Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-11-30
Celebrated New Chinese Potato.

Cele 0IdteQ W6W Cnl0eSe fOtdtO.
This new potato was, several years since
transmitted, along with other useful and
promising agricultural plants, by NJ. de
Montigny, who is Consul for France at
the Port Of Shanghai, in Northern China.
The name which he bestowed upon it was
that of Dioscorea japonica; but it has
been considered by Professor Decaisne, of
the Partisan Museum Of the Natural
History (.jardin des ptantes), and acknow
ledged by Professor Lindley and others,
that Dioscorea batatas would not only be
more popular and familiar, but more
appropriate name, seeing that although
the plant may in its origin be japanese,
of its cultivation in that dark interior We
know literally nothing while its culture
in the northern parts of China, and in
ATTITUDES assimilated to our own in point
of climate, being fact quite accessible in
all its details, ought not to be submerged
under the name that associates it with the
very exclusive territory Of Japan. The
plant, or rather tuber, is doubtless a Di-
oscorea, or yam; and yams in general are
tropical productions. The various species
d. alata, saliva, and aculeata-yield tu-
bers, which in warm countries are substi-
tuted for the potato, and the order is ac-
cused of combining with the farinaceous
matter existing in its tubers a prevalent
acridity, which is sometimes even purga-
tive. Still few genera are found in
temperate climates. Our black bryony,
of the English hedge-rows CTamus CON-
munis). is one, though, to be sure, it is
no great bargain; for though its fruit is
red and succulent, its root is very acrid.
Yet all this is nothing. Tie Solanum
tuberosum, our cultivated potato itself, is,
it Is well known, quite poisonous plant
in state of nature. Culture may readily
ameliorate all this acridity; and if We can
credit all that has been stated in favor of
the new importation, has far more than
done so. Certain it is that it holds the
same place in the North of China, and is
found to comprise the same nutritive pro-
perties, as the potato in this country. Mr.
Henderson, Devonshire horticulturist,
by whom it is introduced amongst us, de-
signates it, in fact, potato, just because
with US ordinary yams cannot be grown
except by means of stoves.
NJ de Montigny has stated that the
Chinese, at taking up the crop, set aside
all the smaller roots for seed. It
is well known that this is a practice
now preferred by our market gardeners to
cutting large potatoes in sets, simply be-
cause they like juicy set, and find the
immature tuber most favorable to their
purpose. This is, so far, fortunate in the
case of the new potato, admitting, as we
shall presently learn, of its rapid and un-
limited propagation; for the Chinese place
these tubers first in pits or trenches for
preservation (and they are said to keep
far better than potatoes all the winter,
covered with straw and a coating Of earth,
never loosing weight or developing ex-
haustive shoots; and in spring, being laid
out horizontally in beds of prepared mould
they speedily germinate, and send forth
long trailing stems, like those of the kid
ney bean. In six weeks time the stem
attain six feet in length, and are planted
out afrcsb, and laycred-that is, the plant
is laid lengthwise along a slight furrow,
on the top of ridge, and all except its
leaves covered over with earth Iimme.
diate,y after rain, it begins to take root.
or in dry weather is watercd until it grows;
and in fifteen or twenty days it produces
tubers, throwing out at the same time long
trailing stems, which are, however care
fully prevented from taking root, and pre-
ducing a second set Of tu6ers, to the pre- /,
judice Of the main crop. Sometimes the
shoots are simply pegged down, without
removal of the plant, over the sides Of the .
ridge on which it grows, at intervals of
six or eight inches, and there striking
root, throw out ,ubers. by this means