6
THE OREGON STATESMAN FARMING AND INDUSTRIAL MAGAZINE SECTION
WHERE THE VEGETABLES COME FROM
MID HOW OLD YOUR FAVORITES M
!
Watermelons, Apples, Onions and Spinach Are of Ancient S
Descent-Potatoes and Cranberries Are American and the;
r. n i ax n knki., n. iwJ
fumpiun a vsiii .ucumucrs vere i uuouii uum an -dia.
Lettuce Is Ancient, and Peanuts Are a Produt of the
New World
(Peter Roman Sterling, in the
current number of the National
Republican, Washington, has the
following on the origin of some of
the principal vegetables: )
The watermelon, that juicy ap
petizing thing that makes summer
joyful, tickled the palates of the
Egyptians many centuries before
Mr. Columbus steered his craft
across the blue and found our
land. It is reliably stated that it
was the favorite dessert of Cleo
patra and other notables of that
period. To this day it is popular
among the inhabitants of that land
of sixty centuries. On ancient
tombs may be seen carvings of
this melon. The Hebrew naime of
watermelon is "Abbatitchim," and
it is thus mentioned in the He
brew exodus from Egypt.
The watermelon grows wild in
tropical Africa and Is eaten by na
tives and wild animals, Living
ston saw thousands of acres of
them. They were planted in Am
erica by the early settlers. Mas
sachusetts had many of them as
early as 1 629, and the Florida
Indians were raising large quan
tities as early as 1664. The Unit
ed States produces over 50,000
carloads of melons yearly, exclu
sive of local consumption. There
are about a thousand melons in
each car. a total of 50.000,000.
Onions Very Old
Onions seem to be almost as old
as the hills. They are mentioned
in the Rible a one of the things
longed for by the Israelites in the
wilderness and complained about
to Moses. Herodotus says that
in his time there was an In
scription on the Oreat Pyra
mid, stating the sum expend
ed for onions, radishes, and garlic,
which had been consumed by the
laborers during its erection as 1,
600 talents. Ancient pictures
show priest holding onions in
their hands at the altar.
Early explorers, including Co
lumbus, brought onion seed to the
New World. New Englanders were
raising them as early as 1634, and
C.eneral Sullivan, In 1779, in his
raid against the Indians in central
New York, destroyed many onion
fields belonging to the savages.
Nineteen states now produce large
commercial crops of onions. Texas
scents up the whole Gulf of Mex
ico and the eastern side of the
Atlantic with her onion-laden ves
sels bound for New York.
The Cranberry Native
What would be a Christmas or
Thanksgiving dinner without a
nice dish of cranberry sauce? Mas
sacuhsetts. New Jersey, and Wis
consin are the three principal
commercial cranberry producing
states. These three states pro
duce more than half a million
barrels annually, valued at almost
$6,000,000.
The cranberry was found grow
ing wild "by the New England
pioneers, who observed the In
dians eating them and decided to
follow the example. It did not be
come a real commercial crop until
about 1830. From old records,
we learn that "Mr. F. A. Hayden,
of Lincoln. Mass., Is stated to have
gathered from his farm .In 1830,
400 bushels of cranberries, which
brought him in Boston market
$600."
Potatoes Sonth .American
Potatoes have become almost as
popular as bread and ratat. Prac
tically every botanist In the world
gives the Andean mountains of
South America as the original
home of this popular vegetable.
According to history, It was in
troduced into Spain soon after the
Spanish invasion in South Amer
ica, and from there found its way
into Italy and central Europe. A
Department of Agriculture expert
says that "history records its in
troduction into Ireland from Vir
ginia in one of Sir Walter Ra
leigh's trading vessels about 1586.
It is apparent, however, that a
discrepancy occurs in this account
in that it implies that the potato
was a native to Virginia. From
the description of the Virginia
plant it is quite evident that the
historian had In mind a tuberous
bearing plant of the pulse family.
There is every reason to believe,
however, that the true potato wass
brought over In one of Raleigh's
ships, but that it was obtained at
some trading post on the west
coast of South America rather
than in Virginia."
The largest potato-producing
states are New York, Minnesota,
Michigan, Maine. Wisconsin, and
Pennsylvania, their total produc
tion being 203,167,400 bushels
or nearly 40 per cent of the total
crop of the country.
Apple Oldest Fruit
The apple seems to be about the
oldest of all fruits. It has gained
wide and permanent publicity
through its popularity In the Gar
den of Eden. The scientific gen
tleman tells us that the apple is
believed to have been distributed
from prehistoric times both in the
wild state and in cultivation
throughout much of Europe,
where it is believed to have been
indigenous; also, south of the
Caucasus and in northern Russia.
