The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-11-12

the seed and managing the young plants. TIL
quite recently 1t would not be believed thai
the common potato was indigenous to any
portion of the territory OF the United States
A paper published at the capital Of Nevada
now claims that potatoes are found growing
wild not only III that state but IN several adj
joining states and territories. 1t says
Although the potatoes grown in this state
have always been very fine, this season some
combination of favorable circumstances has
made the crop rs near perfect as ever seen in
any country. Yesterday we were shown some
perfect beauties that were from seed planted
III the dooryard of j. G. Currie, by way of eX
pertinent and which TOOK their chance along
with other vegetables. Our mountain valleys
and flats are much the same as those IN Chill
and Peru, which are popularity supposed to be
the home of the potato. However, the pota
toes first introduced IN England were taken
from Santa Fe, New Mexico. New Mexico is
probably much better entitled to the credit OF
being the home of the potato than either Chill
or Peru. After the potato became generally
known in Europe wild variety was found in
the mountains Of Chill and Peru, but 1t is no,
unlikely that the same might be found
should a competent bOtanst make search-in
New Mexico and Arizona; also, probably, In
this state and IN parts Of Utah and Colorado
u,
ern prairie states, as we learn by exchanges
from those sections, the potato crop was this
year almost a failure in many places. The
plant there seems to have run out, and the tu
bers produced are small and waxy when
cooked. Let the people of those states send to
Nevada for seed potatoes, and next season they
will produce tubers the like Of which they
have not seen in many long year. In Iowa
and Illinois the varieties of wheat were form
erly wont to run ont occasionally, as their po
tatOes seem now to have done, when the rene
dy was to send to the Red River Of the North
for seed. All was then right for few years
when 1t again became necessary to renew the
seed from that greatest natural wheat country
OF the union, the Red River of the North.
The Topeka (Kan.) Commonwealth contains
the following on the same subject
Prof. Popenoc, of the state agricultural col
lege, while on vacation trip to New Mexico
the past summer, discovered new wild pota
to, which he will eRdeavor to domestlcate and
bring into cultivation If it proves worthy. II
Is small affair, as the professor found il, the
tuber being less than one-half an inch III d.
ameter. But It is a genuine potato-not to be
sure, of the species s0ldnam tuberOSeun yet
very much like it. The tuber in appearance
closely resembles a miniature peachblow IN
found in Gray's botanical list, under the name
seldnum .jdn,esit, but II it prove to be worthy
TO be added to the list of edible plants, Prot
PopenOe will deserve the credit of having
brought 1t into notice.
The new commissioner OF agriculture could
hardly do better thing than to send d.. Va
sey, the department botanist, to the far west IN
search of native potatoes Gen. LIE Due, bis
predecessor, devoted most of his time while in
Office to importing old plants from foreign
countries and trying to induce farmers to en-
gage IN their cultivation. The MOrmons IN
Utah and the Digger Indians have domesti
Gated several wild plants, but with these ex
|ceptiOns scarcely anything has been done TO-
ward cultivating any Of our indigenous wild
plants since the country was first settled. Rev
Mr. Goodrich, Of Utica, N. Y, who devoted
most Of the active years Of his life to original
ing new varieties of the potato, made at his
own expense two or three trips to western
South America to procure specimens of wild
potatoes to cultivate and cross with domesti
Gated varieties. Now that wild potatoes can
be obtained nearer home, there is no good rta
son why attention should not be given to thelI
cultivation.