FERNS, FOSSILS AND FUEL 
were taken to the Canaries in 1503. It was from there 
that the sugar-cane made its way to Brazil at the begin¬ 
ning of the sixteenth century. It reached Santo Domingo 
about 1520, and soon afterwards made itself at home 
in Mexico. By 1644 it was being raised in Martinique, 
and by about 1650 in Guadaloupe. In the United States, 
it has been raised successfully in Louisiana. 
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo): The ancestry of this 
succulent vegetable is somewhat uncertain. Botanical in¬ 
dications suggest a Mexican or Texan origin. But a 
related species (Cucurbita maxima ) was known to the 
Romans and to the people of the Middle Ages in Europe. 
Melon (Cucumis melo) : This is another garden friend 
of uncertain origins. Its cultivation may have begun 
independently in India and in Africa. Its introduction 
into China does not seem to antedate the eighth century 
of our era. The ancient Egyptians apparently were not 
acquainted with it. It was introduced into the Graeco- 
Roman world, probably in the days of the Empire, at 
the beginning of the Christian era. 
Watermelon (Citrullus ml gar is) : Though now a 
healthy naturalized American, the watermelon is, perhaps 
appropriately, of African origin. It is indigenous to the 
tropical part of that continent, on both sides of the 
equator. The ancient Egyptians esteemed and cultivated 
106 