It i3 to be noted, however, that
with few exceptions the varieties
now grown in the United States
are of our own origin, the out
standing exceptions being some of
the early ripening sorts of Rus
sian origin. No other, fruit in
America has been given so many
different names as the apple. No
one knows how many varieties ex
ist, or have existed. American lit
erature records something like 7,
500 varieties. We produce about
175,000,000 bushels of apples an
nually. Spinach Crop Large
Not so very long ago a lot of
people turned up their noses at
spinach, declaring it to be fit food
only for sheep and pigs. Things
have changed. Spinach is now the
Beau Brummell of vegetables.
Babies are supposed to cry for it
and thrive on it. Grown-ups who
eat it are declared to be adding
to their longevity.
Spinach, despite its recent
popularity, is one of the oldest
known cultivated vegetables. It is
mentioned in a Chinese book pub
lished a dozen centuries ago. It
was known as "a prince of veg
etables" in Spain in the twelfth
centurv. In England the name
"spynoches" occurs in a cook book
of 1390, compiled for the use of
the Court of King Richard II.
There seems to be no early record
of its introduction into America.
The total annual value of this
crop to the farmers is close to $8,
000,000. Cucumbers from India
All the world seems to have a
"hankering" for cucumbers. About
10.000 carloads are shipped to
market annually. This is in ad
dition to those grown in green
houses and small truck patches
and marketed locally, also those
GIDEON STOLZ CO.
Manufacturers of
Vinegar, Soda Water,
Fountain Surplie
Salem Phone SO Ore.
frown for home consumption.
, There are historical references
to the encumber 3000 years B. C.
It is generally supposed to be a
native of India, and was brought
Into China from the west 86 B. O.
Cucumbers were known to the an-
cient Greeks and Romans. Pliny
mentions their forced culture.
Haiti in 1494. There is a record
of their production by the Indians
In the section now occupied by
Montreal, Canada, and by Indians
in Flordla. Captain John Smith
speaks of growing them in Vir
ginia. Rev. Francis Higginson
tells of seeing them in Massachu
setts In 1629.
The Lowly Turnip
You surely have missed some
thing if you didn't live In the
country when a boy or girl and
enjoy the pleasure of pulling up
a turnip in the late autumn, peel
ing it with an old barlow knife, I
and eating it like an apple. The
cooked turnips served at home
never will taste quite so good.
The turnip is said to be a na
tive of Russia and Siberia and the
Scandinavian Peninsula. England
got them from Holland In 1550.
Virginia cultivated them in 1609.
and Massachusetts in 1629. They
were plentiful in the farming sec
tions around Philadephia in 17 07.
Pumpkin Mystery Plant
It Is rather regrettable that the
pumpkin is surrounded with mys
tery. All normal humans are fond
of pumpkin pie and would be glad
to know something about the ori
ginal home of pumpkins. Writers
and botanists have been unable to
ascertain whether pumpkins are of
Old World or New World origin.
Soma authorities are of the opin
ion that the common pumpkin or
iginated in that section of Mexico
now known as Texas. It is defin
itely known that tbe-pumpkin was
in general use in colonial times,
but no one seems to know wheth-
er the Colonists got the seeds from
the Indians or whether the Indians
received thorn from their white
friends.
Lettuce Is Ancient
Lettuce, which has recently be
come one of the most popular
vegetables in America, was among
the earliest cultivated plants of
the Old World. We find reference
to its use by Persian kings about
550 B. C. Aristotle, in 356 B. C,
praised it highly.- Hippocrates,
about 430 B. C, commented upon
its medicinal qualities. The early
Romans were Tery fond of it. Its
culture In China can be traced to
the fifth century. Chaucer in En
gland, in 1340, used the word
"lettuce" in his prologue, saying:
"Well loved he garlic, onions and
lettuce."
The lettuce farms in the United
States aggregate about 100,000
acres, and the annual crop to the
farmers is worth about $30,000,
000. About 1,000,000 acrers in the
United States are devoted to the
raisins of peanuts. About 750.
000,000 pounds are raised yearly.
The Popular Peanut
The peanut is a product of the
New World. Scientists have found
them in ancient mummy graves
in Peru. Tradition tells us that
peanuts were introduced Into Vir
ginia in colonial times, presum
ably br slave traders as food for
the slaves. Thomas Jefferson, in
1781. makes mention of peanuts.
The industry was started in the
vicinity of Jamestown, where soil
and climatic conditions are ideal.
In the early days they were grown
largely in gardens and in small
DIXIE HEALTH BREAD
Ask Your Grocer
patches. and a few were roasted
and sold ou the streets in Virginia
towns, and later In New York,
Baltimore, Philadelphia and other
eastern cities. Most people, in
that period, called them "ground
nuts."
