uccess,
and similar efforts by an Italian in Salem, Mass., in 1802, were no more
successful. The first record I can find of the fruit being regularly
quoted in the market was in New Orleans in 1812, and the earliest
records I have been able to find of the seed being offered by seedsmen,
as that of an edible vegetable, was by Gardener and Hipburn in 1818, and
by Landreth in 1820. Buist's "Kitchen Gardener" says: "In 1828-9 it (the
tomato) was almost detested and commonly considered poisonous. Ten years
later every variety of pill and panacea was 'extract of tomatoes,' and
now (1847) almost as much ground is devoted to its culture as to the
cabbage." In 1834 Professor Dunglison, of the University of Virginia,
said: "The tomato may be looked upon as one of the most wholesome and
valuable esculents of the garden."

Yet, though the fruit has always received similar commendation from
medical men, there has been constant recurring superstition that it is
unhealthy. Only a few years ago there was in general circulation a
statement that an eminent physician had discovered that eating tomatoes
tended to develop cancer. This has been definitely traced to the playful
question, asked as a joke by Dr. Dio Lewis, "Didn't you know that eating
bright red tomatoes caused cancer?" In more recent years an equally
unfounded claim has been made that tomato seeds were responsible for
many cases of appendicitis and that it was consequently dangerous to eat
the fruit.

I give some quotations for tomatoes in Quincy Hall Market, Boston, with
some for other vegetables, for comparison. The records show that during
the week ending July 22, 1835, tomatoes were quoted at 50 cents per
dozen, cabbage at 50 cents per dozen. For the week ending September 22,
1835, tomatoes were quoted at 25 cents per peck, lima beans, 12-1/2
cents per quart shelled, with comment that tomatoes are in much demand
and a far greater quantity has been sold than in previous years. During
the week ending July 22, 1837, tomatoes were quoted at 25 and 50 cents
per peck, and the note that they are of good size and were well ripened
and came from gardens in the vicinity would indicate that they had at
that time early maturing varieties and knew how to grow them. From about
1835 till the present time the cultivation and use of tomatoes have
constantly increased both in this country and in Europe, so that now
they are one of the most largely grown of our garden vegetables.

A sugge