Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1856-07-03
A P0tat0e Story,

n 1VtdtOo 0tuIy'
Hard times Jed, every one of our Patent
Revolving Sixteen Cat-power Rat Traps sold
and not cent to get back to Connecticut"
THAT'S true. I'm dead broke /; couldn't
scare up an eagle or a quarter of one if !
had pack Of pointers to get the first scent"
"No fun Jed ! Starvation's grave matter
as Deacon Byles allus SEE, when he's serious.
Emmy Of that /" Prepared Gum, left /"
"Yesw
"All right then Let's manufacture a new
pertater-that one they talk about so much
down to York"
Make pertater! Zeph, what dye mean p
I" Tit out. Amt you purity fellow to be
the eldest son of father that's made fortin'
by mahogany doughnuts and maple pumpkin
seed can't see through milestone 'thout chisel-
lin a hole in it. IF it warn't for me- you'd be
u Twin on Poor House bread and Poor House
molasses, with superintendent coffee, so weak it
couldn't support human nature, 'thout help
Jest You go and get me half a peck of perta-
tiers at the store-here's my last shillil.' to git
'em. Eff there's any customers there, jest wait
till they're gone"
This conversation took place in small village
in the upper part Of Berks County, Pennsylva-
11au WI HouI uitCI II HUI Jeu
md Zeph might have been seen busily cutting
md fitting bits Of potatoe to each other, and
fastening them by means of their patent pre-
pared gum, until they had the semblance of
huge potatoe, as full of knobs as DR.. Franklin's
celebrated crab apple cane. 1t was left to dry
until evening, after being slightly washed over
with weak solution Of gum-water and some
dust from the top shelf of closet sprnked
over it. In this disguise suspicion itself would
hardly have suspected its manufactured char
acter
Evening came, and the tavern at which Jed
and Zeph were stopping, filled with the farmers
from the vicinity. When the room was tolera-
bly, full, Jed came into the bor-room with his
potatoe in his hand, and laid it with apparent
carelessness upon the table. But he kept
watchfni eye upon it nevertheless.
Pooty pig berdader, Mister Bedlar," said
Peter D:ckkopf
- Looks like artichoke, lnttcr tropsy," said
Heinrich Zittiman
More bumps dan de head der freno!ogus
talks nit" said Philip Stolfuss.
That ere, gentlemen" said Jed, approach
ing the subject scientifically, 80 is the Dioscorea
Batata, OF Chinese Yam. 1t yields enormously
\ single cuttin' will have forty tubers on mid
'llin' land, each one bigger than this For this,
gentlemen, is but very small specimen sent
the by my cousin, Captain Bogus, who COM
mands ship that trades to China The in
habitants OF that cCuntry are very numerous, as
you know, and the land limited, SO that farms
are extremely small. But stitch is the produc
tveness Of the DioScorea Batata, that few
square yards of ground are enough to maintain
a ar family inaluuip,r 1,oEe
without which, no Chinaman's farm is complete
bushel to the square yard is all ordinary yield"
The ears of the shrewd Berks County men
opened. They are as ready for promising
speculation as Jerseyman, or the downiest Of
downeastcrs.
"Vot would you ak fur slishe or SO Of der
perdader?"
"Well," said Jed, I'd hardly like to cut it
Kakiated to plant it all myself. lisa fortin
shure."
Wouldn't mindt givn lcfy for cut NIT
two eyes"
Wouldn't begin to pay for trunk ROOM
1t was painful thing to do, but first one
increased the bid, and then another, the ex-
citemeut growing as the subject was discussed,
until the quotations for cuttings were fifty cents
each, at which, Jed consented to sell one half
of the precious Batata
Got knife, any on YER" was the next
question.
Plenty were ofered-the thick useful knives
Of al! work i'll use by the farmers of that re-
yion--Barlows and Dog-kniyes.
oh, git out. Don't s'pcse I'm agoing to
cut with any o'thcm thick, dull things, and Spite
half the tater cuttin. Wait till get Zeph's.' -
Up stairs he hurried-bearing the Batata
carefully along for he did not wish to leave
temptation in the way Of his customers Once
there he rapidly parted the manufactured vege.
table carefully, scEaped of the gum and carried
twenty odd pieces down to the bar-room.
Now, don't anybody ask me fur any more
cuttin's." said he I've left the rest in my
trunk purpose not to he asked, and there il
shal, stay, till git hum and plant it,
The pieces were rapidly bought uo-one OIL
two even being sold by the first purchasers at o
premium. Jed couldn't be prevailed on to sell
any more. The next morning, however, the
landlord prevailed on him to let him have cut
ting for the bills of the two
The farmers of Berks County will next sum
mer be wiser aud better men, but Jed and Zepl
will never venture into that locality again
The Batatas viii hardly ever become sery pop
ular in that locality.
A "REroRr WITH Ice IN r."-An old char
residing near here, who might be classed as 0
the genus /" Scala,cag," who is too lazy t,
work, but picks up living by pettifogging AM
| otl,ev means more or less eouiyocal was cau9h