116 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Fro.n the Land on Horticultural Transactions. 



On the Native Country of the Wild Potatoc, with 

 an account of its Culture in the Garden of l,\c 

 Horticultural Societi/ ; and Observations on the 

 Importance of obtaining improved Varieties nf 

 the Cultivated Plant. By Joseph Sabine, Esq 

 F. R. S. &c. ^ 



The possession of the pirtnts of the A'atlve 

 Wild Potutoe, has been long a desideratum, and 

 from the great importance and extensive use 

 of the cultivated root, the subject of course bo- 

 came an object of attention to the Horticultural 

 Society. In my comrannications with the So- 

 ciety's correspondents on the other side of the 

 Atlantic, this was pointed out as one of the 

 most interesting- oljjecls to which their attention 

 Could be directed ; and it is with no small satis- 

 faction that I am able to state that our inqui- 

 ries have been successful. 



Great doubts have existed as to what parts of 

 the new world the natural habitat of the Sola- 

 rium tuberosum or Potatoe should be assigned ; 

 and the question is even now a matter of discus- 

 sion among Botanists of the greatest eminence. 

 The vegetable, in its cultivated state, was (irst 

 known in this country as the Potatoe of \'irgin- 

 ia ; I conceive, however, there can be little 

 doubt that the plants which Sir Walter llaleigh 

 found in that colony, and transferred to Ireland, 

 liad been previously introduced there from some 

 of the Spanish territories, in the more southern 

 j>arts of that quarter of the globe ; for had the 

 yotatoe been a native of any district, now form- 

 ing part of the United Stales, it would before 

 this time have been found and recognised b> the 

 botanical collectors who have traversed and ex- 

 amined those countries. 



From the Baron de Humboldt's observations 

 on the potatoe in Mexico, it seems certain that 

 it is not wild in the southwestern part of North 

 America ; nor is it known otherwise than as a 

 garden plant in any of the West India islands. — 

 Its existence, therefore, remains to be fixed in 

 South America, and it seems now satisfactorily 

 proved, that it is to be found both in elevated 

 places in the tropical regions, and in the more 

 temperate districts on the western coasts of the 

 southern piirt of that division of the new world. 

 According to Molina, it grows wild abundantly 

 in the fields of Chili, and in its natural state is 

 called by the natives AIa;rlia. producing, when 

 uncultivated, small and brtter tubers. The Ba- 

 ron de Humboldt asserts, that it is not indigen- 

 ous in Peru, nor in any part of the Cordilleras 

 situated under the tropics. But this statement 

 is contradicted by M. Lambert, on the authority 

 of Don Francisco Zea ; the former of whom 

 says, that he and his companions Bombay and 

 Ruiz, had not only gathered the Solannm tube- 

 rosum wild in Cliili, but also in Peru, in the 

 environs of Lima ; and the latter has assured 

 Mr. Limbert, that he had found it growing in 

 the forests near Santa Fe de Bogota. The 

 above account of Pavon is further conlirmed by 

 the evidence of a specimen gathered by him in 

 Peru, and now forming a part of the herbarium 

 of Mr. Lambert, with the name of" Palatas del 

 Peru." 



Mr. Lambert, in his communications to the 

 Journal of Science and the Arts, supposes that 

 the wild potatoe is to be found in the eastern, 

 as well as the western and northern sides of 

 •South America. His opinion oa this point ap- 



pears to have been founded on the following cir- 

 cumstances : 



Among the specimens in the Herbarium form- 

 ed by Commerson, when he accompanied 

 Bouganville in his voyage round the world, is 

 one of a Solanum, gathered near Monte Video. 

 In the Supplement to the Encijclopedle, this speci- 

 men was described, on the authority of M. Du- 

 nal, of Montpelier, as belonging to a species 

 distinct from SoLnum tuberosum, under the name 

 of Solanum Commorsonii, and it was subse- 

 quently published by M. Dnnal, with the same 

 name in the Supplement to his Solonarum Synop- 

 sis. Mr. Lambert, however, conjectured this 

 specimen to be that of the type of the cultivat- 

 ed potatoe, and was induced to do so by inform- 

 ation received from Mr. Baldwin, an American 

 botanist, that he had found the Solanum tube- 

 rosum wild, both at Monte, and in the vicinity 

 of Maldonado, as well as from Captain Bowles, 

 who had resideil a considerable time at Buenos 

 .\yres, and who had told him that this plant was 

 a common weed in the gardens and neighbor- 

 hood of Monte Video. 



The above statements certainly confirm the 

 existence of a plant in suflicient abundance near 

 the shores of the Rio de la Plata, which Mr. 

 Lambert identities with Commerson's specimen ; 

 but the proof that it is the Solanum tubero&um, 

 in opposition to the decision of M. Dunal, rests 

 only on the opinion of Dr. Baldwin, and Ca|)t. 

 Bowles, without the usual satisfactory evidence 

 ol specimens, which have not been supplied by 

 cither of these gentlemen. 



