Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-01-05
RURAL & DOMESTIC.


Yes, my dear, yon arc entirely
right in your conference.-the potato
had hard time Of it. Lake every
other famous parsonage, it was OF
first ignored, then despised, then
abused; insultcd and prosecuted, then
tolerated, till, at last, it was in every
body's mouth.
How did the Europeans get along
without potatocs?" you ask. Sure
cnough--liow did they Julius
Cesar. wrapped in his toga, fell at
the base Of Pompey's Pillar, before
potatoes Mere invented; the holy
Crusades were undertaken without q
potato in the commissary depart
ment; and even the much -slandcred
Mary O.. England saw the execution
ers axe before she ever saw this ia
yorite esculcnt. How did the fam.
ishing millions defend themselves
from the gtunt wolf before the reign
Of Elizabeth?
The potato is native of the Amer
lean continent, but was naturalized
in about 1886, under the patronage
ofSir Walter Raleigh-the godfather,
also, Of tobacco. Harriet, the keen
eyed scholar and historian Of Ra-
leigh's expedition, gathered in that
part OF Virginia which is now North
Carolina, large quantities Of the po-
tato, maize and tobacco; and Ban
croft says the records Of the voyage
show that "thc tuhcrons roots of
the potato were found, when boiled,
to he very good food. Specimens
were sent Gdck to the Queen. The
first crop was grown on Sir Walters
estates in Yougkall, Ircland--whence
the name, Irish potato.
The new tuber crept slowly into
Europe, meeting everywhere with the
greatest opposition. As tea had been
lampooncd and prohibited by law
twenty years earlier, and as the in.
PRODUCTION Of coffee had been de-
nounced rs a conspiracy to poison
the people, SO the adherence of the
potato plant was general in England
aud universal in France. Scientific
men set forth its deadly qualities, and
even the most moderate Of it's oppo-
nents asked "Why force this coarse
and detcstable tuber from the land Of
the lucas upon us, when the soil of
France is capable Of supplying the
most delicious and healthful produc-
tiCts Of the vegetable kingdom!"
1t was in vain that the royal tinker,
Louis XVI, trcmulously wore q po-
tato blossom in his button hole: That
weak monarch had not strength
enough even to plaat a potato in the
confidence Of his people. But Drake,
and Raleigh: and Parmenter, pressed
the introduction gently, and, at last,
during the famine Of the revolution,
potatoes for seed were accepted by
peasants from the Tuillerics.
In Russia, tie fate Of the poor po-
,ato was still harder. It was an out
cast there, even when Bonapar.e
marched to Moscow. From their
wild superstitions, the people evolved
the tradition that the potato was 6t
evil origin. The story run that the
devil complaihed, on being driven
from the Garden VI Eden, that he had
no fruit, and so the Lord God took
pity on him AMI created the potato
expressly TOR his use. The ancient
record, according to our recollection,
drives Adam and Eve from the Gar.
Den, leaving the devil IN possession
Of the Garden and fruit trees; but
this fact did not quench the SANDER,
or save the potato from contumely.
For twenty years it was known all
over Russia and Turkey as 1.-THE
DEVILS fruit" But it is now the
CHIEF article of cultivation across the
whole central belt Of Europe, and it
enables the soil 10 feed twice the pop
ulation that it was formerly consid.
cred possible to support. In Ireland
potatoes constitute three fourths OF
the food Of the people, and short
crop always causes famine. The
United States grows annually about
1870, 000, 900 bushels-three bushels
tor every man, woman and child
Chicago Post.