Tomato
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Tomato. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
or LOVE APPLE (Lycopersicum esculentum), a plant of the natural order Solanaceæ, so named by Tournefort, but subsequently combined by Linnæus with the genus Solanum, now, however, recognized as a distinct genus under the name of the earlier botanist. It is distinguished from Solanum anthers conby the stamens having the nected by a thin membrane, and by their cells opening in longitudinal slits on the sides, not in pores at the apex as in that usually red genus. The fruit is fleshy, Dr yellow. The tomato is one of a genus of several species, all natives of South America, chiefly on the Peruvian side. It is the only species in cultivation in Europe, into which it was brought by the Spaniards in 1583. In the warmer countries of Europe, the United States and other countries in which the summer is warm and prolonged, it has long been cultivated for the excellent qualities of diet. the fruit as an article of Though it was introduced into Great Britain as early as 1596, the consumption of its fruit there is still small as compared with some other European countries and America. Like its near relative the potato, the tomato is subject to attacks of phytophthora-the potato-disease fungus, and the fruit is liable to a disease also of fungus origin, which causes considerable loss to inexperienced growers, but rarely attack the plants of those who understand their treatment under glass. Its use in any way as food is considered beneficial in affections of the liver, indigestion, and diarrhea. The word tomato is derived from the Spanish-American name tamate, and the English name love apple has arisen from its supposed aphrodisiac properties.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a straggling herb of the nightshade family. Tomatoes are natives of Peru. They are closely related to ground cherries and potatoes. The fruit of the tomato corresponds to the "potato ball" to which we pay no attention. It is a large berry. There are perhaps a dozen wild tomatoes in the Peruvian region with fruit varying in color from red to yellow, in size from currants upward. The tomatoes in cultivation are from a common stock. A wonderful diversity in size of plant, time of maturity, size and color and shape of fruit, illustrates well the changes that may be brought about by cultivation. The importance of the tomato plant may be seen from the following table based on the United States census for 1900: Acres of tomatoes 197,489 Bushels raised 32,633,788 Tomatoes canned (lbs.) 641,219,993 Value at wholesale $13,926,749 In this exhibit no count is made of tomatoes raised in kitchen gardens. See Potato ; Ground Cherry