The Elbert County tribune., 1912-02-23
ESRHG GZazZ
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1915

than that the good people there are very fond
OF 1t. The misnamed sweet" potato has no
right whatever to the title. That pleasant vege-
table belongs to the morningglory family,
Dotanically being known as Ipomoea batatas.
thus again betraying fictitious relationship
to the other family because the batata Is a
native term for the real potato we'll
Again. 1T is unjusty suspected that this sweet
potato Is the vegetable actually brought by
Drake and Hawkins into England. where 1t
masqueraded for some years the genuine
South American food of contemporary ru-
NOR. 1t must be understood, however, that
the sweet potato is likewise a native of Amer
lea, but its original home probably the
West Indies and Central America. At any
rate, 1t 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
appellation of the sweet potato. although
that, too. is an error. for the yams-diosco-
reae-belong to a group of climbing plants
number of varieties 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 po-
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
name. The commercial and domestic classih-
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. Its prehis-
toric and aboriginal habitat 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.
Botanically, the potato is solanum, Of
the most diversified plants of the vegetable
kingdom. Something like 1000 varieties have
ben described, but assuming that several Of
these are not substantially accurate, there re-
main at least 500 which are well known. 1t is
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
solanum nearly related and very probably
have a common origin. This first habitat Of
the potato has been laid by some students, quite
much for the sake of poetic harmony for
historic exactitude, In Central America near
the 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
pean and American variations have been de-
veloped, was undoubtedly cultivated by even
the Inhabitants of the west coast of South
America who occupied the land before the ar
rival of the Incas. When the Spanish conquer
ers arrived there. they found great source
of food supply in this native vegetable. In
Peru, however, 1t was not coast product for
the climate there semed unfavorable and
what happened to grow on the lower levels
were small. insignificant and watery. The
best kind OF potato grew at an altitude Of about
1000 feet, back of Lima; It was small round,
with a thin skin, and was yellowish insiee
(papa amarila). In southern Peru, not far
from Molendo, but among the foggy regions
(June 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 the coast. for
such vegetables. there is found that other form