136 



In England it did not lack supporters, and in 1663f the Eoyal 

 Society listened to a Mr. Buckland, who spoke long and warmly in 

 its praises. How far this championship succeeded is doubtfuL 

 One witness tells us it was common in England in 1698, but a 

 dozen contemporaries give him the lie." If I can't get bread, wrote 

 Ilichardson in Pamela in the year 1740, I will live like a bird in 

 winter upon hips and haws, and at other times upon pignuts and 

 potatoes. The coupling of the potato with so mean a weed as the 

 pignut ranks it very low, while admitting it among familiar country 

 objects. " The general trend of evidence is that the Potato did not 

 come into anything like general use until the distressful years that 

 followed the victory of AVaterloo. 



Eveji then it did not lack detractors. Cobbett thundered 

 against the " infamous vegetable " which with the nse of tea 

 would reduce the sturdy English labourer to the level of the Irish 

 peasant. The Times in 1829 considered it as " a fit esculent to 

 lower the food of the opulent " but its use among the working 

 classes would lower them to " a nation of miserable turbulent 

 drunkards." In France it was considered " le plus mauvais de 

 tons les legumes dans I'opinion generale. Cependant le pcuple qui 

 est la partie la plus nombreuse de i'humanite s'en nourrit." This 

 was written in 1779. 



Parmcntier,;}; whose name still figures on our menus when 

 potato-soup requires disguising, succeeded in introducing it to 

 higher circles, and even persuaded Louis XYI to wear its flower 

 in his buttonhole. 



In Scotland the dearth of 1740 led to its introduction, and 

 here again it met with the usual opposition. "Tatties! tatties!" 

 said one old native, " I ne'er supped on them a' my days, and 

 and 170. These six are, Xo. 95 being the branched yam: — 

 winna the nicht." The more philosophical argued that potatoes 

 were not mentioned in the Bible. However the tatties made them- 

 selves at home, and have kept many a Scotchman from treading the 

 broad road that leads to England. 



Potatoes are now a habit." The potato plant has won througli : 

 and its cultivation has received not a little further stimulation in 

 the calamity of the Crreat War. Its history preaches the fact that 

 our food prejudices are enormous, and hard to break. 



For some years an attempt has been made from the Botanic 

 Gardens to popularise the use of tubers which are capable of being 

 local substitutes for the potato, with scant success among those 

 who can afford to have prejudices ; but the repeated thefts from 

 the crop show that the needy, who cannot afford to have many, will 

 eat them. Unfortunately tlie needy being unable to ])ropagate them, 

 are merely destructive. 



These tubers are certain yams, yautias, and what the French- 

 call crosnes, — all easy of digestion if properly cooked. 



I. H. BURKILL. 



T or close up-^n 100 vears from its intmduf'tion into IrelHnd. 

 t Antoine Auguste Parmentier, 1737 — 1813. 



