OCTOBES 1, iSgs.] THE TROPICAL AQRiOULTURlST. 
It may be questioned whether the introduction 
of t'oe potato into Ireland has been an unmixed 
blessing" to the Irish people, but there can be 
no question as to its popularity among them. 
The " Irish potato," however, is really the Amerioan 
potato. When America was discovered, the solanum 
tuberosum was under cultivation in South America 
from Chile to New Granada. The Virginia potato 
came from Pern or Chile. In 1585 6 Thomas 
Herriott, a companion of Sir Walter Raleigh, 
earritd the potato from Virginia to Ireland. It was 
introduced into Europe by the Spaniards in 1585. 
The sweet potato, now such an important pro- 
duction in Japan and Chiaa, is supposed to have 
originated in South Amerioa. In the year 1610 
the batata, by which name it is known to the 
Malaya and Portuguese,, reached China from Luzon, 
From here it was introduced into the Liukiu 
Islands, and thence, in 1698, the King of those 
islands sent a basket fud to the Daimio of 
Satsuma, who caused them to be planted on 
Tanega-shima. Thus the culture was established 
in Japan, where the familiar name Satsima-imo 
reoalls the place of its introduction. 
The history of the many varieties of beans grown 
in the Far Bast is scarcely known. The comiuoa 
haricot bean, now found almost everywhere, the 
lima bean, and the sugar bean, are all of American 
origin. The hariaot beau is of very ancient growth. 
It was used by the Peruvians in prehistoric limes. 
Specimens have been found preserved ia their 
ancient graves, More recently Dr. Wittmarck, of 
Berlin, identified this bean among some specimens 
obtained from prehistoric tombs in Alaska, speci- 
mens which the writer of these lines saw in 
Dr. Wittmarek's hands, while the investigation 
was in progress. 
Indian corn is another product for which the 
old world is indebted to tlie new. The oldest 
specimen of corn known was discovered by Darwin, 
in the soil ot the Pernviau coast, at an elevation 
of 85 feet above the level of the sea. How old 
that is may bo a mattsr of meri specaUtion. 
It was preserved in thb dry soil for ages. 
The tomato is also a native of Peru. 
Tapioca is obtained from the starchy manioc 
shrub, indigenous to Brazil and the West ladies. 
The flour, known as cassava meal, had long baen 
in use before the coming of the Spanish and 
Portuguese. The true West Indian arrowroot had 
also been long under cultivation in tropical America 
at that time. The squash and pumpkin also 
appear to be strictly Amerioan productions. 
The cocoa iree which fijrnisnes cocoa and 
chocolate was highly prized by the natives when 
America was discovered. It was under m-^st careful 
cultivation, and already naturaliseil in Oentriil 
America and Yucatan. It was pro'tiably iniroduced 
from New Clranada. The Spaniards found the 
custom of driukiny chocolate quite general in 
those oouDtri"s. When the sseus were sent to 
the IVIexioaa highlands, the peopie valued them 
ao greatly tha'; they used them as money. The 
ooooa and ebooolate production of Central Amerioa 
and Mexico is noiv ot uireat commercial importance, 
tho BWPet cacao butt.ir, so highly pri7..5 1 in phar 
maoy bccausa it never beoom rniioi.!, i. obtained 
huijx the seeds, buiug parly r^')njvrfd iii the 
pr. paration of ■ ooeoa. 
One miyht extend this list of food products to 
includ') many ollurs, principally pro..ucLio:is of 
tropical regions, whic!» .;ro ivtt, ro commonly known. 
Tli''ra are numerous nuts and fruils which are 
delioiouj, eiiher fresh or preserved. The guava 
is one o' these ; but there are more important 
products to be mentioned, (Joffoo is not dis- 
tinut.veiy an Ai.uerijaa |)xodi;iot, but two-thirds ot 
the world's supply comes from South and Central 
America and the West Indies. 
Caoutchouc or Indiarubber was first discovered 
in South America. Some specimens were taken 
to Europe about the beginning of the 18th century, 
when its valuable qualities were soon reoos^nised' 
but for a long time the secret of its origin was 
not revealed. South America still furnishes one- 
half the world's supply, the greater part of the 
remaining half coming from Java. 
The coca or cuoa of Peru is a most valuable 
tonic, known and used very largely in Europe and 
America. It is said that the natives chew the cuca' 
leaves to give them strength and endurance. They 
can then perform long journeys without food or rest. 
The beuefits derived by the world from the 
alkaloids of cinchona or Peruvian bark, can 
scarcely be overestimated. What would we do with- 
out quinine? We buy it in quart.-r"ounoe bottles, 
but it is manufactured by the ton ! The cinchona 
bark was first brought from South America in 1639. 
America has been a large contributor to the 
commerce of the world in other productions not 
peculiarly her own. There are immense forests 
which yield an inexhaustible supply of valuable 
timber, there are cochineal and other dyes, vanilla 
beans, and innumerable bananas, pineapples, oranges, 
and other fruits. The fiac, long staple cotton"^ of 
the Sea Iblands, which friog-a thj coasts of 
Carolina and Georgia, is produced nowhere else 
in equ:il,perfeotion. The first balo of that cotton was 
shipped to Edgland from St. Simon's Island iu 1788. 
The resources of South aud Tropical America 
in textile fibres are by no means developed. Pita 
and henequen are produced in Mexico, sisal in 
Yucatan, and nobody can tell what importanej 
these, and other fibrous products from the great 
variety of agaves — a type of which is the common 
centuvy plant — may soon a tain. The West Indies 
furnish enormous quaatities of textile fibres- 
more tlia,n can be at present untilisod. South 
America is rich in possi'iilities of the sams kind. 
Some of its palm fibres are of groat strength aud 
Value ; as those from the luuum for example, of 
which the natives of Bahia make their fish-nets, 
The streets ot London are daily swept with brooms 
o£ the piassaba palm, a product of Brnz 1. 
Thus we see how the discovery of America has 
led to results of worldwide importance. Not ouly 
nas it increased and cheapened the food supply 
of the world, and added to our resources in many 
ways, but, by opening new territory for settlom-mt 
it has also relieved the countries of Europe from 
the perils of over-population. The increasing 
struggles of a close and growing ropulaoe for 
the nece saries of life, inevilably lead to grave 
social difficulties; finally to wars and revolutions. 
Is it too much to say that emigration has preserved 
Europe as it is ? 
It is therefore appropriate thit the American 
people (diould celeb! ata the great discovery ot 
Columbus, in 1893, and that they should invite 
all nations to participate in an infcornatioaal < x- 
posiiion of arts and industries, which shall i-jprc. 
sent the highest ideals of our civilisation, and tha 
course of their dev.-lj, nun,.— jV.-C. Hr.rald. 
HOETICLrLTURE AND LANDSCAPE 
GARDENING, 
Haputale. 
Gardeninp; is steadily and surely progressing. The 
borticalturo of the present is no more like the horti- 
culture of the past, than the Post Office service of 
our own day, or means of communication or locomo- 
tion generally, are like to what either of them was 
thirty yeans ago. There is algeueral activity per- 
vading tliQ immenso lu\-e pf Jiiwan iu^lustry. ' iEven 
