124 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[April, 



that he gave any attention to colonial matters. To 

 my mind the more plausible theory is that he 

 received some of the tubers that Drake had 

 brought from his southwestern voyage, and having 

 cultivated them one year, introduced them to the 

 public as a product of the new country in which he 

 was at that time greatly interested. Again there 

 does not appear any evidence that the potato was 

 to be found in Virginia at that time. It is not in- 

 digenous to that country, and if found there at all 

 it must have been procured from Europe, which is 

 contrary to both history and the requirements of 

 the case. 



Peter Cieca, in his "Chronicle," printed in 1553, 

 says that the inhabitants of Quito had, besides 

 mays, a tuberous root which they called papas, 

 and which was an article of diet with them. 

 Clusius, a botanist of Vienna, supposed this to be 

 the potato, specimens of which he had received 

 both from South America and from Flanders. 

 Thomas Henriot, a mathematician, describes the 

 potato of Raleigh as follows: "These roots are 

 round, some as large as a walnut, others much 

 larger; they grow in damp soil, many hanging 

 together, as if fixed on ropes; they are good for 

 food either boiled or roasted." The first figure of 

 the potato was given by Gerarde, in his "Herbal" 

 in 1 597. He calls it the Batata Virginiana. He 

 states that "the root is thick, fat, tuberous, not 

 much differing in shape, color and taste from the 

 common potato, save that the roots hereof are not 

 so great nor long; some of them are as a ball, 

 some oval or egg-fashioned, some larger, some 

 shorter, the which knobby roots are fastened into 

 the stalks with an infinite number of thready 

 strings. It groweth naturally in America, where 

 it was first discovered, as report says, by Columbus, 

 since which time I have received roots hereof from 

 Virginia, otherwise called Nurenbega, which grow 

 and prosper in my garden as in their own country- 

 The Indians do call this plant 'pappas,' meaning 

 < the roots,' by which name also the common pota^ 

 toes are called in those Indian countries. We have 

 the name proper to it mentioned in the title, because 

 it hath not only the shape and proportion of pota- 

 toes, but also the pleasant taste and virtues of the 

 same, we may call it in English, 'potatoes of 

 America or Virginia.'" 



What is here called the "common potato," 

 was the sweet potato, which was the root in com- 

 mon use previous to 1600. This was the plant 

 alluded to by Shakspe^re in the "Merry Wives of 

 Windsor," where Falstafif is made to say, "Let it 

 rain potatoes, and hail kissing comforts." Gerard 



speaks of the round potato as a great delicacy, and 

 recommends that it be eaten as such, and not as a 

 common dish. In 1630, Parkinson published a 

 figure of the potato along with other roots that 

 were eaten. It seems to have been quite rare in 

 England for many years after its introduction. So 

 little attention was given to this plant that it is not 

 mentioned by Loudon and Wise in the edition of 

 their "Complete Gardener," published in 1719. 

 Bradley, who wrote on horticulture about the same 

 time, says that: "The potato is of less note than 

 horse radish, radish scorganers, beets, and skerret." 

 During the reign of James I. they were furnished 

 to the royal table at two shillings per pound. And 

 during the succeeding reign, and the Common- 

 wealth, the potato continued very scarce and high 

 in price. So slowly did it come into use that it 

 was only toward the close of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury that it came into common use. Hence we 

 find that in Essex County in 1796, 1,700 acres were 

 planted to supply the London market. 



The potato made its way to Scotland in 1728, 

 where it met with considerable opposition on 

 religious grounds, because "the potato is not men- 

 tioned in the Bible." But a severe season in 1742, 

 proved the value of this tuber for food, and so 

 stimulated its culture that it soon became a com- 

 mon and reliable article of diet. 



It was introduced into Germany in 1710. The 

 government took quite an interest in its introduc- 

 tion, and in some parts of the country used com- 

 pulsion to promote its cultivation. France received 

 the potato about the same time that it was taken to 

 Germany, but it seems to have met with quite 

 strong opposition, having been pronounced poison- 

 ous by the National College of Physicians. One 

 Parmentier, was instrumental in making it popular 

 in that country. He first saw it as he returned 

 from the siege of Mayence. He studied its culti- 

 vation in Germany, and on returning to France he 

 entered upon the task of educating his countrymen 

 in a knowledge of the value of this esculent. He 

 exerted himself by every means in his power to 

 attract the attention of the public to the merits of 

 the potato as an article of food. It is true he over- 

 estimated its value, believing that it was equal to 

 wheat. But he had not taken account of the value 

 of gluten in wheat that had been discovered in 

 1727 by Bececaria. In order to overcome the 

 prejudices of the people he wrote and spoke in its 

 favor, recommending it* to the p®or as a cheap 

 food product. He planted a field of potatoes, and, 

 in order to impress the peasantry with its import- 

 ance, he had it guarded by gendarmes, giving out 



