The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1841-03-18
RUR.aL ECO.sD.uY:
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. FACTS.

/ nc HlSUdnuWuil Bu1 iCaui III vi" SHsD ~
the psiuio, particularly, not merely the Ell
feet produced by accident 10 the iniroduc
ton Of useful plants, but the vast Improve
men,s resulting frcm ludiclous culture.
The speech Of Col. Knapp, IN delivering
the premiums awarded by the American
Institute, 10 individuals residing in Ne"
ark, embraced many curious facts, which
viii probably be reod with prof, BY iniellI
gent farmers. Wequote few paragraphs
" Every thing IN this country, (saId he,)
has been brought forward by pro,ecton.-
In tbs bleak cline, but few OF the sustain
lng fruits OF the earth were here lndigen
Gus, Or III perfect state. Even the indi
an corn, so often considered as a native
here, was with difficulty aechmoted, IL
vas brought from the South, aud by do.
grees was coaxed TO ripen in northern
/ latitude The abotigines who cultivated
Il, lnuebt the pilgrims how 10 raise 1t ; they
rlucked the earliest ears with the husk,
/ and bruided several oil them together, for
! the next years seed, aud their care Sas &c
warded By at eather hrd surer crop.
"The pumpkin brought from Spain, was
; tirsi planted III Rowley, Massachusetts, ind
( IL was several years before they came 10
hard kooHy shell, which marks tie true
yankee pumpkin, such as arc selected for
The golden PIES Of their glorious ibanksg'v
ing festival.
"Olir wheat was With Difficulty acclma
ted That brought from tho mother cnun.
~ had grown from spTIHg 10 fall, but The
spason as not long enough here 10 ensure
crop 1t was then sown ~ the tall, grew
under soows IN win!cr, and catching the
warmest growth Of sprlag, yiuted rs N
crease by mid summer.
Asparagus, which is now the delight
af all as al early yegetsb.e, and FOR which
seyesal millions Of dollars are puid our gar
denors yearly, is Of late culture N 'bls coun
Try. At tho time OF the revolution, Rspar
gus was Gully cultivated on the seabords :
this luxury had not thea reached The Tar.
,oer OF the interior.
, I be history Of the potato IS singular
one. Rees' Enc, ciorrdia, states that tho
potato vas brought from Virginia, by Sir
Walter Raleigh 10 ireland
The writer should have SAID from South
America IN the latter par, Of the sixteenth
century. He bad no idea IL It's ever beng
used AZ an escuieni, 81, that time. II was
polu,od out 10 bim as beautiful flower.
aud lis bard bulby root Has SAID, by the ia
uyes. TO possess medicinal qualities. He
took Il 10 Ireland, where BE- had cstat 5
presented to him hy Queen El.2aae,h and
planted Il 10 bis garden. Tue favot did
no, improve BY cultivation but Tic root
grew larger and softer. Ihs polatoe, 10
~ n1uye bed, gas a co4rse ground mt
The Ihongh, struck tha phIlosopher to try
Tho poillo as an edible aud hohac and
roasting u, found II, by either process, *
ca,lout. lie then gave some Of the plants
10 the prasan,ry. and ihcy soon became, ia
a measure, q substitute tog bread when the
harvest was scaaiy
THE potato was successfully cultivated
in Ireland before 1t was thought so hule Of
IN Eogland, 1t grew INTO favor BY slow dc
gtces, aud was 50 little known ahcn our
pilgrim fathers came 10 tins country, Tho,
1t was moi thought OF as crop ~ the Nav
World. II would have been aa excellent
thing for them, # they had been acGoalul.
I'd eilh the value OF The potato. Il was
n6i uutl 1910 that the lash potato reach
The country. colony ol PresbvlcrRa
lush Who settled 10 Londonderry, IN New
Hampshire, brought the root with them
This people freud their tavorio vegetable
li,nt,sdcd woll u new grounds By dc.
grces their neighhors came into the habit
d raising rntaioes; but many years ulnps
cd before the cultivation oil them was gen
eral among the yeomahty Of lbe country.
Long after they were cultivated 10 New
England, They were held in contempt and
the master mechanic often had to silpulalc
with his apprentice that he should not be
obliged to eat potatoes. An aged mechan
lc once informed me tia, be raised nine
bushels, having at that time ll1i8) a doZ
On apprentices, but did mol venture 10 offer
thee, a boiled potato with meat, but left
them in the cellar for the apprentices TO
get and roast as they pleased he soon
found that he should not have enough for
seed, he locked up what was left. Tho
next year hO raised the enormous quantity
Of thirty SIX bushels the neishboTs start
ed bnt his boys det CURED them during the
following winter.
About this time, some Of tho gentry
brought this vegetable on their tables, and
the prejudice against them vanished. -
/ Thus, by degrees, taste for this food was
formed never 10 be extngulshed, The
cultivation Of tho potato Is now well under.
slood-a crop nmelorates, instead ol i'm.
poverlshlng the soil, and the culture can
! be increased to nnv extent Thus, by the
curiosity Of one lover Of nature, and his
experiments, has an humble weed been
( brought lion the mountains Of South
America, until i, ls emphahcalv called
( " tho bread Of nations" Still the country
/ from which 1t was taken, has been too II
norant or suporstltious TO attempt its cult
walton, until within a few years. Now,
the lights of science are chasing away the
long, deep shadows of the Andes.