The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-25
THE LOWLY POTATO.

In beautiful October, when the bright red
and yellow apple-wave is rolling north.
south, east and west. by vehicle, railway
ard boat, across this great and prosperous
America. ii is pleasant TO remember that an
equally huge and valuable golden brown
wave of potatoes follows in its wake. The
eye is refreshed daily, even along crowded
city highways, to note the country carts
and wagons creaking along with potatoes
in bulk. potatoes in barrels. in boxes and
sacks, TO be unloaded at groceries and mar
kets, at commission houses and freight sta
tons: destined to swell the big current Of
garden product pouring across land and sea
to feed the worlds people while great nature
rests. In color. of all vegetables. the potato
comes nearest its true mother, the good old
brown earth; and. in substance. also. dwells
close to the gastronomic heart of all earth's
children. Next to wheat, political ecoTo-
mists say, the potato as an article of food.
is of the greatest Importance. An acre of po-
tatoes, ii is claimed, will feed double the
number of people that can be fed by an acre
of wheat. The potato is so adaptable that 1t
can be grown with fair success from Pata-
gonia to Labrador, and from the Cape of
Good Hope to Iceland. 1t is Yelished by ev-
cry palate, and 1t is believed there is hardly
dinner served up without potatoes, for six
months in the year, in any part of the civil
lied world Poor people, market men say.
depend more on this valuable vegetable,
than on all the other vegetables combined.
Botanically, the potato is of the night
shade family-a vast well-known genus in
Guiding also the tomato. the egg plant to-
bacco, jamestown weed and other familiar
hnrh ay,I el,~ U-r.
the potato IS interesting. It was first brought
into Spain from Quito. where its name was
''papas." converted by the Spaniards into
''batata." Although the cyclopedias do not
say so. the wild plant was native to North
America as we'll as to South America, the
Indians having cultivated it. A river
In Nova Scotia-"Sh ubenacadie," is said
to be a corruption of "segeeben," the
wild potato. and the Indian word for
place" latterly also corrupted to
''gnoddy.' finally to "Acadie." the
Acadia of "Evangeline." The potato
is also native to Colorado. where ii first set
up its own potato bug or Colorado beetle. In
early Italy, the potato was called 'truf1e-
root" To America, Ireland-which has been
called 1.-The hotbed of potatoes'-owes the
Irish potato" so-called because of Ireland's
ardent potato appreciation. In 1885, it is
quite certain that Sir Walter Raleigh cult
waited the potato at Youghal his seat near
Cork; the tuber having been sent to him by
his friend, Thomas Hariot, from new
found Virginia. The Virginia potato was
described as round, some of them as large
as a walnut, others much larger and called
by the Indians ''openawk." In England, in
1897, Captain Hawkins Gerarde also grew
potatoes brought from South America, and
called them potato" from the Spanish
''batata." In Shakspeares day the potato
was deemed a tonic for old age and feeble
constitutions; and hulk Sir John Falstaff, :"
in the Merry Wives said, Let it rain
potatoes" In Ireland, Goblet cursed pota-
toes as the very cause of the ruin of the
country; but the Earl of Dunraven claimed
that the fearful potato rot Of 1886 produced
a social revolution for Ireland. 1t introduced
free trade, brought about drainage of rivers,
created the land-improvement act, broke up
small farms, unlocked millions of capital.
drove millions of people to America, brought
Scotch and English scientific farmers into
Ireland-in short. evolved untold beneficial
results from temporary ruin and calamity
AT the start. potatoes were several centu-
ries in achieving foreign popularity. Early
potatoes were small, acrid and acid. Poor
people in England were afraid of them, and
one old writer advises that IF boiled with
dates. the potato may keep soul and body
together among those who can find nothing
| better" AS late as 1929, in England, pota-
| toes were toasted. peeled, sliced and put
into sack with sugar; they were also candied
| by confectioners France had the potato in
! 1742; but it was held in contempt, as fit only
| for very poor folk. Parmentier, French
| philanthropist. was mobbed for urging po-
| tatoes on the people nutritious food, until