Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1844-04-04
Ehe Potato.


Tho Potaio was found wild in various parts
oil America, by The first discoveries, and it il
still so found. /, grows abundanlIy in wild
state, near Valparaiso, and along the coast fel
many miles, where its flowers are always a
pure white, instead of being colored like the
cultivated plant. Ii has been transplanted IN
foreign botanical gardens, where the lubers va
ry buI very litIie from the common cultivated
plant The attempts, therefore, to make il ap-
pear doubtful TO lis origin, or as not indigo
nous to this country, render The fac, of its be-
ing so the more apparent, and the quibblers the
more silly and selfish
1t was brought into use in Great Britain
against the strongest and most ridiculous prelu-
dices OF The arisocracy and professional men
Many writer's on plants did not even mention
II for more than 100 years after lis introduction
and not until lis merits and cultivation had
forced 1t upon public attention. 1t had long
been extensively cultivated in Ireland, and was
well known in Scotland, before j, was much
used in England.
1t was called, in the records OF the voyage to
This country, openawk. The Irish gardener OF
Sir Walter Raleigh, on finding one potato of the
maturity Of "apples," as the result Of planting,
earnestly inquired of Sir Walter if that were
the fac lrui, OF Ameriky. Pretending to be
Disappointed himself, Sir Walter ordered his
gardener 10 ROOT out The seed entirely, in doing
which, instead of one, he found a bushel of po-
laioeSl
Religious psejpdices were waged against it,
it having been maintained that potatoes are
not mentioned in the bible !" Therefore the
same anahems was pronounced against it as
was pronounced against spinning whesls" and
"corn farmers" On no subject do men appear
so irrational as when arraying their religious
prejudices against science and the gifts OF ma
iure
More recently the priests of the lonian ISL
ands pronounced the potato "ihe forbidden
fruit" and the cause Of "ihe fall OF man :"
hence lis use must be sacrilesous and wicked.
Nar were the French withou, their preiudices
against lis use, they having rejected a gentle
man for culIlyaliEg il and alleged that he In
vented it.. Popular favor subsequently set in
so strong that Louis XIV and his court wore
the flower in the button hole of their coa,s--.
During the dear,h Of the Revolution, the calli-
vaiion was ellectualiv established The peas
ants Of Italy were offered a reward before they
could be induced TO cultivate it; but during a
subsequent famine, they refused TO receive a
reward for that which had saved ;heir lives.
The potato is now generally cultivated in In
da, China, and The East. But it does not
thrive well in tropical climates, below 3 or
1000 feet from the level OF the sea.
The potato came into general use on the con-
iinsni abou, the middle of last century. A roy
al edici brought il into general cultivation in
Sweden in 1904. In Switzerland il was in
use in 1920 and was first made into bread in
1890; so iha, in 1850 il constituted The food of
Two thirds Of The people In Poland, also, ii
has become a chief article Of food, SIS, 763, 100
lbs. being raised there in 1927 II was intro
duccd into India about 10 years ago, and it is
there now extensively cultivated. 1t is said TO
be the best gif, which The natives ever received
from their European Master" In iiRdostan
it is increasingly cultivated, as there, it is said
no religious prelulices exis; against lis intro
duclion, as was the case with their enlightened
European masters. BuI this plant has forced
itself into universal use by lis valuable quail
lies, and is now admitted, even by British wri-
iers, as necessary TO Tie Englishman's fare. ;
and as " he plant which seems alone 10 have
been wanted TO make the British Isle complete" ]"
A glance al the psodgcis of our country shows
the engrossing importance Of this vegetable,
especially since migration has become so great.
-Chapin'S Hand Book Of Plants, &c.