380 BULLETIN No. 127. [August, 



2. THE ORIGINAL PLANT 



ORIGINAL HABITAT 



A. De Candolle (22 p. 46) states that Solanutn tuber osum was 

 unknown to the aborigines of eastern South America, although 

 $. Commersonii was common as a wild plant. Along the western 

 coast, however, the potato was well known and its cultivation dif- 

 fused from Chili to New Grenada. 



Pedro Ciec.a de Leon (86 p. 5) in his "Spanish Chronicles of 

 Peru," makes the first written mention of the potato in 1550. 



"In the neighborhood of Quito," he says, "the inhabitants have besides maize, 

 two other plants which serve as a great portion of their food, papas and quiniia. 

 The papas has roots enlarged into tubercles, which are covered with a more or 

 less hard skin; these when cooked have a pulp nearly as tender as a puree of 

 chestnuts. When dried in the sun to preserve them, they are called chumo, and 

 are thus preserved for future use. The fruit produces a stalk similar to the 

 poppy. The quiniia is a plant about the height of a man and has leaves like 

 the blite of Mauritania, and a small seed either red or white in color, from 

 which is prepared a drink, and a food comparable to our rice." 



Lopez de Gomara (86 p. 5) in his "Histoire generale des Indes" 

 (1154) and Augustin de Zarate in his "Histoire de la Decouverte 

 et de la Conquete du Perou" (1555) also speak of this "papas" 

 which is still the Indian name of the potato. Jerome Cardan in his 

 curious work entitled "De Rerum Varietate" (Bale 1557) expresses 

 himself in these terms on the same subject : 



"On the height of the mountains in the country of Peru, the papas are like 

 a species of truffle which is served in place of bread, and are also dried in the 

 sun. It is thus nature has wisely 'provided for all needs. When they are dried 

 they are called ciuno. Certain people have found means to enrich themselves 

 by transporting this commodity into Potosi. It is said that the root has a stem 

 similar to that of Argemone. The papas have the form of chestnuts but have 

 a more agreeable taste. They are eaten cooked or better as I said made into 

 flour. They are found as commonly among other tribes of this peninsular as 

 they are among the inhabitants of the province of Quito." 



Other writers through the latter half of the sixteenth century, 

 and travelers and writers later, (22) show conclusively that the po- 

 tato was and still is wild in Chili, but that the probability is that the 

 plants found seemingly wild in Peru, were either escaped from cul- 

 tivation or were allied species for which it had been mistaken. 



INTRODUCTION TO CULTIVATION 

 i 



The Spanish conquerers of Peru introduced the potato into 

 Spain and Portugal sometime between 1535, the date of the con- 



