SOLANUM 



TUBEROSUM THE POTATO 



Bengal 



are usually prepared by being half boiled, the interior scooped out and 

 mashed with pepper, salt and butter, then replaced and baked. 



\Cf. Bontius, Hist. Nat. et Med. 2nd. Or., 1629, in Piso, Ind. Utri. re Nat. 

 et Med., 1658, 123-4 ; Bentham, Rev. of Targioni-Tozzetti, in Journ. Hort. Soc., 

 1855, ix., 140-1 ; De Candolle, Orig. Cult. Plants, 1884, 287 ; Basu, Agri. 

 Lohardaga, 1890, pt. i., 75-6 ; Banerjei, Agri. Cuttack, 1893, 107-8 ; Henry, 

 Econ. Bot. China, 1893, 50 ; Mukerji, Handbook Ind. Agri., 1901, 343-6 ; Mollison, 

 Textbook Ind. Agri., 1901, iii., 209-11; Woodrow, Gard. in Ind., 1903, 199; 

 Hobaon-Jobaon (ed. Crooke), 1903, 115-6 ; Hosie, Kept. Prov. of Ssu'ch'uan, 1904, 

 No. 5, 15 ; Firminger, Man. Gard. Ind. (ed. Cameron), 1904, 156 ; Joret, Lea PI. 

 dans VAntiq., etc., 1904, ii., 253; Roy, Crops of Bengal, 1906, 138-41.] 



Potato. 



Ancient 

 Cultivation. 



Introduction 

 into Europe. 



Into India. 



Cultiva- 

 tion. 



Bengal. 



Ploughing. 

 Manuring. 



S. tuberosum, Linn. The Potato, alu, bilati dlu, batata, wallarai, 

 kilangu, utalay gudda, etc. 



With reference to the indigenous habitat of the potato, De Candolle 

 (I.e. 45-53) states that the only locality in which a species is found really 

 wild, that could be accepted as representing the cultivated plant, is Chili, 

 but that it is very doubtful whether its natural home extends to Peru and 

 New Granada. According to Baker (Journ. Linn. Soc., xx., 489), however, 

 undoubted forms of S. tuberosum have been found wild in Lima and in 

 New Granada also, but the plant is everywhere one which occurs at a 

 comparatively high altitude and in a dry climate, and is met with nowhere 

 in the near neighbourhood of the coast. It is proved beyond doubt that 

 at the time of the discovery of America the cultivation of the potato was 

 practised with every appearance of ancient usage in the temperate regions 

 extending from Chili to New Granada (Asa Gray, Scient. Papers, 1889, 

 i., 317). In Europe it was introduced at some period between 1580 and 

 1585, first into Spain, thence to Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium and 

 Germany. It had reached Ireland in 1585 or 1586 (Roze, Hist, de la 

 Pomme de Terre, Paris, 1898). The first mention of it in connection with 

 India appears in Terry's account of the banquet at Ajmir given by Asaph 

 Chan to Sir Thomas Roe in 1615 (Voyage E. Ind., 197). Fryer (1675, 

 New Ace. E. Ind. and Pers. (ed. 1698), 104, 179) describes the gardens of 

 Surat and the Karnatak as containing among other vegetables brinjals 

 and potatoes. It would thus appear that within a remarkably short 

 interval, after the discovery of the potato in America, it had been 

 conveyed to India and was apparently at once taken up by the better- 

 class Muhammadans as a desirable addition to the ordinary articles 

 of diet. 



CULTIVATION. To-day, it may be said to be cultivated more or less 

 in all parts of India. The methods pursued will, therefore, be now briefly 

 indicated under provincial headings : 



Bengal. The chief potato-growing districts are Hughli, Bard wan, 

 Rangpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. Full accounts have recently been 

 given by Mukerji and Roy, as also in the publications of the Bengal Agri- 

 cultural Department. Various kinds of the tuber are grown, of which the 

 Patna, Naini Tal, and Cherrapunji are best known and most highly valued. 

 A loose soil such as sandy loam is preferred. The crop requires moisture, 

 but water must not be allowed to settle about the tubers. In rotation it 

 may follow dits paddy or jute, but is often grown year after year without 

 an intervening crop, especially in the vicinity of large markets, the fertility 

 being preserved by high manuring. Previous to planting the land is pre- 

 pared by numerous ploughings and is thoroughly pulverised. Manure, 

 preferably cow-dung at the rate of 240 maunds per acre, or castor-cake 



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