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at a height a little less than two miles above the level of the 

 sea, and almost directly under the equator, and a more agree- 

 able climate is not to be found in the world. There are no 

 extremes of heat nor cold. This may account for the potatoes 

 thriving in high northern latitudes, although indigenous in the 

 torrid zone. For more than half a century from its first in- 

 troduction into Spain, it was grown there, and in several other 

 countries of Europe, with success. It was propagated, no 

 doubt, mostly from the root, without being renewed at proper 

 times from the seed, and, at length, it deteriorated, became 

 diseased and rotted; and before the end of the seventeenth 

 century, it had become almost extinct in Europe, and seed was 

 again imported from its native country. It soon came into 

 general use a second time, and flourished well for nearly half 

 a century, and then the rot commenced again, and continued 

 till, in 1779, no good seed was to be had. Before the close of 

 that century , it was imported for the third time, and the po- 

 tato was so much sought, that in less than half a dozen years, 

 it had again come into general use. 



The introduction and use of the potato in the New England 

 and other stales. Potatoes were introduced into these states 

 by emigrants from Europe. A hundred years ago, potatoes 

 were not much used here, and but little esteemed. Turnips, 

 and beans of Greeley renown were in more general use. But 

 gradually the potato found favor, and at length it became one 

 of the principal articles of food upon the table of every family. 

 It had not been in general use here, for but little more than 

 fifty years, when it became diseased, and rotted so badly from 

 year to year, that whole crops were cut ofif, and its utter exter- 

 mination seemed to be threatened. Old varieties were fast 

 becoming extinct, and new ones were sought for wherever they 

 could behest procured. 



People then began to realize the importance of starting new 

 varieties from the seed, and this was done to a much greater 



