The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1912-02-23

than that the good people there are very fond
OF 1t. The misnamed sweet potato has no
right whatever to the title That pleasant vcge-
table belongs TO the morningglOry family.
botancally being known Ipomoea batatas,
thuS again betrayng a fictitious relationship
TO the other family, because the batata is
native term for the real potato as well
Again, It IS unjustly suspected that this sweet
potato is the vegetable actually brought by
Drake and Hawkins into England where IL
masQueraded for some years as the genuine
South American food OF contemporary ru-
NOR. II must be understood, however, that
the sweet potato is likewise a native OF Amer
ica, but its original home was probably the
West Indies and Central America. AZ any
rate. IL grows in the tropics and subtropics
and finds its climatic limitations at about the
temperature and altitude at which the Irish
potato begins TO thrive The yam is another
appelation 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 subtropics and they are cul.
tivated IN both the East and the West Indies
Other roots and tubers may resemble the DO.
tato, and the tomato is related to it, but they
must not be confounded with the far better
known vegetable which alone is entitled to the
cation is stronger, however than the scientific,
and therefore no attempt should be made to
separate them in the popular mind.
The common, or white, or Irish potato is un-
doubtedly American all through. It's prehs-
toric and aboriginal habitat was the western
slopes 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.
11, IL,
the most diversified plants of the vegetable
kingdom. Something like 900 varieties have
ben described, but, assuming that several of
these are not substantially accurate, there re-
main at least 500 which are well known. II ia
remarkable that only about 40 varieties have
pinnate leaves and produce tubers on the roots
beneath the ground. and that these special
varieties are chiefly Of American origin All
these tuberous, pinnateleaved kinds OF the
soanum are nearly related and very probably
have 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. I'm Central America near
the home Of the primitive maize but I'm all
fairness South America deserves and will hold
the honor
The edible potato. from which all the Euro.
pean and American variations have been de
Veloped, was undoubtedly cultivated bv even
the inhabitants OF the west coast OF South
America who occupied the land before the ar.
rival OF the lncas. When the Spanish conquer.
ers arrived there they found one great source
OF food supply ia this native vegetable In
Peru, however, II not a coast product for
the climate there semed unfavorable. and
what happened to grow the lower levels
were small, insignificant and watery. The
best kind OF potato grew at an altitude OF about
1000 feet, back Of Lima; Il was small round
Va I'm nd ..,ff...
tpapa amarla). I'm southern Peru. not far
from Moliendo. but among the foggy regions
tJune 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.
sequently is suitable. even near the coast. for
such vegetables, there is found that other form