History.— Hmnlx.Mt l.olieves the i)lant known to tlie Spaniards under the 

 name ynaglia is the original of the potato. Tlie jjotato is indigenous to Chile, 

 and hat; been taken thence to neighboring parts of South America. Darwin, 

 in his vovage to the south seas in 1840, touched at Chile, where he found 

 the potato wild among the islands on the coast, growing in great luxuriance, 

 with every appearance of being native to the soil, but saw nothing to lead 

 him to believe tliat the natives cultivated it. In Peru, travellers report that 

 the natives pay much attention to its growth. It is believed that the 

 Spaniards carried it from Peru to Europe. This is the view taken by De 

 Candolle. Another theory is that it was taken to Florida by the Spaniards, 

 whence it found its way into the English settlements of Virginia, and thence 

 to England. It has also been suggested that Kaleigli, in warring against 

 the Spaniards as a privateer, might have captured vessels with potatoes <jn 

 board, and in that way have introduced the plant into Ireland. It is related 

 that he had it planted on his estate in the south of Ireland, and that his 

 gardener one day brought him a potato ball, or berry ; tasting it, he was so 

 disgusted with it that he ordered the gardener to root it out and destroy it. 

 In attempting to do this, the gardener discovered the tubers attached to its 

 roots; thev were cooked, the value of this wonderful plant was revealed, and 

 the cultivation of the potato dates from that incident This occurrence is said 

 to have taken place near the end of the sixteenth century. It was, however, 

 known in other parts of Europe before taken to Ireland by Raleigh. It was 

 for a long time confined to Ireland as a food-plant, but has now found its way 

 throughout Europe. 



Chemistri/. —The potato yields to the chemist in 100 parts by weight: 

 water, 68 ; starch, 17: wood, 09 ; mucilage, 06 ; = 100. 



Compared with wheat, it is as 2-7 ; i. e., a pound of wheat is worth 3^ pounds 

 of potatoes ; or one bushel of wheat is worth 3^ bushels of potatoes. 



Use. — During the 300 years which have elapsed since its discovery, the 

 potato has steadily advanced in value, until it has reached a point of impor- 

 tance in the economy of human life unequalled by any otlior food-jjlant outside 

 of the cereals. As a root-vegetable for the table, nothing ecpials it. In all 

 the countries of Europe, the United States of Nortli America, and in Canada, 

 it constitutes a large part of the food of the working classes, and is always 

 upon the tables of the rich. The natives of Peru cook it by roasting it in the 

 ashes. The most common mode of cooking is boiling ; it is also fried, l)aked, 

 and .stewed with meat or milk. It is said that the Poles excel in cookii>g the 

 potato, and that they practice thirty different methods of preparing it for 

 the table. 



Ordeu XL PEDALINE^. 



Flowers perfect, irregular, axillary, solitary, racemed or in spikes, 

 mostly 2-bracteolate ; calyx 5-parted; corolla-tnbe cylindrical, throat 

 swollen, .5-lobed ; limb bilabiate. im])ricate or subvalvate; stamens 

 o on corolla-tube, 1 sterile, 4 fertile, 2 long and 2 short ; ovary su]ie- 

 rior, 1-celled, rarely 2-4-celled. Fruit a capsule or drupe, 4-seeded. 

 Leaves opposite or alternate, simple. Herbs. 



No. of genera, about 10; species, 40; found in warm climates. 



SESAMUM. L. (Oil Seed.) Calyx small, fvparted ; corolla bell- 

 shaped, long and curved, oblique at ba.se, .'Vlobed, lateral lobes open, 



