Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-03-31
THE potato.
History of Growth and Development
rs \ Food Product.
Bangor Commercially

DUB4oF SoutHeTCtOtst
Although we have known the potato, in
plant history, for period OF nearly $50
years, it is only recently that it has been
given the attention which it deserves and
improved in quality and in varieties as few
agricultural or food yielding plants have
been. The original home of the potato
was in the elevated valleys OF Chill, Peru
and Mexico, while native plant of the
potato is found in southern Colorado. 1t
was upon this wild potato that the insect
which preys so voraciously on our culti-
waited potatoes was found, which has be-
come dispersed over the potato growing
world and is known as the Colorado beetle.
Botanical history tells us that the potato
was carried from Peru to Spain early in
the sixteenth century. There is little
doubt that the seed found their way into
other European states, although it is
probable they were only cultivated in a
few gardens OF the leading herbalists as
curious plants or those with which expert
ments were made.
Like most other useful plants or vege-
table products used as food for man, the
real introduction Of the potato into that
part Of England now Ireland has long
been subject OF much uncertainty. Sir
Walter Raleigh, who in 15s0-15S5 had been
in the new country Of Virginia and the
Csrolinas, where the potato was cultivated
by the Indians as had been Indian corn or
maize Of the early Mexicans, when he re-
turned to England in 1885, is said to have
carried the potato with him from this
country and cultivated them in his gar
den near Cork.
However, more recent Investigations
give the credit OF introducing the potato
into England to Sir Francis Drake in
1885. Drake was the greatest Of the
Elizsbethan seamen and was in this
country on one OF his many voyages in
1873, when he was at Plymouth, and
later went through the straits Of Magel-
Ian to the Pacific.
this country to England by Raleigh in
1885, or by Drake in 1885, is only q narrow
but interesting historical question in the
introduction Of useful plants from one
country to another. 1t is true, however,
that Raleigh had them on his estate at
Cork, and from there they were intro
duced into the famous garden of Lord
Burghley.
This garden was for some twenty years
under the care Of John Gerard, q cele-
brated botanist or herbalist. He figured
and described the potato in his book, s.The
Herbalist," which was printed in 1897.
Gerard was born in 1916 and died in 1872,
and surgery during his active life Ger
ards work was a sort OF gardeners CATS
logue, which is said to have been the first
gardening catalogue, public or private,
ever printed-the original OF the Hender-
son and Gregory and Ferry plant list or
seed catalogues OF the present day.
The wild varieties OF the potato in their
native home still bear close resemblance
to the cultivated varieties, although the
underground root has given place to the
tubers. During the seventeenth century
the potato was cultivated sparingly in
European gardens, and in 1858 was intro
duced largely into Ireland as q safeguard
against famine. In 1772, when the grain
crops failed in Germany, potatoes became
favorite crop; and in III only two
varieties, one red and one a white, were
mentioned in the most important work on
English gardening.
BY 1S40, the potato had largely taken the
- baa tv,f nd ha inh
or rot which visited the potato fields of
this country in 1845, devastated the fields
OF Ireland in 1S47-1S49. 1t seems terrible
that during those two years, the number
OF those in Ireland who persisted for want
of food caused by the famine due to a
meagre diet of unhealthy and unnutritious
food, reached the total Of 100000. As may
be recalled by our older readers, this
country sent ship loads of food and pro-
visions to that stricken, yet beautiful land.
William Cobbett, that brave old fighting
Englishman, always farmer and lover
Of flowers, who introduced Indian corn
into England and who thought the acacia
the most valuable tree that ever grew, had
no love for the potato. In his "Year's
Residence in America, printed in 1928, he
called the potato most wretched root,
making slave Of the housewife by always
having to boil the pot, ''the everlasting
pot, and saying it was no saving of food
compared with wheat, because one had to
eat so much water.
And so on for when Cobbett disliked
thing he knew how to heap it with abuse
through whole chapter, ending with:
81 now dismiss the potato with the hope
that shall never again have to write the
word or see the thing" What would
Goblet say now did he know the hun
dreds OF varieties OF our beautiful pota-
toes, of the vast quantities We raise and OF
the great amount we consume and esteem
as most delicious and healthful vege-
table?
1t was not until the '70s that the real i'm
provement of the potato began in this
country through the work OF Rev. Chaun-