1885.] Kitchen Garden Esculents of American Origin. 663 
In 1828 five varieties of “ pumpkin,” three of squash and two 
of summer squash were offered in our best seed catalogue, one of 
which was the Commodore Porter Valparaiso, brought from 
Chili by Com. Porter, and representing C. maxima in the list of 
squashes. In 1885, in one seed catalogue five varieties of pump- 
kin, twelve varieties of sguash and four of summer squash; of 
these squashes seven belong to C. maxima, and the Valparaiso is 
not included. The Hubbard is said by Gregory, its introducer, to 
be of unknown origin, but to resemble a kind which was brought 
by a sea captain from the West Indies; it was distributed in 
1857. The marblehead came from the West Indies, and was dis- 
tributed about 1867 ; the autumnal marrow or Ohio appeared in — 
1832; the Butman in 1875. Not one variety of this class 
seems to have originated in Europe, although pumpkins of this 
species are found there in numerous forms, but most of them in 
general characters of form of fruit can be duplicated from the 
varieties of traditionary origin in New England. Vernacular 
names count for little, but the citrouille troguois applied to a 
French pumpkin of this species would add support to the tradi- 
tionary belief that pumpkins of like nature formerly existed 
among the Northern Indians. Molina, 1787,’ mentions “ the yel- 
low flowered or Indian gourd, called pexca, it is of two kinds, the 
common and the mamillary This last in its leaves and flowers 
resembles the first, but the figure of the fruit is spheroidal, with 
a large nipple at the end; the pulp is sweet, and its taste is very 
similar to a kind of potato known by the name of camote,” a 
description which will only apply to the varieties of the squash 
of the turban character. . 
It would seem as if the burden of proof was upon botanists to 
show the Asiatic origin, or a knowledge of the pumpkin and 
squash before the voyage of Columbus, before rejecting the 
American evidence as inconclusive. - 
Purslane. — Gray and Trumbull are inclined to believe that 
Purslane was in the new world at the time of the discovery. Oct. 
28, 1492, Columbus saw “ verdolagas” on the north shore of 
Cuba Oviedo, writing about 1526, enumerates among native 
plants of Hispaniola “verdolagas and pertulaca,’ and in 1525 
mentions the abundance of “verdolagas.” Jean de Lery in Bra- 
1 Gregory, Squashes, 1867. Be 
? Hist. of Chili, 1, 93. 
3 Navarette, 1, 183. 