In order to elucidate the question as much as 

 possible, I a[iplied to M. Desfontaines, Director 

 01 the Museum of Natural History in the Jardin 

 du Roi at Paris, for permission to have a drawing 

 made of Commerson's original specimen, which 

 was deposited in the Herbarium under his charge. 

 Vv'ith a liberality and kindness which I cannot 

 too highly compliment, the entire specimen was, 

 without delay transmitted to me. It has much 

 the appearance of being in a dwarf or stunted 

 state. The label affixed to it is thus described : 

 •' Hispanis Tomates — flores sunt palliduli — de 

 la plage du pied du morne de Monte \'ideo en 

 Mai, 1797." The size of the blo'som is evident- 

 ly larger than that of the S. tuberosum, under 

 similar circumstances; the depths of the divi- 

 sions of the flowers, and tlie large proportional 

 size of the terminal leaf, present striking differ- 

 ences from correspondent parts of the common 

 potatoe. Very little hairiness is perceptible on 

 the specimen, which if it had been taken from 

 a plant of S. lubcrnsom, would probably have 

 been much more hairy, as it usually is when 

 stunted. It is also somewhat singular that Com 

 merson, who could not but know the S. tu!>er- 

 osum and its various names, should have atiixed 

 that of "Tomates" to his specimen; this makes 

 it almost certain that he did not consider it to 

 be the potatoe. On these grounds I have ven- 

 tured to hesitate in concuring in the o|)!nion of 

 -H. Lambert, that wc have sullicient evidence 

 of the growth of the wild potatoe in the neigh- 

 borhood of the Rio de La Plata. It possibly may 

 be found there, but its existence in that part of 

 America is not proved, since it seems tolerably 

 certain that Commerson's plant is not it, and M. 

 Lambert does not suppose that the plants seen 

 by his correspondent and friend were different 

 from Commerson's. 

 Early iu the spring of the present year Mr. 



Caldcleugh, who had been some time reside 

 at Kio .Janeiro, in the situation of secretary 

 the i'.ritish Minister at that Court, where"' ! 

 had been indefatigable in his exei-iions to fc 

 ward the objects of the Horticultural Societ 

 returned to England, having previously taken 

 journey across the cumry, and visited the -^ri 

 cipal places on the western coast of South 

 menca. Among many articles of curiosi 

 which lie brought with him, were two tubers 

 the wild potatoe, which he sent to me with ti 

 following letter : 



Montague Place, Portman Square, 

 February 24, 1823. 

 Mv Dear Sir — It is with no small degree 

 pleasure that I am enabled to send you sort 

 specimens of the Solanum tuberosum, or N; 

 five Wild Potatoe of South America. 



It is found growing in considerable quantitit 

 in ravines in the immediate neighborhood < 

 Valparaiso on the western side of South Ame: 

 ica, in lat. 34, 30, S. The leaves and flowei 

 of the plant are similar in every respect t 

 those cultivated in England, and elsewhere. 1 

 begins to flower in the month of October, th 

 spring of that climate, and is not very prolific 

 The roots are small and of a bitterish tastt 

 some with red and others with yellowish skim 

 lam inclined to think that the plant grows o 

 a large extent of the coast, for in the south c 

 Chili it is found and called by the natives .170" 

 Ha, but I cannot discover that it is employed t 

 any purpose. 



I am indebted for these specimens to an ofli 

 cer of His M.ijesty's ship Owen Glendower, whi 

 left the country some time after me. 



ALEXANDER CALDCLEUGH. 

 Tlie two tubers were exhibited to the Socie 

 ty, and a drawing made of them before the 

 were planted. Had there been a third, I shouli , 

 have been tempted to have satisfied myself a. l 

 to the real flavor, which Mr. Caldcleugh, as wel 

 as Molina, describes as bitter. Tliey wen 

 planted separately in small pots, and speedilj 

 vegetated ; and grew rapidly, and were subse- i 

 quently turned out into a border about two feei 

 distance from each other, when they became 

 very strong and luxuriant. The blos.soms al 

 first were but sparingly produced, but as the 

 plants were earthed up they increased in vigor, 

 and then bore flowers abundantly ; but those 

 were not succeeded by fruit. The fiower was 

 white, and differed in no respect from those va- 

 rieties of the common potatoe which have 

 while blossoms. The leaves were compared 

 with several varieties of the cultivated potatoe, 

 which generally were rather of a more rugose & 

 uneven surface above, and with the veins stron-. 

 ger and more conspicuous below, but in other, 

 respects there was noditlerence between them.. 

 Tile piunnlu; which grew on the sides of ihe^ 

 petiole, between the pinna; of the leaves, werei 

 lew, not near so numerous as in some varieties 

 of the cultivated potatoe; but in specimens of- 

 other varieties that were examined, their 

 leaves were destitute ofpinnulas, so that the ex- 

 istence of these appendages does not appear to 

 be so essential a characteristic as has been sup- 

 posed, and as it is stated in the Supplement to- 

 the Encyclopedic. ( 



The earth with which the plan's had been 

 moulded up had been applied in consideritde 

 quantity, so as to iorm a ridg", tiie sides of 



