Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-10-13
HISTORY OF THE POTATO.
INTRODUCTION OF THIS ESCULENT
IUBER INTO EUROPE
The New Worlds Contributionto O the
old Worlds Iardcr-IIow The
Vegetable EeCatnc Popular

Vegetable Hecanc Popular
Wise men Gag the potato Solaaum tu-
bero um. while the FrenChman calls Il
pomme dc terre. or apr lc of the earth.
Ike tobacco. the potato Is one o: the
native products of the new word of
America. No one knows how the potato
took notion to travel from /, ..ito 10
Nlrc nia, but Sif Waiter la.eign i'll the
sixteenth ctntuIs trans uorteta tie po
from the latter state anu first plantc
IL Europe on his own Estate near G.
FOR many yeas the potato WAS
scarce, and n late as 81 the potato
considered by many pconle As III food
only Catt or swine Gradually peol
learned the value ot this iood root" Tor
human beings, and the seed Wa, carried
from country 10 country. ciorc the
French began 10 ra.>c the potato. there
was war between Prussia aud france,
aad many frenehintn Were taken prison
er, by tins Iruss ans. 1hc latter hai
many potatoes. and determined to feed
the Frenchmen with nothing else. This Is
said TO have made the prisoners very angry
for this was Il new food and not much
reli>hcd bl Frtachmcn, and they thought
they ought TO be supplied with food they
NtIc USED 10 eating
But one OF the prlsonrss. whost name
was armentier, made the best he could
Of his misfortune, and octerm ned To
learn Al h could about the. cultivation
OF the ,n5cr. and IN rcgardv the man
ncr Of preparing it for the taN.a intend
ing when the war WAS over - Introduce
th" potato into france lis countrymen
, had queer ideas about: the potato, and
! / Il, Il
j disease in those who ale them. But
! when the Freedman returned home.
i Parmcnticr tried 70 interest the people Of
+ France IN the no.ato cop i.
! lie is sad to hive gone to Louis NJ
and begged LIN TO give him land on
which u raise potatoes The King.
granted his request aud the potatoes
were planted. When the crop was in
blossom, parmcnticr gathered nao
b Il uet % the..owcrs and carried them
10 ki19 Louis 1h court people laughc3
= such queer PIE ent, but tic good
! King took the blossoms nd wore them
all that day IN Is buttol.hoe. This
@p,r,val BY the King ed Tic hope Of
Iarlnent AID he ,l,o knew that the
king was aaAIou, to encourage any new
food or now industry that seemed 10
l,r mise a benefit to his snbject,: for,
i.c Sing I.ou,s NV, wna cen tried 10
encourage the industry If spider CT turc,
a"I ort.c:ed coat made. from spider
silk for h own use, 50 ouls NJ
thought nc aw something G.@lnl IL the
potato.
When the people saw the King really
wearing the Potato fewers t.cy were
more ready u approve of potatoes also
IN u sho time the peopc lecamc 30
anNlous-fo get the blossom aud the pota-
tgcs that gutrds Lad to bc stationed
1rqlnd The field that pa,menilee was
al ~atlng But thc gdAItls wclc not
ga ion l. there et n;-,ht. thefeffe the
lot4toes were all stolen. Hofmcp If
was delighted to hear tbs news, fAykt
showed that potatoe, Nelc getting 10 b
q popular food, although there were
some people ho were angry and aecu cd
ParmcntStr of ''invcntiHg' the new food.
In the course OF tincs farlnrnt.cr gave a
dinner at which each dish WAS potato
cooked in some different way and Par
mentir was greatly hanorrd FIR having
introduced the poa.o into rance.
lie irussa'Is sccrh 10 have become
very fond of potatoes quite early in
potato history. It is said that at one
tine Frederick II Of Prussia took up the
causc of the division of bavaria, and
ma ched with h.s men into Bohemia
but he wardeI OF the baftI" so We. tina,
the mea had bat little 10 DO but 70 roast
potatoes, therefore TN. campaign vas
called tie Potato y ar
Tho sweet potato, Eo'a'as rdu't.. i.
the potato spoken OF bs the oil English
writer's II IS Of dificrca; genus. ard