New Britain herald., 1917-03-17
THE POTATO. (By James Shepard.)

Our common potato, white potato,
 Irish potato. slxyreis of Peru. pommel
 de terre or earth apple. as the potato
 hos been variously called, Is a native
 of the Andes in South America. par
 ticularly of Chili and Peru. At tho
 present time the word potato Is gen
 orally understood as referring to the
 plant or tubers of the solanum tuber-
 osunl, but as used by English writers,
 before the middle of the seventeenth
 century. 1t referred to the Span
 ish or sweet potato, batatas edulis.
 The name potato comes from the
 Spanish batatas, which was errone-
 ously applied to a plant of an entirely
 different character. The batatas be-
 longed to the bindweed. or morning
 glory. family. white the solanum be-
 longs to the night shade family which
 includes among other plants, tobacco.
 tomato. egg plant and the pepper
 plant. Sir John Gerade. in his
 Herbal. 1e36. gave tthe name batatas
 virginiana. to our common potato. He
 had 1t in his garden at Holborn,
 and recommended that the roots be
 eaten as a delicate dish and not as
 common food. It is supposed to have been first introduced into Spain from
 the region of Quito, S. A.. early in the sixteenth century. One writer states that 1t was first introduced into Europe from Bogota, s. A., by Sir, John Hawkins. an English naval hero. who was engaged in the slave trade from Africa to the West Indies and the Spanish Main, from 1562 to 67. It afterwards found it's way into Italy and from thence to Mons, in Belgium by one of the attendants of the PopeS 1egate. The potato and the tobacco plant. the chief relics of Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition. were first introduced into England on the return of that expedition in 1586. The occurrence of the potato in Virginia was probably due to a recent intro proof that the aborigines of this country, or of Mexico, ever cultivated the potato. It was planted on Sir Walters estate near Cork, and used as food in Ireland long before it was known in England.
 From Spain, the potato was intro duced into Italy from whence 1t was carried to Flanders, England, in 1888, 1 at which time it was aS common arti- 1 cle of food in Italy and was even fed to the pigs. In 1898. 1t was carried from Mons to the celebrated botanist Ciusius at Vienna, who states that in , short time it spread rapidly through put Germany. In England, during the 1 reign of James I, potatoes were so l rare as to cost two shillings a pound l and in 1919 were mentioned as among l he articles of food provided for the | royal household. In 1633. they were l deemed worthy of notice by the Royal l society, which took measures to en- | courage their cultivation, but 1t was | not until nearly century thereafter | hat they were grown to any great l extent in England. In 1125 they l were introduced into Scotland. Since ] hen the prejudices which so long ex- I sted against their use both in England | md Scotland, have gradually vanished ! Ind for many years past the potato ] crop has been regarded throughout | he British Dominions as Q most valu- lble addition to the food supply, only | second in importance to cereals
 In addition to the use of potatoes IS a vegetable, they are used largely | n making starch. They are the oasis of certain farinaceous foods and Ire mixed with wheat -four i'm making | bread. From potato starch . sub- 'tance is produced. annalogous to gum md is called dexterine. The waste | potato pulp which is left in the n1anu- acture of starch edingly lard when dried and: snuff hoxes have ,een made of this residue. Scraped aw potatoes are g popular cooling application for burns and scalds. Potato brandy and wine is used in arge quantities on the continent.
 An extract made from the stalks md leaves has been employed as .