HISTORY AND BOTANY 3 



them to England. The Spanish had previously carried 

 it to Europe. Gerard's " Herbal," published in 1597, 

 describes the potato, and the edition published in 1636 

 contains a woodcut representing the potato as it ap- 

 peared about three hundred years ago (Fig. 2). The 

 potato was more readily appreciated in this country 

 than in Europe, and by the year 1722 it was a common 

 article of food among the w^hites and Indians in Vir- 

 ginia and Carolina.' In Europe, with the exception 

 of Ireland, potato growing made little progress until 

 the middle of the eighteenth century. 



The potato {^Solanuni Uiberostivi') is an annual, but 

 is virtually perennial by means of its tubers. It has 

 smooth, generall}^ solid, more or less quadrangular, 

 herbaceous stems, which often attain a hight of two to 

 five feet. The stems are often furnished with membra- 

 nous wings at their angles, and bear compound leaves 

 formed of cJval leaflets, between which are often found 

 small, leafy growths. The flowers (Fig. 3) are borne in 

 clusters, and have an entire, wheel-shaped, five-pointed 

 corolla, varying in breadth from one to one and a half 

 inches, and in color from pure white to purple. It is 

 often claimed that many varieties do not flower, and of 

 those which do a great number never bear fruit. This 

 dearth of fruit is generally attributed to lack of pollen. 

 In many varieties the stamens have degenerated, or do 

 not open to let the pollen out.' Conditions seem to 

 have an influence, as a variety may bear abundance of 

 pollen and mature seed in one distridl, but not in 

 another in the same year. 



» " Nat. His. of Carolina," by Mark Catesby, F.R.S., 2d ed. 2 Halstead, 

 Proc. Assoc. Prom. Agr. Science, 1888, p. 33, " Potato Flowers and Fruit." 



