Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 112, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1904 — The Discovery of the Potato. [ARTICLE]

The Discovery of the Potato.

Sir Walter Raleigh is commonly credited with having introduced the potato to civilization, but It Is certain that one Hawkins, a slave trader, and Sir Francis Drake were both ahead of him in taking it to England. To Raleigh, however, rightfully belongs the •credit for having brought potatoes to the attention of Queen Elizabeth in 1568. Their merit was long in being recognized. “The complete gardener," an English book published in 1719, made no mention at all of them. The name came from the Haytian batata, or Mexican patate. It Is called “Irish potato” because the Irish were the first Europeans to generally cultivate It It Is now, however, one of the chief crops of France and Germany. It was a native of the mountainous districts from Chile to Mexico. It is of the nightshade family, which Includes also tobacco, belladonna, tomato, egg plant and pepper.