224 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
THE TERCENTENARY OF THE INTRODUCTION OF 
POTATOS INTO ENGLAND. 
By the Hon. T. E. H. W. Krichauff, Cor. Memb. R.H.S., and 
Chairman of the Agricultural Bureau of South Australia. 
The history of some of our most important plants, which we 
cultivate either for food, fodder, or other purposes, is very in- 
teresting, and in many instances teaches us not to lose courage, 
but to give another trial, even if we hear that others have not 
succeeded in growing a newly introduced plant, or do not speak 
well of it, although recommended in other countries. 
The most important plants that have been used by man for 
food are nearly all annual, biennial, or tuberous-rooted, and they 
do not require any length of time to wait for a return ; but I am 
certain that none has such an interesting history as the Potato, 
which may have been cultivated in some parts of America for 
many centuries previous to its introduction into Europe. Three 
centuries have passed since that fortunate occurrence, and I 
think it is a fit time now to congratulate ourselves that this long- 
neglected food is on every table. 
The history of the introduction of the Potato may have been 
written unknown to me, but I wish to record what little I have 
been able to discover, and I hope that others will add to it 
further interesting details. The Potato has been found wild in 
Chili, in the mountains of Valparaiso and Mendoza, in Peru 
near Lima, Quito, and Santa F6 de Bogota, also in Mexico on 
the Pjc of Orizaba. It was first introduced into l^juropo between 
1580 and 1585 by Spaniards from Quito, and they soon for- 
warded some to Italy. Sir Walter -Raleigh obtained them after- 
wards from Virginia through some colonists whom he had sent 
out. Sir Francis Drake, in the year 15HG, does not seem to 
have l)rought home the real Potato, but the Batata, or so- 
called " Sweet Potato," and, so far as is known, Batatas were 
used in England ;us a delicacy some time before the intro- 
duction of the Potato. Sir Walter Raleigh planted Potatos, 
according to Camden's "Britannia," first on his estate at 
