The midland journal., 1893-04-21
THE POTATO.
ITS HISTORY CAN BE TRACED BACK
TO THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

Its Itinerary Has Been Extensive-In Early
Days 1t Was Little Appreciated, But Has
Now Won a High Place in Popular Favor
known by Various Names.
The potato has good family lme,
| Solanum tuberosum, and is related to
various plants to which it has no marked
likeness. Some others of the tribe arc
the narcotics, tobacco, belladonna, hen
bane, and more useful are the esculents,
the tomato, egg plant and capsicum.
Like some other old families, the best
of it is underneath the ground, but,
unlike them, it has improved with sue.
ceeding years, until now it is known
and esteemed the world over.
The potato can trace its history back
to the fifteenth century, though it was
an Insignificant member of society at
that time. 1t has travelled somewhat
extensively, thereby increasing its rep
utation. Its first home was in Mexico,
where it occupied place high up on
the mountains. it being too warm at
their foot for any potato worthy of the
name to grow. From Mexico it passed
on to Peru and Chill. Early in the
sixteenth century it was carried by
Spanish explorers to Spain. These
same worthless undoubtedly introduced
it to Virginia which it liked we'll, and
where it continued to grow with per-
feet satisfaction until Sir John Hawkins
took some to England as sample of
what Virginia could do. England did
not seem to consider it much of an ac-
complishment, but thought, as it in
creased and multiplied rapidly, it would
be suitable plant for Ireland. There
fore, it was grown in Ireland to avoid
famine. Any one who fed on nothing
but potatoes would soon cease to care
whether there was famine or not. Be-
ing composed of little beside starch,
they will not sustain life any great
length of time. The potato for mans
stomach is like firt to his heart, a
good accompaniment on various occa-
sions. but poor dependence for all
times.
The name has somewhat changed
the same has been noticed in more as
piring families than the potato. Origi-
nally, it was batata, which it was called
by the Spanish. From that it has
passed through many styles to the
"pratie," that now grows in several Sec
tions of Yankee land. The word, ba-
tata, undoubtedly was the nearest ap-
proach of the Spaniards to the term
given the tuber by the Caribs, or what
ever Indian tribe showed its uses to
them. 1t was given unfortunately to
this potato and the sweet potato, which
is of an entire different family, but it
retains the old name.
There are members which to this day
grow wild, being like their human pro.
totypes, useless in proportion to their
wildness. These are found only in
South America and some islands off the
coast. The wild tubers are very small
and as they show the results of culture
they grow big.
Potatoes in the early days of their
history were but little regarded and
after they had been known for some
years, even a century, it was small
hold they had on the appetites of the
people. If only they could have seen
this day, when a dinner is not dinner
without the potato in some form!
The first description extant of the
potato was written in 1887, where it is
described by Gerard in his Herbal
under the name "Batata Virginiana."
After this, on small scale it was
cultivated in Burgundy, Italy, and the
Netherlands. 1t was at this time that
England generously passed it over to
Ireland, not caring herself to patronize
American industries in the vegetable
line. Along in 1771 England had con-
cluded that the two varieties. red and
white, then known, were food for swine
and cattle, and, as said before, they
had been tried on the people of Ireland.
Before England began to take to
them as an article of diet they had
found favor in France At first they
We're decidedly out of favor as the
wise men of the day said to eat pota-
toes was to have leprosy. Wise men,
of course, never make such mistakes in
this century, but what better could be
expected then ? The king did not fear
disease for the common people-it
would not hurt him any-so he en-.
couraged them by words, and by wear
ing the blossom in his coat, to eat the
tubers, but they would not eat. At
last he had a field planted, a fence built
around it, and he caused to be spread
far and wide that those potatoes were
for the king only. Any one found
digging or eating them would be killed.
Human nature of that day was like
that of the present. Men said anything
having been shut up so closely must be
worth getting, and they watched their
chances and stole all they could. The
story does not add that any one was
ever killed for the theft, but the potato
business got boom then in France
which helped it greatly. Louis XIV.
did many things which he ought to
have left undone, therefore he should
have credit for one thing he did which
was benefit to his people. After the
French cooks had mastered the potato,
other nations learned to pronounce it
good, and its shadow will probably
never grow less.