82 HISTORY OF THE POTATO. 



his fields, composting it with lime and other mat- 

 ters, as a dressing for the potato crop, and it answers 

 well ; the usual returns from corn, and fluctuations 

 in the price, will not often induce him to make 

 such exertions. All this is no robbery of the farm- 

 yard, but solely a profitable reward and premium 

 to industry. 



Much has been said and written about the potato, 

 but as some erroneous ideas have been received 

 concerning its early introduction into Europe, 

 perhaps a slight sketch of the history of this ex- 

 traordinary root may not be uninteresting a sum- 

 mary of the perusal of multitudes of volumes, 

 papers, treatises ! 



The sweet Spanish potato (convolvulus batatus), 

 a native of the East, was very early dispersed 

 throughout the continent of Europe ; and all the 

 ancient accounts, in which the name of potato is 

 mentioned, relate exclusively to this plant, a con- 

 volvulus ; but our inquiry at present regards that 

 root now in such extensive cultivation with us, 

 which is an American plant (solanum tuberosum). 

 Perhaps the first mention that is known concerning 

 the root is that of the great German botanist, 

 Clusius, in 1588, who received a present of two of 

 the tubers in that year from Flanders, and there 

 is a plate of it among his rare plants. The first 

 certain account which I know of by any English 

 writer is in Gerard, who mentions, in his herbal, 

 receiving some roots from Virginia, and planting 



