The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1907-07-12
HISTORY OF POTATO PLANT.

Native of South America Natural-
ixed I'm Europe.
The chronicle of one of the old Span
ish travellers, published In 1858, says:
''The people of Peru eat tuberous
root which they call papas." The Span
iards took this root to Spain, where It
was grown as ''the truffle root" The
Italians very quickly adopted 1t into
their gardens and soon the Dutch were
cultlvating 1t 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 a
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 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. 1t was
as late as the time of Charles III, GER
tainly it was after the Cromwellian ep-
isode. before the potato got any fair
hold In English soil.
Gilbert White, writing in 117S, 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
ventured 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 fatulent and acid for the human
stomach" He recommends boiling them
with dates and thinks that such a COM
bination would keep soul and body to-
gether for those who are too poor to
get anything better.
The story of the introduction Of the
potato into France has been often told.
The country people were so convinced
of 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 aristocratic classes.
Another story recounts how a cele-
brated physician and philanthropist
planted a field Of potatoes, about which
ne placed guard, with instructions
to allow just as much thieving as possi-
BILE. The poorer people, believing 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 valua-
BILE esculent added to their dietary
Independent.