Dionne Sullivan, age 11, of Petersburg, Tenn., for her question:

Where did the tomato originate?

The tomato, the potato, the sweet potato and corn an the cob are all native Americans. The tomato, however, was not considered fit to eat until about 100 years ago. Its original home was South America. It was a busy shrub and its small red fruit attracted the attention of gardeners. It was taken to North America and to Europe as a garden ornament. No one dreamed of tasting the pretty little red berries, for the plant was known to be a relative of the deadly nightshade.

In the 19th Century some bold experimenters proved that these so‑called love apples were not ; oisonous. Far from it ‑ they were dolicicus and full of nourishment. More experiment s improved the size and quality of the fruit, And, during the past 100 years, th o tomato has become a more and more imrort^nt item on our daily diet.