126 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



nacece. This is probably a native of Brazil. It was intro- 

 duced into Europe early in the sixteenth century. Gerarde 

 describes a Lycopertium, or "Apples of Love," which he says 

 " do growe in Spaine and Italie," but does not give the name 

 " Tomato," from the Mexican word " Tomatl." Of the numerous 

 forms of the fruit in cultivation the small variety cerasiforme, or 

 Cherry-like, is probably nearest to the original type.* 



The Nutritive Values of Ordinary Vegetables. — With 

 regard to the nutritient values of the preceding vegetables, it is 

 usual to represent them, on the one hand, in the form of the 

 nutrient ratios between the albuminoids (or nitrogenous sub- 

 stances) and the carbonaceous (or those consisting of carbon, 

 hydrogen, and oxygen alone). On the other hand, the so-called 

 nutrient value is the percentage of the combined amounts of 

 both these kinds of products taken together, oil being calculated 

 as starch. 



Thus the following values correspond to the vegetables 

 described : — 





Nutrient Ratio 



Nutritive Value 



Mineral Matter 



Turnip 



1 



: 6 



4 per cent. 



0-8 per cent. 



Parsnip . 



1 



: 12 



16 „ 



1-0 





Carrot 



1 



: 14 



7-5 „ 



1-0 



>> 



Beetroot . 



1 



: 29 



12 



0-9 



>» 



Potato 



1 



: 17 



22 



1-0 



>> 



Jerusalem Artichoke 



1 



: 8 



16 



i'l 



»» 



Asparagus 



1 



: 1-1 



6-3 „ 



0-9 



»> 



Cabbage . 



1 



: 4 



7-5 „ 



1-2 



ii 



Sea-kale . 



1 



: 2-7 



5'2 „ 



0-6 



>> 



Spinach . 



1 



: 3-7 



5'7 „ 



2-0 



>» 



Onion 



1 



: 3-5 



6-5 „ 



0-5 





Lettuce . 









1-0 





Endive 









0-8 



>» 



Watercress 









1-3 



>> 



Haricot . 



1 



: 2-5 



80 „ 



2-9 





Bean 



1 



: 2-5 



78-4 „ 



3-6 



>» 



Pea . 



1 



: 2-5 



79 



3-0 



>> 



Cucumber 



1 



: 13 



2-9 „ 



0-4 



»» 



Vegetable Marrow . 



1 



: 5 



3-5 „ 



0-5 





Tomato . 



1 



: 5 



8-5 „ 



0-8 



>» 



Various salts, so essential to the human economy, are diffused 

 in plants, partly in solution ; so that as they get lost to some 

 extent in cooking, the importance of salads (which have little or 

 no nutriment) depends upon their presence in fresh vegetables. 



Of these analyses, some were made of the plants- — as Celery, 



* Bailey, Amer. Nat. 1887, vol. xxi. p. 575. 



