Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-07-20
HISTORY OF POTATO PLANT.
Native of south America Natural
fEed in Europe.

Native of south America Natural
iEed in Europe.
The chronicle of one of the old Span
ish travellers. published In 1853, says
THE people OF Peru eat tuberous
root which they call papas." The Span
iards took this root to Spain, where 1t
was grown as "the truffle root" The
Italians very quickly adopted It into
| their gardens and soon the Dutch were
cultivating it with much the same zeal
that they displayed for tulips OF its
| Introduction into England, all that we
are sure of is that In 1886 Sir Walter
Raleigh was growing potatoes in his
| Irish garden.
Thomas Hariot In his account Of Vir-
ginia names potatoes among the roots
that were found growing there, saying
that some Of them were as big as o
walnut 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 a sweet potato. An
other writer, describing the esculents
OF Virginia, says that the potato root
Is thick, fat and tuberous. not differ
Ing much In shape from the sweet po-
tato, except that the roots are not so
great or long, while some of them are
round as ball and others are oval, In
the egg fashion.
Early In the seventeenth century Ra-
leigh's plantation Of potatoes had been
repeated all over Ireland but the farm
ers Of England, moved by stubbord
prejudice and possibly in part by jeal-
ousy, decided that they would have
nothing to do with the tuber It was
as late as the time of Charles II. GER
tainly 1t was after the Cromwelllan ep-
isode, before the potato got any fair
hold in English soil.
Gilbert White, writing In ITS. SAYS
that potatoes had prevailed In his dis
trict for about twenty years and that
this had been brought about "only by
means of premiums" but that potatoes
were then much esteemed by the poor
er people, who would scarcely have
yentured to taste them In the previous
reign.
Another writer speaks OF them as a
rather questionable product-possibly
to become human food, although rath-
er t1atulent and acid for the human
stomach" He recommends boiling them
with dates and thinks that such COM
oination would keep soul and body to-
thnan nh %oa J..
get anything better.
The story of the introduction of the
potato into France has been often told,
The country people were so convinced
or the poisonous nature of the tuber
that they would not give 1t trial. Its
friends were actually mobbed for try
ing to Introduce a food that would
poison the people. The story goes in
two ways. One of these tells us that
King Louis XVI. wore potato blossoms
In his buttonhole and had potatoes on
his royal table until they became pop-
ular with the arlstocratic classes.
Another story recounts how a cele-
brated physician and philanthropist
planted field of potatoes, about which
he placed guard, with instructions
to allow just as much thievlng as posi-
bic. The poorer people, believing a veg
etable that deserved such watchful care
must be Of great value, stole nearly
the whole Of them. In this way their
prejudices were overcome and a valua-
Bile esculent added to their dietary
Independent.