Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1912-02-23

than that the good people there are very fond
of it. The misnamed Sweet potato has no
right whatever to the title. That pleasant vege-
table belongs to the morning glory family.
botanically being known as Ipomoea batatas.
thus again betraying fictitious relationship
TO the other family because the batata is
native term for the real potato as well.
Again. it is unjusty suspected that this sweet
potato is the vegetable actually brought by
Drake and Hawkins into England, where it
masqueraded for some years as the genuine
South American food of contemporary ru-
NOR 1t must be understood, however, that
the sweet potato is likewise native of Amer
lea, but its original home was probably the
West Indies and Central America. At any
rate 1t grows in the tropics and subtropcs
and finds its climatic limitations at about the
temperature and altitude at which the Irish
potato begins to thrive. The yam Is another
appellation of the sweet potato, although
that too Is an error, for the yams-diosco-
reae-belong to a group of climbing plants.
A number of varieties are found throughout
the tropics and subtropcs, and they cul-
tivated in both the East and the West Indies.
Other roots and tubers may resemble the po-
tato and the tomato is related to 1t, but they
must not be COMPOUNDED with the far better
known vegetable, which alone Is entitled to the
name The commercial and domestic classic
cation is stronger, however, than the scientific.
and therefore attempt should be made to
separate them in the popular mind.
The common white or Irish potato is un-
doubtedly American all through. Its prehis-
toric and aboriginal habitat the western
stones of the southern continent. from the
neighborhood of Quito in Ecuador, or as some
claim even from that of Bogota in Colombia. to
the central region of Chile
Botanically, the potato is soanum, one or
+ha most diversified plants of the vegetable
AttnSh hove
hen described but, assuming that several OF
tbesa are not substantially accurate, there re-
main at least 500 which are well known. 1t is
remarkable that only about 40 varieties have
inmate leaves and produce tubers on the roots
beneath the ground, and that these special
varieties are chiefly Of American origin All
these tuberous, pinnate-leaved kinds OF the
solanum are nearly related and very probably
have a common origin. This first habitat OF
the potato has been laid by some students, quite
as much for the sake of poetic harmony as for
historic exactitude In Central America near
tbe home of the primitive maize, but in all
fairness South America deserves and will hold
the honor.
The edible potato, from which all the Euro
naan and American variations have been de-
ve1oned was undoubtedly cultivated by even
+ha inhabitants of the west coast or South
America who occupied the land before the ar
x,yol of the Incas When the Spanish conquer
ars arrived there they found one great source
OF food supply in this native vegetable. In
Peru. however, it was not coast product, for
+bo climate there seemed unfavorable, and
what happened TO grow on the lower LEWIS
were small, insignificant and watery. The
best kind of potato grew at an altitude OF about
? 600 feet. back of Lima it was small. round.
,r;tb thin skin. and was yellowish inside
fnana amarilla) In southern Peru, not far
from Mollendo but among the foggy regions
(Iune TO September), up among the rocky hills,
the potato has been found wild.
Passing farther along the coast into Chile.
where the climate is quite temperate and con-
seouently is suitable, even near the coast, for
such vegetables. there is found thaI other form