CHAPIER: Vi. 
POTATOES.—(Solanum tuberosum). 
The ‘“ homely tuber,” as it is sometimes designated, is a 
native of Chili, and was introduced in 1596. It belongs to 
the Natural Order Solanacece, a large and widely distributed 
group of herbs and shrubs, most abundant between the 
tropics, and characterised by dangerous and _ narcotic 
properties. Familiar examples are found in the Tobacco 
plant, deadly Nightshade, Thorn-apple, Henbane, Tomato, 
Bitter-sweet, Aubergine, and Capsicum. 
It was only towards the end of the eighteenth century 
that the great value of the potato, as a source of food, 
began to be realised, and its general culture for that purpose 
adopted. Since when it has become so important, that, in 
these islands of Great Britain at least, it is second only to 
wheat as food for the people. 
“The potato is altogether the most important of root 
crops, not only because it is an indispensable article of food 
upon every dinner table, but also because it is a profitable 
crop when skill and judgment are exercised in its cultivation.” 
So says Mr. John Wright in his “ Horticultural Primer.” 
Since farmers have made it one of their staple crops, the 
potato has decreased in market value until the margin of 
profit on an average of years, is a very small one. 
In Worcestershire, many thousands of acres are annually 
planted with potatoes, and dealers from Covent Garden visit 
the potato districts every autumn for the purpose of buying 
up the stocks. About Bewdley, Stourport, Kidderminster, 
