Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-01-28
The History of the Potato.

HE first discovery of the potato by
Europe ans seems to have been made
during the first voyage of Columbus.
While visiting the island of Cuba some
Of his men went some sixty miles into
the interior Of the island and obtained a
peculiar root and maize, or Indian corn.
This root seems to have been the potato.
This was in the year 1892. It was after
ward found growing wild in Andean for
ests, from New Granada on the north to
Buenos Ayres on the south. It has also
been cultivated by the old Attic races
from time immemorial. At Cuzco, in
Peru, Quito, in Ecuador, and perhaps as
far north as Mexico it fofiNe5 an i'm
pOrtant article of diet for the aboriginal
inhabitants of the American continent.
At just what time it was first intro
duced into Europe we are not informed,
but it must have been early in the six
teenth century. Certain it is that it was
cultivated in Spain in 1860, whence it
soon spread to Italy, Burgundy and the
Netherlands. In 1866 it was carried
from Spain to Ireland by Capt. Hawkins.
a Slave-trader. 1t was introduced into
England by Sir Francis Drake in 1886,
but did not attract any special notice
until it was a third time introduced, this
time by Sir ". Raleigh, who brought it
from Virginia, in America. Authorities
differ as to the exact time when this took
place, but it is probable that it was about
| the year 1886, though some put it as late
as 1923. 1t was taken to Germany about
1910, and to France near the same time
1t found its way to Scotland about 1928.
In view of it's present popularity it ap-
pears strange that it should have been so
long in working itself into public favor.
1t was at first cultivated in the gardens
as an ornamental plant
The idea that it possessed poisonous
qualities was very common and no doubt
hindered it's becoming popular as an
article Of diet for many years. Even yet
we often see it asserted that some of the
wild varieties are quite poisonous, but /
am unable to trace these assertions to
any reliable source. 1t is true the
plant contains small proportion of
poisonous substance nearly allied to if
not Identical with nicotine, the oil of
tobacco; but it is in very small proper
ton, and does not in any case, | believe,
| affect the tuber, which is the part used
for food. Raleigh first took it to En-
gland, and had the tubers planted in his
garden, but his gardener, thinking the
secIballs were the part to be used as
food, reported it to his employer as
worthless weed. Raleigh thereupon or
dered him to pull them up and throw
them away, but in doing so he found a
lot of we'll grown tubers.
For many years the potato was grown
only for the tables of royalty and the
very wealthy, being regarded as a deli
cacy too rare and costly to be used by
the common people The table of James
l. was supplied at two shillings per
pound. The use of the pot alto was strange
~ opposed in Scotland on religious
grounds. It is not mentioned in the BIZ
BILE, therefore, argued these conscientious
old Puritans, it ought not to Re used as
an article of diet
Many methods were employed by those
who had learned the value of the potato
as an article of food to introduce it to
the favorable notice of the general pub
lie, but it took many years for it to be-
come in any degree popular. Their mer-
its as well as the best methods of raising
and cooking were published and circu-
lated One Parmentier, a Frenchman,
on returning from Germany, where he
had seen the potato growing, set himself
to the work to secure that appreciation
of it among his countrymen that it's
merits demanded. He wrote and spoke
in its favor, calling the attention of both