Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-06-17

erll m!illOHS Ot uoi'Hio 49, f
ers yearly, is of late culture IN this country
A. the time" of the revolution, asparagus
w,s. only cultivated on the sea board : his
,uxu,y had not then re2cE"d the farmer OF
the ln,ctor.
The history ofthe potato isa singular o.ie.
--Rees' Ency clopndia states that the 20 alto
was first brought from Virg;nia, by Sir
Walter Raleigh. 10 Ireland. The writer
should have said from South America N me
latter par, Of the sixteenth century. lie
had 70 idea Of its ever being used as an es'
cullen, a, that time. 1t was pointed cut 10
him as beautiful flower, and Its hard Ouoy
root was said, by the natives, TO possess
medicinal qualities. He took it to ireland,
where he had estates presented 20 him by
Queen Elizabeth, aud planted 1t in his gar.
den. The flower DID not improve by cult.
ya,ion, but the root grew larger aud softer.
The potato, IN its native bed, was coarse
ground nut, The thought struck tic phil
osopher;o 20 try the potato as an edible, ard
boiling and roasting l., found II, by either
process, excellent. He then gave some OF
the plants to the peasan'ry, and they soon
became in measure, q substitute tor bread,
when the harves, was scan'y.
The potato was successfully cultivated
in Ireland, before it was thought ofin Eng
land it grew N favor by slow degrees, and
was so lilt known when our pilgrim t'herS
came to this country, that it was not thought
offor crop in tie New World. 1t would
have been an excellent thing for them II
,hey had been acquainted with the value OF
The po:ato. II was not till l7l9, that tie
Irish potato reached this country. y col
ony ofPrcsbytcrian Irish, who settled 10
Londonderry. in New Hampshire, brought
the root with them. This people found Their
fayori,c vegetable flourished well IN new
grounds. BY degrees their neighbors came
into the habit ofraising potatoes; but many
years elapsed before the cultivation OF Il
was general among the yeomanry OF tHe
country. Long afer they were cultivated
in New England, they were held IN con;
tempt, and the muster mechanic often haa
to s,ipula,e with his apprentice that he
should not be obliged 10 eat potatoes. An
aged mechanic once informed me that he
raised nine bushels, haring at that time
{l746l dozen apprentices. but did moi ven.
lure 10 offer them boiled potato with the
meat, but left them in the cellar for the ap.
prentices to get and roas, as they pleased !;
he soon found that he should not have en-.
ough for seed, and locked up what was left.
The next year he raised the enormous
quantity of thirty. six bushels the neigh
bors stared--but his boys deyou9ed them
during the following winter.
About this time some Of tie gentry
brought this vegetable on their tables. and
the prejudice against them vanished. Thus
by degrees, u taste for this food was formed
never to be ex,inguished. The cultivation
of the potato is now well undersood--a
crop ameliorates, instead Of lmpove';shias
the soil, and the culture can be increased
to any cxteht. Thus, by the curiosity o'
one lover of nature. and his experiments
has an humble weed been brought from
the mountains Of South America. and
spread over Europe and Nor'h America,
until it is emphaticalIy called the bread o.
nations Slill the country from which ii
was taken, has been too ignorant or super
s,itious 10 attempt its cultivation, until with.
in few years.--Now the lights ofscenee
are chasing away the long deep shadows
Of the Andes.
"Rice was brought from India in l722
anu cultivated by way Of experiment II
South. Carolina. 1t succeeded well, anc
was. for many years, the staple article O
the State. Ii seems strange, butit is mol
more strange than true, that a vcget, bic
should have moral and religious influence
over the minds Of men. Brahma coulo
never have forced his code Of religious ri:es
with an hundred incarrations, if India had
not abounded in the rice plant. His fol!
lowers would have become carnirorous
notwithstanding all the rays Of his glory
ano the awful exhibitions of his might, ifh'
had not driven tie animals away and secur
ed tie vegetable kingdom for his worship
pers. Man is, in spite Of his philosophy
creature ofthe earth--and in q common
measure, like the chameleon, takes the huc'
of his character from his position and h''
food.
"Tho cotton plant was frs; cultivated a
a flower in our gardens, and a beau,ltu
flower it is This plant alone, has made
revolution in the finances Of the world
Look at the growth and consumption OF
in the United States. and the immense man
u:acture of 1t in England, where i, canno
be grown, and you will find my assertion
true in its most expanded sense.
Until our purchase of Louisiana. th''
country was indebted 10 the Eas: and Yves
Indies for su lar. In this countryside ,hlr
teen United States-sugar and mo'asse'
were made in small quantities, from Corn
stalks, swcc. apples, pumpkins and maple