Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-07-20
THE COMMON POTATO.

The exact time of the first growing
of the potato in England is not known.
The Chronicle of Pedro Cieca, pub
lished at Sevilel in 1858, says: 1.-The
people OF Peru eat a tuberous root
which they call papas." The Spaniards
had very early brought this gift of the
Andes to Spain, whence it was taken
to Italy-there called the truffle root
and to the Low Countries. Its alleged
introduction into England by Capt.
John Hawkins in 1868, and by Sir
| Francis Drake, are not proved. 1t was
probably the sweet potato which they
brought thither. But it is quite GER
tain that in 1886 potatoes were grown
at Sir Walter Raleigh's seat of Yung-
hall, near Cork. Two years after
Thomas Hariot, writing of 1.-The new
found land of Virginia and the COM
modities there found" among it's val
liable roots" named potatoes, and
describes them as round some of
them as large as walnut.
Just then, Gerarde, writing of "Po-
tatoes in Virginia" gives this descrip-
ton in which one can scarcely recog-
nize the now familiar plant:
THE roote is thiche, fat and tuber-
Gus, not differing much in shape, color
or taste from the common potatoes,
save that the roots hereof are not so
create nor long, some of them round
as ball, some Quail or egg-fashion.
some longer and others shorter, which
knobbie rootes are fastened unto
stakes with an indefinite number OF
threaddie strings"
1t is noteworthy that he speaks OF
common potatoes, already showing
that the sweet potato which he had
already described, was the earliest es-
tablished, not only in Europe but in
England
Early in the Seventeenth century
the potato was widely cultivated in
Ireland, that unhappy island, where it
has proved such false dependence.
Cobett cursed the root as the very
cause of the ruin of the country. In
England it was very little regarded
until after the restoration. The
Royal society then urged its cultiva-
ton, and Evelyn gave much atten-
ton to it.
The feeling was strong against the
use of potatoes. 1t was not until
1878 that Gilbert White could say
of Selborne, Potatoes have prevailed
in this little district about twenty
years by means of premiums, and are
now much esteemed by the poor, who
would scarce have ventured to taste
them in the last reign" They are
written of as "a root found in the new
world, consisting of little knobs held
together by little strings; if you boil
it well it can be eaten; 1t may become
an article of food; it will certainly do
for hogs, and, though rather flatulent
and acid for the human stomach per-
haps if you boil it with dates it may
keep soul and body together among
those who can find nothing better"
This prejudice was particularly
philanthropic man, who gave his life
to the study of food supplies and to
Systematic efforts against the periodic
famines which still scourged his coun-
try, was mobbed many times as a
practitioner against the welfare of the
people. The King. Louis XIV, in the
few months spared from dissolute
pleasures, recognized the worth of
Parmentier's work. and gave it the
royal sanction by wearing in his
buttonhole a cluster of potato bios
sons Thus the potato became the
fashion, and, winning its way to the
tables of the court, its use soon became
general.
The difficulty in any historical study
of the now familiar Solanum tubero-
sum is increased by the freedom with
which names were interchanged in
cook books, and even by botanists, be-
tween plants of altogether distinct
families. Thus, in the seventeenth
century we hear much of the indian
artichoke and the potato of Canada
plants If widely different habit and Of
no relationship. In the struggle for
favor the Indian artichoke. as our
common potato was then called, has
almost entirely superseded its rival,
but the roots of the helianthus tuber-
osus, or Jerusalem artichoke, were the
earliest in general use.-Table Talk.