Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Love-apple

LOVE-APPLE, or Solanum Lycopersicum L. a native of the East and West Indies, whence it has been intrcduced into our gardens. It is propagated from seeds, which are sown in the month of March, in a hot-bed of a moderate temperature. When the plants have attained the height of about two inches, they are transplanted into another bed of a similar warmth, where they are set four inches asunder. In this state, they require constant moisture till the month of May, at which time they are finally removed into pots; frequently watered, and shaded till August, when their red fruit becomes perfectly ripe.—The love-apple is greatly esteemed at the table of the epicure: it is either used in soups or broths, to which it imparts an agreeable acid taste; or it is boiled and served up as a garnish to dishes of animal food.