The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-26
WHERE THE PorAro CAME FROM
Interesting Information Furnished at the
Potato Precautionary In London.

Interesting Information Furnished at the
Potato Tercentenary In London.
London Times.
Yesterday WAS the first day of the conferences
held In connection with the potato tercentenary
Ia St Stephens Hall, Westminster. Mr. W. S.
Mitchell, NJ. A., read the hrst paper on THE
Historic Consideration of the Question, Whence
Came the Potato to Englandp According 10 his
tory, our potato was a virginia. importation,
but he thought it impossible that this could
be correct. History had misled botansts,
and it would be useful at this ter
centenary occasion for us to thoroughly wine
out the historic troubles arising through che
carelessness OF previous writer's so that future
workers might have their path cleared for them.
Mr.. Mitchell then gave the reasons which in.
duced him to believe that the potato had been
introduced into England by Sir Francis Drake
In 1886. He believed that Drake had originally
obtained the tuber from South America, either
by purchase or plumber, and had conveyed it to
England at the conclusion of the voyage In
which he relieved Raleighs Virginia colony.
The potato thus being brought in brakes ships,
but with Ralelgh's colonists, would reconcile the
contradictory traditions which ascribed the In
PRODUCTION of the potato to both Raleigh and
Drake.
Mr. Clements r. Markham. c. B., F. R. S.,
read paper upon "Potato Cultivation by the
Incas and Other Andean Nations He said that
the original home of the potato was in the Cor
dilleras of the Andes In South America There
1t had been cultivated from time immemorial
over an extent of 5000 miles. When the Span
iards first arrived the potato was a domesticated
plant in the kingdom of the Chibchas, in the
province of Quito. throughout the empire of
the Incas of Peru and in Chilli. This fact
of its immemorial cultivation rendered it
difficult TO ascertain with certainty the
localities where the potato was indigenous. 1t
was most probable. on the whole, that the potato
originally grew wild in suitable localities
throughout the Cordileras of Peru and Chilli
The potato was unknown further north than tbs
highlands of Bogota in Colombia. and it was
there that one of the three American civiliza.
tons had its root, namely, that called By the
Spanish conquerors the Mysca nation It's peo-
Pile spoke language called Chibcha. which is
now extinct But vocabularies have been pre-
served and they revealed the fact that the
cient people of Bogota cultivated the potato ex-
tensively and had produced several varieties.
MIR. 9. Murray, f. l.. S., of the British Muse
um, read paper on ''The Potato Disease" He
said that the history of the disease was recent
one as compared with the history Of the potato
itself. notice having been first called to it
in lS45, when it was probably brought to the
country from Belgium. After describing the
nature of the fungus, Mr. Murray said that he
had satisfied himself that the disease was propa
gated by the spores being distributed by the wind
A number Of glass slides, such as are used
with microscope, having been covered
with gycerire and placed on the lee side of
was blowing. 1t was found that after an expos
ure of a few hours the slides each ontained .
number Of these spores. From continuous mi
croscopic investigation it had been seen that the
complete fungus was produced !C three hours,
and this fact accounted for the sudden and dis
astrous spread OF the disease. No system Of
earthins up the potatoes could, hs believed be
eficacious in checking the disease neither could
confidence be placed In any legislative enact
ments regulating the planting OF potatoes.