The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-10 00:00:00

MAIDSTONE FARMERS' CLUB_

SUBSTITUTE FOR, AND PREVENTION OF
DISEASE IN, POTATOES.
(From the Maidstone Journal)
At the monthly meeting of the Maidstone Farmers'
Club, at the Mitre Inn, on Thursday evening last, at
which the attendance was more numerous than usual,
an interesting conversation took place on the above
important subject. The cultivation of root crops was
the subject under discussion but as its consideration
was not concluded, but adjourned until the next
meeting, we defer the general report till then. Just
as the meeting was about to separate,
Mr. E. P. HALL begged to call attention to a mat-
ter of some considerable importance, particularly at
the present moment, since now was the time when
alone it could be of any practical utility. During the
whole of the proceedings, although the subject was the
cultivation of roots, no one had mentioned that im-
important root the potato, in the cultivation of
which so serious a difficulty had arisen. His
object in rising was to mention a substitute for
the potato which had been recently much recom-
mended, in order to ascertain before the club sepa-
rated, whether any of the members could support that
recommendation, or discourage it, from the result of
their own experience. He alluded to the Jerusalem
artichoke, the proper season for planting which was
now rapidly passing by. Mr. Hall then read the
following statement:—" The Jerusalem artichoke is
a very productive and valuable vegetable root, re-
sembling the potato, and may be cultivated in the
same manner. The tubers should be planted six-
teen or eighteen inches apart, in rows three
feet apart. The price of the seed is about 4s. per
Winchester bushel. At a time when the potato was
not very extensively cultivated, this root was pretty
largely used as food for man. Few plants are more
hardy, and they will succed in almost any situation,
and will come up, year after year, without planting,
as enough tubers are accidentally left in the ground
to stock it. A patch of ground should be set apart
for the growth of this root, as there is an objection to
its introduction in a regular rotation. Kade states
that a square patch of Jerusalem artichokes in a gar-
den was still productive, at the end of 33 years, throw-
ing out stems from 7 to 10 feet in length, although
the plant had neither received any care nor manure
for a very long time.' " Mr. Tweed, of Woolwich, in-
formed the council of the Royal Agricultural Society of
England, that he grew 32 tons per acre from a piece
of ground (unintentionally) manured with stable dung.
They were twice hoed, and the stems ran twelve feet
high. On a piece of ground which was not manured
the crop was only four tons.' Mr. James Gwillam,
of Hartlebury, says on this subjejt—' I last year
grew, upon one perch of ground, four bags per acre.
The roots were sound and large, and an excellent
substitute for the potato; and as so many unfavour-
able accounts are daily received of the existence of
the disease this favourite vegetable has been pre-
viously affected with, I strongly recommend the cul-
tivation of the Jerusalem artichoke. What I have
disposed of has been at the ratio of 15s. per bag, or
251. per acre. I have also been informed, but do not
speak from my own experience, that it is a very nu•
tritious food for hogs and store pigs, and when ground
may also be given to horses with success." Mr. Hall
concluded by saying, if any member had tried this
root perhaps he would favour the meeting with his
opinion as to its suitability as a substitute for the
potato.
Dr. PLOMLEY said the Jerusalem artichoke was a
plant which had excited snore attention among che-
mists and botanists than almost any other. Boussin-
gault mentioned that it derived the whole of its
nitro',en from the atmosphere, and that although
ammoniacal manures were useful as a stimulus, yet
it did not take a particle of ammonia out of the soil,
so that large crops might be grown of it, without at
all impoveribhing the land. It was not so nutritious
as turnips, its nutritive qualities being about the
same as potatoes—namely, about two per cent. It
was, therefore, a very good subtitute for the potato,
without robbing the land as the potato did ; far,. in
fact, it had the opposite effect, and it was well known
that land which had grown artichokes year after year
was in a better state afterwards than it was at first.
Mr. BARTLETT said he could bear testimony to the
longevity of the artichoke. He had attempted to
clear a piece of ground from it, and for this pur
pose tried to kill it with gas lime, but could not.
It grew very luxuriantly, and was a very delicious
vegetable.

iliurcu said he once grew a very small quan
tity, as an experiment, and found he could never ge
rid of it.

Mr. SAXET wished to know the relative nutritive
value of wheat at 60s. a quarter, and potatoes or
vegetables of that kind at 3s. a sack ?

