174 THE POTATO TERCBNTENABY. 



■which cannot easily bo perceived, except the same bo palled open. The 

 (iolour whereof it is hard to exprcsae. The whole flower is of a hght 

 )iurple color, stripped down the middle of every folde or welt, with a 

 light shew of yellownes, as though purple and yellow were mixed 

 togither : in the middle of the flower thrusteth foorth a thioke fat 

 pointell, yellow as golde, with a small sharpe greene pricke or point in 

 the middest thereof. The fruite sueceedeth the flowers, round as a ball, 

 of the bigues of a little bullease or wildo Plum, greene at the first, and 

 blaokc when it is ripe ; wherein is contained small white seede, lesser 

 than that of Mustarde. The rooto is thicke, fat, and tuberous; not 

 much differing either in shape, colour or taste from the common 

 Potatoes, saving that the rootes hereof are not so great nor long ; some 

 of them round as a ball, some ovall or egge fashion, some longer, and 

 others shorter : which knobbie rootes are fastened unto tlie stalkcs with 

 an infinite number of threddie strings. 



" It groweth naturally in America where it was first discovered, as 

 reporteth C. Clusius, since which time I have received rootes hereof 

 from Virginia, otherwise called Norembega, which growe and prosper in 

 my garden, as in their owne native countrie. 



" The leaves tlirust foorth of the ground in the beginning of May : the 

 flowers bud foorth in August. The frait is ripe in September. 



" The Indiana do call this plant I'apus (meaning the rootes) by which 

 name also the common Potatoes are called in those Indian countries. 

 Wo have the name proper unto it, mentioned in the title. Bicauae it 

 hath not onely the shape and proportion of Potatoes, but also the 

 pleasant taste and vertues of the same, we may call it in English 

 Potatoes of America, or Virginia. 



" The temperature and vertuca are referred unto the common 

 Potatoes ; being likewise a foode, as alao a meato for pleasure, equall 

 in goodnosse and wholesomnosso unto the same, being either rested in 

 the embers, or boiled and eaten with oilo, vineger and pepper, or dressed 

 any other way by the hand of sonio cunning in cookoric." 



Wo aro now in a position to rc-considor tlio statement 

 that Sir John Hawkins brought potatoes from Santa Fe. 



On the one hand, it may be said that the very fact of 

 Hawkins calling the tubers by the familiar name "potatoes" 

 seems to show that the objects themselves wore familiar to 

 him, tliat is to say, that they were the tubers of the batatas, 

 and not of the solanum. On the other hand, it may be con- 



