The Tomato, and Some of Its Diseases.


 History.
 The tomato is a native of tropical America, where it was
cultivated by the natives before Columbus sailed across the
Atlantic. The invading European carried it back with him,
and cultivated it as a curiosity. While it was cultivated as an
ornamental plant it was considered poisonous, and the name love
apple was given to it. Many of the older people now living re-
member when it was known by this name, and was considered
anything but palatable.
 It was found by Dr. E. L. Sturtevant that (Md. 2d Ann.
 Rep.) they were eaten by the French at New Orleans as early as
 1812, and grown as vegetables in New York in 1825, while in
 New England they were treated as curiosities in 1832. The
 value of the crop in the United States now is several millions of
 dollars annually. New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia each
 raise very large crops; that of Virginia alone is estimated to be
 over a million dollars annually. North Carolina and Georgia
 make it an important industry. In Florida it is rapidly ap-
 proaching the million-dollar line. The last crop was consider-
 ably cut back by diseases from what it otherwise would have
 been. There are few crops grown that will bring a cash return
 in so short a time.

 Botany.
 There are two species of the genus Lycopersicum now in
 cultivation.
 1. Lycopersicum pimpinellifolium, Dum., is known as grape
 tomato, currant tomato, and sometimes other names are used.
 This species grows its fruit in a two-ranked raceme. The indi-
 vidual berries are usually smaller than a scuppernong grape. Its