, 
companions of Columbus at Isabella island in 1494, but these 
were undoubtedly from European seed. De Soto, however, 
found “ Cucumbers better than those of Spain” in his inva- 
sion of Florida, 1539;? Cartier found “very great cucum- 
bers ” cultivated by the Indians at Montreal, 1535, the epithet 
very great indicating the European cucumber however. Per- 
haps the cucuméers cultivated by the Florida Indians, as men- 
tioned by Ribault, 1562,3 and those seen by Captains Amidas and 
Barlow in Virginia, 1584, but not those seen in Virginia in 1609,” 
were this species. “Cowcombers” were also planted on the Ber- 
mudas in 1609. 
The “ Concombre’arada” is largely cultivated in some of the 
West Indies, and under the name “ West India gherkin” appears 
in the catalogues of our seedsmen. It seems to have been intro- 
duced into French garden culture by Vilmorin in 1858, but it is 
mentioned as grown in France by Noisette in 1829; it was culti- 
vated in England by Miller in 1753, but probably only as a 
botanical curiosity, It was in American gardens, as a pickle 
plant, prior to 18287 The lack of its mention by early writers, 
and the circumstance of its being reported as wild only in the 
track of the slave trade, would throw doubts upon its American 
origin; on the other hand we seem to have fewer specific reasons 
for assigning its origin to Africa or elsewhere. For the present 
then it must be considered as an American plant. 
Garlic, Leek, Onion, Chives—Neither the leek, garlic or onion 
are American plants. It is curious, therefore, to observe that 
Cortes, on the authority of Humboldt’ cites onions, leeks and 
garlic among the edibles found on the march to Tenochtitlan. 
“ Onyons” and “ garlicke ” are also mentioned by Peter Martyr,’ 
and also “ Cibaioes and macoanes, like unto onions” in the West 
Indies.” The “ wild leekes ” formerly eaten by the New England 
1 Irving’s Columbus, New York, 1859, 1, 380. 
2 Portuguese rarity 44, 46. 
3 Hak. Soc. Vol. vı 
t Smith’s Virginia, 166, Park. Voy., XIII. 
5A True Decl. of Va., London, 1610, p. 13. 
ê Newes from the eines Lond., 1613, 20 
eo, * Decades Il, 
oe 1 Eden’s Hist, of Trav., 1577, 142. 