It was not until after the Civil
War that the peanut was devel
oped into a worthwhile commer
cial crop. Necessity for some crop
that would yield a cash return in
duced the farmers of Virginia and
North Carolina, to go strong on
peanuts. They were wise. Thomas
Rowland, of Norfolk, Va., is re
ferred to as the father of the pea
nut industry in America. The
fanners brought their crops to his
place in small boats and he paid
them cash. They brought seventy
five cents a bushel. Evidently
farm relief was needed then as
well as now.
WASHINGTON, May 5 (AP)
Noting a 281 per cent increase in
the importation of white or Irish
potatoes, the National Grange has
called upon the United States
tariff commission for an Investi
gation and possibly a 50 percent
Increase In tariff rates.
Official reports, the Grange
says, show that during the two cal
endar years 1926 and 1927, the
the importation of white or
Irish potatoes into the United
States amounted to a total of 10,
935,062 bushels,, valued at $13.
575.293, an increase of 281 per
cent as compared with the volume
imported from 1924 and 1925.
It asks the commission to make
an Investigation of the cost of pro
duction In this country and
abroad, and if the finding so war
rant, to recommend a 50 per cent
increase In the tariff rate.
NEBRASKA 4-f BOYS
ALBION, Neb.,"May 5. (AP)
Eager that America retrieve her
lost laurels, the state board of ag
riculture and the Nebraska state
dairymen's association are helping
to raise $3,000 to send America's
4-H champion dairy cattle judging
team to the International dairy
judging contest at Wye, England,
this summer. The members of the
team are Jesse Bilyeu, Joe King,
and Russell Hughes, all of Albion.
America has won five of the seven
contests, but England won the last
two.
Don't delay orders for seeds and
bulbs another day. This is the rush
season so don't be impatient If
there is delay in receiving your or
der. Ornamental gourds will be a
novelty for the back fence.
CHERRY CITY NURSERY
Sales Yard 275 So. High.
Opposite Vick Bros. Garage
Nursery on Silverton Highway
7 Miles from Salem
Office Phone 2803; Res. 10F4
SILKS PAINTS
Any Shade or Kind Made to
Order Without Extra Charge
Full Line of House and Barn
Paint Carried In Stock.
Buy Direct Save fl.SO per
Gallon
Salem's Own Paint Factory
J. C. Silk
2640 Portland Road Tel. 2768
ASK HIGHER TARIFF
BE PUT ON POTATOES
WIN TRIP
ABROAD
COW IS EFFICIENT
IN PRODUCING FOOD
She Yields Larger Supply
Yearly Than Is In Body
of a Fat Steer
Many dairymen do not appre
ciate the actual output of human
food by a good dairy cow within a
year, and thus do not feed her suf
ficient quantities of a properly bal
anced ration. A cow that yields 8.
000 pounds of milk containing
about 300 pounds of butterfat pro
duces in a year more edible food
products for mankind than are
contained in the body of a fat steer
weighing 1200 pounds.
At the same time, the cow builds
the hody of her unborn calf. Thus
each year she yields more produce
than a two year old steer does in
'his entire life, says Lyle W. Terna-
han, assistant county agent in
charge of cow testing In Snoho
mish county, Washington.
A cow in milk needs much more
feed than is required for mainten
ance, as she must get feed to sup
ply the raw products from which
milk is made. She may be compar
ed to a highly efficient machine
for converting feed into milk. Just
as a certain amount of power is
needed to keep a machine In 'mo
tion, so a cow must be maintained
even if she is dry.
Profits in, dairying are influ
enced by a 'careful selection of
feeds. Time, effort and large quan
tities of feed may be wasted by
improperly feeding the herd.
NEW DEVICE KEEPS
GLASGOW, Scotland. May 5
(AP) A machine which destroys
organism in cream so that it win
not sour for a week or more has
been invented by a Glasgow man
The process will keep reani
fresh much longer than the pre
servations once used, the inventor
says. Thousands of gallons of
cream have gone to waste in the
Glasgow area since doptlon of a
pure food law banning the use
of preservatives.
Already the apparatus is on the
market, selling for $17,000. Its
capacity is 200 gallons of cream
an hour.
SALEM NAVIGATION
COMPANY
Water Transportation
Portland Salem
Telephone 067
Aiit Painting
DONE WITH A GUN
M. B. Sanderson
1144 North Cottage
Whe-Ta-Lon
A superior Breakfast Food
A Trial Will Convince You
Whe - Ta - Lon
Cereal Co.
M. A. BUTLER, Manager
Telephone lOOO-W
MILK FROM SOUR NE