226 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
Europe to gain the price of such first-rate fare, and nothing 
could stop the tide of prosperity from flowing in upon him. 
In Scotland a few plants could be found in gardens at 
Edinburgh in 1725. Only a few of the tubers were taken care- 
fully from each plant in autumn. The others were left in the 
ground as recommended by Evelyn, and covered with litter 
against the frost. After 1760 they were more generally culti- 
vated in Scotland, and the above plan abandoned for our present 
mode of cultivation. 
Clusius, a well-known botanist, cultivated Potatos first in 
Vienna and Frankfort-on-the-Main as early as 1588 (George 
Don says 1598). They became, however, only somewhat better 
known at the time of the Thirty Years' War, and were not 
generally grown until long afterwards. A Dutch officer dis- 
tributed Potatos in Bohemia, and the Rev. Werner in Bamberg, 
in 1716. In parts of Southern Germany, however, they must 
have been cultivated previous to 1684, for it is mentioned in the 
books of the Church at Bieberau, in Hesse, that the clergyman 
had, amongst other things, also received his tithe from Potatos 
grown there. Although introduced into Saxony in 1680, they 
were but seldom cultivated except in the Erzgebirge, where 
cereals always grow but poorly. The wealthier farmers of Saxony 
considered Potatos no good except for pigs, and a clergyman 
who tried to encourage their growth was nicknamed the Potato - 
clergyman. 
Frederick the Great of Prussia was more successful than his 
father in introducing the cultivation of Potatos into Pomerania 
and elsewhere ; but he had recourse to his soldiery, who had to 
force the farmers to plant them, the same as he did with the 
planting of white Mulberries at each village in Brandenburg. 
If it had not been for the famine in Germany in 1771-2, the 
great benefit of the cultivation of Potatos would not have been 
so generally acknowledged. 
In France we find that the Potato was placed on the royal 
table in the year 1616 ; but it was Parmentier, an apothecary, 
who really introduced it, and did all he could to get it generally 
cultivated, though not without the assistance of the Government. 
In 1771 a high prize was offered by the Academy of Besan9on 
for the discovery of a new food which would fill the place 
of cereals in case of a famine. Parmentier showed his 
