American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-09-25
The Origin of Potatoes.

4 ne auneXeu 2ccOuut Ol lile VI Glu VI 1iiC
white and sweet potatoes viii beread with
interest. 1t is from paper read by Mr.
Thomas Cayanah, of .Brooklin, before the
! New York Farmers Club sLT
The botani lie name Of potato is SOL
aaa1t ttberosun of Lia@as The potato
is perennial plant, found growing in
wild state iu South America. Humboldt
thought it doubtful ii it was indigenous
there, as tubers of the wild potato, plans
ted by the side of the cultivated var ETY.,
differed very l;ttle from it. Sic. Joseph
Banks thought il was first brought into
Europe from mountainous parts OF South
America, in the Deighborhood oil Quito,
where they were called papas. They
! we're introduced into Spain in the early
rart Of the sixteenth century From
Spain they were brought into Italy, where
the W, called tanu6, fir M the truffle or
under ground mushroom. Tae potato
was receive by rius us at Vienna, in
1898, from the Governor of Mons, in
llainault, who procured the roots from
Che Pope's Legate, under the name OF
tartufi {; it was then in use in Italy. In
Germany. it received the name of 'rtof-
fe, and soon spread rapidly through
that country. The potato found its way
into England by different route. being
brought from Virginia by Sir Walter
Raleigh. who went there in 1881. Thorn I
as Heriot, 10 report of the country,
describes plant called openauk, having
roots as large as walnuts, n clusters. and
says they are good food; either boiled or
roasted. Gerarde, in his Herbal, pub
lished in 1897, gives an illustration of
the potato under the name of the Potato
of Virginia, which name it retain ID for
some time, in order to distinguish 1t
from the cOnuolUuluS bdtatds, or sweet
potato Sir Joseph Banks says the sweet
potato was used in England long before
the introduction of the American potato.
They were candied and sold as confec-
tionery. The pototo was known in Tres
land sometime before its introduction
into England. Sir Walter having large
estate in that country; it became in course
of time an article of general coasump'
ton in Ireland was known for its fine
potatoes. We suppose it was for this
reason they obtained the name of Irish
potatoes Gerared thought them a
great delicacy. The tubers were roasted
and stepped in wines baked with marrow
end spices. The Royal Society, in 1868,
took measures encouraging the cultiva-
tiou of the pototo, with view Of pre-
venting famine; and it seems not a
littlo singular that in our own time the ex-
tensive cultivation of the potato in Ireland
producad the very evil they desir d to
remedy TIE failure was no doubt
owing to the want of fresh stock. Some
writers of those early days thought they
were only fit food for swine Another
says they make good food for poor people.
Il left quite numerous progeny; for
there are a good many people just now
who think potatoes almost too good for
poor folks Evelyn who wrote in l699,
says : Plant them in Your poorest
ground 4; take them up in November for
winter use, and there will yet remain
stock enough in the grouGd for the
next season. This sAiftless way OF
raising potatoes was in practice in Scot.
land. For many years, the Irish seem
to have been the ouly people who APP
preciated the true value of this escu lent
for nearly 800 years the potato has been
their chief staple. Il has been said
that the people who ~se the potato as their
chief food ston degenerate. This theory
is not well founded for nowhere can
there be found more hardy race than
the Irish Years Of oppression and
misrule have done more TO harm Ireland
than the extensive cultivation Of the
potaotO. The tuters of the potato, hav>
ing no peculiarly of teste, consisting
chiefly of s'arch approach nearer to the
nature Of -four or the fa,nia Of grain
than any other vegetable root. For this
reason II is almost universally lik, d, and
cln be used longer than any other veg
etabie without becoming unpalatable
Among the many uses of the pototo in
former times, was the manutacture Of VINE
and spirits. Still, as wine is made out
of old boot legs, and whiskey out Of
printers rollers, we neel not lie surprised
at potatoes making good wIne Some
genius in France has discovered fifty
different ways o. cooking the potato.