11r. WHITING said, the properties of wheat and
potatoes were altogether different, and did not admit
of comparison. In wheat, nitrogen and gluten formed
the principal constituents, supplying food for the
flesh and bones. Potatoes supplied food for respira-
tion, the carbon they contained being consumed in
the lungs. It would be impossible to sustain life with
potatoes alone. They must be used with milk, or
some such ingredient, in order to become a substitute
for wheat. It was necessary to have both, or some-
thing answering the purposes of both, in order to
keep up a proper supply of warmth and nutriment,
one being quite as essential to the body as the other.
Mr. Davis (Linton) begged to state that cottagers
in that neighbourhood had been supplied with arti-
choke seed by Lord Cornwallis, as a substitute for
potatoes. He would also observe that he had been
very successful in growing potatoes. There was a
great prejudice against this vegetable just now, and
many thought that it was hopeless to attempt to grow
it, but he had last year grown a large crop, and the
best sample he had ever seen, on Coxheath, by putting
into the drills a great quantity of lime. Tho lime
was put in seven inches deep, covered in, and never
touched afterwards, except to keep the weeds under,
and the crop was most excellent. The sort was
regents—the soil sandy. There had been many of
the nobility visiting at Earl Cornwallis's during the
winter, and they all acknowledged they had never
tasted any like them. _ _

This statement excited, as may- be imagined, very
great interest, and we earnestly hope, that under
Providence, the remedy mentioned may be found
generally efficacious in restoring to us this useful and
delicious vegetable.
As to the Jerusalem artichoke, we may add that
the seed tubers may be purchased for is. per gallon,
and should be planted immediately.

HEALTH OF LONDON ASSOCIA

TION,

On Wednesday evening a meeting was held in the
theatre of the Western Literary and Scientific Insti-
tution, in Leicester-square, to hear H. Gavin, Esq.,
M.D., F.R.C.S.E., one of the members of the Health
of London Association, deliver a lecture " On the ne-
cessity of remedial measures to improve the health of
London." The meeting was convened for eight
o'clock, and shortly after that hour Mr. Rogers was
called to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN addressed the meeting at some
length, on the paramount importance of improving,
by every possible means, the health of London, as no-
thing but the strictest attention to cleanliness, the
possession of good air, and a plentiful supply of pure
and wholesome water, could preserve from all the
aggravated horrors of disease the many thousands who
were congregated together in this vast metropolis.
He trusted that the importance of the subject would
be duly estimated, and that the truths which would
be stated to them this evening would have the effect
of thoroughly awakening their attention to a full
sense of the dangers which surrounded them, so that
at their next meeting, which he hoped would be more
numerously attended, they would be prepared to act
with energy and vigour in carrying out the measures
of the health of London Association. The Chairman
concluded by introducing Dr. Gavin to the meeting.
Dr. Gatvirt said, that in accordance with a request
which had been made to him by the Secretary of the
Association, he had prepared some remarks on the
subject which the association were zealously engaged
in promoting, and he trusted that he would be able to
induce the public to aid them in a matter of the very
highest importance. He then proceeded to refer to
the necessity for remedial measures, which was teo
obvious to the most cursory observer to require him
to do more than simply to call attention to the facts
which the reports of the Government Commissioners
and others had, from time to time, communicated to
the public; and he might observe that no public
grievance affecting the public health was more deeply
felt than the want of an adequate supply of pure and
wholesome water. The lecturer then referred to
several statistical returns of the deaths in various
towns and districts, as illustrative of the influence of
existing nuisances upon the public health. He
also contrasted these with similar returns made

from parishes in the metropolis, giving the re-
lative mortality as appeared by the returns among
the gentry, and the trading and labouring
classes. He then pointed out that to the want of
fresh' air, to the confined condition of the habita-

tions of the poor, and especially to the workshops, in
which so large a portion of their time was necessa-
rily passed, the great mortality that prevailed among
the working classes was necessarily to be traced. He
next adverted to the very defective state of the sew-
erage of the metropolis, and referred especially to the
were
immense outlay which' had been uselessly incurred
in the city of Westminster, under the superintendence
those
of the Commissioners, who were, under the present
system, an irresponsible authority. The frightful
evils. In eets
consequences which resulted from the defective state
Most extensively
and the horrible nuisance of cesspools,
the houses
district
evidenced by the mortality of
which were most exposed to those sad
ofenttebly bad state of the ventilation in
fel- to the lame with those things, he might re-
pure water, too lower classes. The supply of
the things i _,., at a cheap rate, was one of
° nquiPensablY necessary to promote