CHAPTER VI. 



The Potato Solanum tvbcrosum. 



POTATOES now form so valuable an article of food 

 in many countries, as to be classed almost among the 

 necessaries of life, and to be ranked next in importance 

 to the cerealia. 



The common and very general culture of the 

 potato in this kingdom at the present day renders it 

 difficult of belief, that so comparatively short a period 

 should have elapsed since its introduction, and that 

 the time when this vegetable was served up in small 

 quantities as a rarity should be in the present recol- 

 lection of aged persons. 



There is strong evidence for believing that this 

 plant was first introduced into England by the colo- 

 nists adventuring to North America under the 

 auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh, who had obtained a 

 patent in 1584 from Queen Elizabeth ' for dis- 

 covering and planting new countries not possessed 

 by Christians.' Thomas Heriot, afterwards known 

 as a mathematician, was among these voluntary 

 exiles ; who, however, all returned within two years 

 after they had first gone forth for the purpose of 

 founding a colony. These voyagers most probably 

 brought home the potato, since in Heriot's report 

 of the country, which is printed in De Bry's col- 

 lection of Voyages, he describes (vol. i, p. 17), 

 under the article Roots, a plant called openaivk, 

 which there is little doubt is identical with the 

 potato. ' The roots of this plant,' says he, ' are 

 VOL. xv. 11* 



