GARDEIN5' BULLETIN, 



5TttALr5 5ETTLEnEM5. 



Vol. I. Issued March 5Ist I9I7. No. II-I2. 



A REPORT ON RACf:S OF THE GREATER OR TEN 



MONTHS YAM, DIOSCOREA ALATA,— 



CULTIVATED IN THE 



BOTANIC GARDENS, SINGAPORE. 



It is a starcliy food, and supplies tbe place of tbe potato in 

 several parts of tbe World, rspt'ciallv in the more moist parts of 

 tbe tropics; for tbe i)otato. a nati\e of the temperate parts of 

 South America, is not a tropical plant, but is even grown in the 

 Peruvian Andes at so great an elevation as 14,000 feet. 



Wbeii tbe New World was discovered tbe potato was only spread 

 in tbe continent of its own home, and limited by temperature it 

 had not passed the Isthmus of I'anama northwards. This passing 

 of the Isthmus of Panama happened only when European voyagers 

 took it to Virginia and to neighbouring parts. About 1535, When 

 tbe coiHiuest of Peru had been effected, the Spaniards brought the 

 potato to Spain : and seeing how difficult it was to provision ships 

 in those days, we may be sure that they made use of it for the pur- 

 pose. Then in 1585, perliaps through the seizing of some Spanish 

 ship, perhaps in another way, the potato was brought alive to Ire- 

 land; and Ireland adopted it. It was not Avelcometl however on 

 the Continent of Europe, and was only just accepted in Great 

 Britain in spite of earnest advocates such as (Jerard, the King's 



