Why does Pollan include so many dates in the chapter? ...

Pollan includes dates in the chapter to act like a timeline so that as he is changing thought, the reader won't get confused or lost. They are italicized to show importance so that the reader doesn't skip over them. He also use the different dates to relate back to the chapter. Like in the potato chapter, he goes back to the Andes in1532 as a reference to the potato he was about to plant. He goes into detail about the ancestors of his potatoes. He also use the dates to show the process of growing the new leaf potatoes. He first starts May 2 and ends in August. The places help the reader know where the scene is. They can then think about the weather conditions in that place and how crops could be effected. The time is used so the reader can think back to that time and see how the people lived and the conditions they lived in.