Show T lettuce T banters ranks of K RV now in fourth place among millionaire vegetable crops of U S washington the alie of let tuce to fourth place among the mil vegetable crops in the united states announced by the department of agriculture reads like a horatio alger story lettuce with a united states crop worth 24 in 1025 four times its value in 1910 ranks close to the leaders potatoes sweet potatoes and tomatoes there are roan other alger stories in the vegetable world mys a bulletin of the geographic society from its headquarters in washington D C fresh vegetables as a class are successful upstarts up starts in american mar bets not so many years ago it was necessary to distinguish between grocers and green grocers omitting the staples potatoes and sweet potatoes the business in 17 vegetables came to in 1025 would a modern dietitian think of the pilgrims fart ing dinner although there Is no re corded bill of fare aliey probably ate enison partridge turkey fish duck geese barley loaves and corn bread pumpkins squash and wild grapes terrible would be the dietitians verdict too much protein imbor tant neglected there ought to be tour or five vegetables where Is the salad course pioneering it seems demands a red meat diet while the pilgrims were living on meat it was not feces tartly the custom in the homeland by vegetables were widely used in england and were even more popular on the continent man has made some use of herbs since the dawn of history the pharaohs Phara grocery bill on a stone of the great pyramid in ancient times was an ins which showed that even egyptians liked a dash of statistics now and then and that the laborers laboi ers liked etabel tor radishes onions and gar lie for the workmen the inscription recorded the bum of talents it we use the hebrew gold talent men in the bible as the standard rate of exchange that sum would work out to approximately 00 for radishes onions and garlic the american radish and onion crop for two and a half icara could be pur chased for the settlement of the pha bauhs green grocery bill america has looked to europe for vegetables as well as population to stock the country of 19 vegetables in which the trade Is more than a million dollars n year only six irish potatoes sweet potatoes tomatoes corn green beans and peppers are native to the americas Amerl cas ancestors Ance of practically all fresh vegetables ege tables are living on their native beallis or here very few links are missing A striking illustration of as applied to plants can be achen by preparing a dinner using these ancestors of the modern stables most of them are not cult to obtain they grow in american fields and beside american fences most everyone Is familiar with wild lettuce as a field weed this cande rela weed has the same coat ot arms as crisp sweet iceberg head lettuce 1 when vegetables medicine gather some queen annes lace for the evolution menu that white mid summer spray Is the flower of the wild carrot pull it up and soe the laugh ably thin wedge of its root the grandfather of all beets has a root about as big as a babas little finger ald onions grow widely in america reversions of some imported stock but the bitter natures of the grandparents of our modern vegetables was their original recommend a alon to the human race back in the not so long ago people put great trust la herb u sovereign remedies for all I 1 sorts of ills innocent celery a eu or example wa listed in the herbald herbals Her bals a an important drug the cut and dried Is a product of that period hea the cus i toro vent out herbs became a drag on the market but trade in weeds as drugs had brought about their cul in gardens where they became larger and lesa bitter people who had used common weeds as medicine began to buy them tor food and when beope insisted on sweeter and bigger weeds the weeds became vegetables bringing up the vegetables to suit public preference Is now a task for the expert A dominant public preference in america Is for red et abes prejudice may mold and color our vegetables but to science and invention go the credit for their present honored position on the american table science found that mysterious substances called were vital to the nourishment of man then they found that vegetables were rich in home economics work era broadcast this news they peri the housewives that man could not live by meat and wheat alone ini centore created the refrigerator car which lengthens the season of most vegetables from one month to thelva now a chicago housewife can market in the imperial valley california tor lettuce in february in may she turns to carolina she buys at home in june relies upon northern new york in september and in december her market basket Is filled by florida |