The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-02
POTATO IN HISTORY.
South American Enigrants Be
come Naturalized in Furone.

The CHRONICLES OF one Of the old Snan-
ish travellers. published in 1523 saws: THE
neoDle OF Peru eat tuberous root which
they call naDas." The Standards took
this root to Snain. whore 10 was grown rs
tho truf'e root. The italians very quick
" ad0nted IL into their garden. and soon
the Dutch were cultivatnc Il with much
the Same zeal that they disnlaved FOR tu-
Tins. on its introduction into England an
tlsat we are sure OF is that in 1895 Sir
Walter Raieigh was growing potatoes IN
his Irish garden
Thomas Hariot. in his account OF Vir.
Einia. names potatoes among the roots
that were FOUND wing there saying
that some OF them We're as big as a wal
nut. and others considerably larger. This
virginia potato seems to have been that
which is now known as the Irish while
that grown In Peru is more likely to have
been sweet potato
Another writer describing the esculents
OF virginia SAYS that the potato root Is
thick. rat and tuberous not differing much
in shane from the sweet potato excert
that tho roots are not so great OF Ions.
while some Of them are round as a bali
ana others are oval IN the egg fashion.
'of which the knobble roots are fastened
with an infinite number Of threddfe
STRINGS"
Early in the seventeenth century Pal
eigh' 8 plantation Of potatoes had been -
peated All over ireland. but the farmers
OF England. moved bv stubborn prejudice
ana possibly I'm part by jealousy decided
that they would have nothing to do with
thc tuher Shakespeare makes Faistan
imagine that tho heavens are raining 10
tatoes upon him-an imagination that
could hardly have been delightful unless
the potatoes retained their original small
size. II was as late as the time Of Charles
H.. certainly 70 was after the Cromwell
Han episode. before the potato got any
fair hold in English soil
Gilbert White. writing in IT'S. saws that
potatoes had prevailed in his district 70,
about twenty years and that this had
been brought about only Icy means 81
premiums" but that potatoes we're theC
much esteemed by the poorer people, wht
would scarcely have ventursd 10 lasts
them IN the previous reign.
Another writer speaks OF them AZ q
rather questionable product-possibly %
become human food although rather
hatulent and acid Tor the human storm
ach.' lie recommends boiling them with
dates. and thinks that such a comhlna-
zion would keep soul and body together.
for those who are TOO poor 20 get any
thing better. II IS probable that the sto-
rage Of this csruieut was very little un-
derstood. and $50. being left IN the ushS
after digging. they became continuously
less and less suitable for food
The story Of the introduction Of the 10
tato into France has been often told. The
country people were $50 convinced OF the
poisonous nature az tho tuber that they
would not give Sc ID trial. Its friends were
actually mohhed f1r tryins 20 Introduce q
food that wolll poison The people. The
story goes iu TWO ways one OF these
tolls ls that King Louis XIV wore Do
tato blossoms in bis huuounoie and had
potatoes ou bis rov1I table until they BE-
came popular with the aristocratic classes.
Another story recounts how a celsbrat-
cd physician and rhNanthrouist planted
Cd field OF potatoes. about which he places