New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-20
TIE CHINESE POTATO.

"
SIR: Tie communication made you on the charac-
ter quality and culture Of the Chinese Potato which
was inserted in your columns a short time since,
ha. occasioued a continuous shower of applications
for additional information To crafty these fellow
oouutryuen. know Of no medium general and so
sure of connecting with the intelligent: AgriculturSts
OF our wide spread country the pages you daily and
weekly disseminate to $50 goo of that class.
Happily for cur Country, it matters not how widely
We NAY differ in our political and local discussions, we
are nevertheless unanimous in our determination to
develop the natural riches Of our SOIL and to place
ourselves in less conspicuous position by the
annual increase of our National comfort aud wealth
than for the enterprise and intelligence of our citizens,
thus aosding another demonstration that man Is most
prosperous and happy where he 10 most free.
have taken much pains to inform myself fully in
regard TO the Chinese Potato both in relation to it's
amentsry position in China and Japan, and to its APP
propriateness for adoption by country; and the
more have investigated the more astonished have
become at ITS ndsputa6le CLAIMS orer eUery Other es-
cert re possess and at finding that the half and more
than the half Of s remarkable and useful properties
remained to be tod The surprise so often manifested
and the question often asked how food was attain
able by the one third of the inhabitants OF the globe
concentrated within the limits Of the Chinese hmpire,
may now find their calculation. On consulting several
Chinese agricultural works which have been repuo-
lshed in the French language find the Dioscorea pa,
tatas to be therein subject OF extensive ana general
comment 1t there stated that Its culture IL univer-
SAL and extends over every portion OF that vast couh
try And ia farther declared TO be grand resource
of the nation Hne grdade resource ndts0adle; :" and
that the abundance Of its crops, their excellence IN
quality and the universal consumption, have rendered
it together with rce the ahmentary basis OF that I'm,
mensely populous Empire. IL Is eaten boiled, roasted
and even In raw state. IL is also dried and ground
into the meal or -four everywhere IN use throughout
that country. Indeed it would appear to occupy IN
aiimentary point OF view the whole space wnlcn IA
aH hy hot 10
and by Indian CON- The varieties there cultivated
are quite as those of the common potato
are with US; the skin and flesh OF different shades,
and vary in consistency and flavor; one variety being
highly esteemed for it's medicinal properties. Inc
range Of latitude and climate through which this plant
s successfully cultivated in China, far exceeds that 0
which the common potato il susceptible IN TINS country
In FIVE Chinese works which have consulted, have
found the following: "The rice-white variety the one
we possessl when well cultivated in soil that has
been trenched and rendered permeable to the depth
of five feet, will produce in space OF ground Ten
feet long and three feet broad, sufficient food to sup
mart a man throughout q year." 1t would thus APP
pear that this vertical root enables them to make up by
deep culture of the soil whatever deficiency exists Si.
percialy in that country toward the maintenance OF
It's excessive population The only kind OF manure
recommended Is that of cattle and horses well decom-
posed and poudrettes especially objected TO oy every
writer though doubt not that guano might be thus
stpropriaed. In their directions for general culture
tLey state that the ground Il usually melowed 10 me
deuth of "a feet but that feet is preferabe and that
tie manure should be plowed or trenched IN "a deeply
as possible. The sections of root each having one or
more eyes, should be planted to inches deep, ana
in China this planting takes place the first week IN
in April. When treated in this way, the plant wiz
grow vigorously and will not fail TO yield an abundant
crop, Some cultivatOn allow the stalks TO tran upon
the ground Ike those of our sweet potato but Others
az soon a. the stalks have attained suhcient growth
Mace poles for them To run upon, which they quickly
entwine In the Autumn, before the ground becomes
frozen they dig up sufficient OF the large roo's ana
Lotto md fhA "a
roots and seed tubers are put in cellar and mixed
with rand or are buried in hole in the open ground
ipterrnixed with sand, a. the reserve for spnDg
planting. Such portion Of the crops az not wanted
around, and can be extracted in the Spring If de-
sired or left to grow through the second season,
when the crop will be increased threef0ld over the
weight Of the frst Summers growth. what strikes
ones mind at once, giving preeninent importance
10 this root is the fact that IS IN condition tor vac
al all seasons If the year, and may be dug up fresh
every day from Spring to Autumn In the words
of Decaisne "A plantation OF this root permanent
magazine Of food, to be dug up fresh for use when,
lever occasion may require and pepetuated al sInah
"expeDse" >.
In order to settle the question Of ts perfect hardi.
hood in our climate, have le 30 bills standing out
the present Winter, during which the mercury has
twice reached nine TO ten degrees below zero, ana
which has been altogether the everest season kno w
in this latitude for 20 year,. Probably we have mere
no record Of one OF greater severity. Now aPpre-
bend that when the earth frozen to the entire depth
Of any plant within it, the bardhOod OF That plant Is
tested quite efecGay with the mercury az ~ Ieg
below zero az at 40 deg below that point The eject
Of the cold upon the liant must be the same ana the
only relative question Inurt oe az ~ lIs oig cohsnu-
ance
In the Chinese books it Is stated TO be a mountain
plant of extreme hardibood its common title beng
Horur of khe mountain, amidst is there grown aouh'
dainty in gions cold any portion OF our country.
sandy per1neable soil spoken OF as the most sulta-
bic to it, and it If very generally grown on MI sdes,
which are teaeed for that purpose, and which, being
the east suitable for other productions, are selected
from economical considerations.
Professor Decasne Of the Paris Institute remarks
in the Revue Hortteole" that fronthe epoch Of the
introduction Of this root 1880 IL has continued 10 ex
cite the lively attention Of agrculturss by the various
excellent properties il combines; and IN announcing
the e1perments made by himself and others ana Their
results he declares il TO be Of the most hardy ebrac.
ter "une pionte rusqne dams 0Ute Ia force da eTns
And The SAYS when we take into consideration the
re,cai extension Of this root, and the dimnutve SIZE
and shortness of the lateral radicals which seidoia eA
tend beyond three or four inchee together Wtn the
vigorous growth of its shoots aud their profuse foliage
The latter clearly denotiDg that receives the greatest
norton Of it, IutrimeDt from the atmorphere) we
sha conclude that at distance Of eight or ten inches
asunder in each direction the plants Will have SUM
Gent space for their normal development. lbs the
distance he recommends for adoption, and also that
the tubers or pieces Of root be planted IN beds com
prising three parallel rowe, with tweiyeincn Walk
between the beds. He has hitherto planted them in
the middle Of April and statos that they should not
have poles but that the vines should be allowed 10 run
on the ground. The results OF three plantations grown
under liz direction from pieces Of root 70 ihches
in diameter were eminsntly successful. The roots,
three days after digging them weighed TO "a ounces
each. N. whole quantity averaging lot ounces, ana
some which were grown from whole roots weighed
from q to 2; pounds each. An acre planted nchsS
arart averaging the crop at 10 ounces each, would
Weld pore than ~, coo pounds, about 100 ousheis
and although this ID calculation based on good eaI-
ture. be CONSIDERS that under any circumstances the
cror win be greater than that Of the common potato
Zen narrower we take into further consideration the
vertical growth Of this root in ts immediate CONCESSION
- L.. rre