, 1861-02-23
SUBSTITUTE FOE POTATOES,
a Saline County farmers Experience
among the CAnuokR.

Editors Chicago Tribune:
Beyond dispute, the pntato has done more
for Illinois than all the other products Of The
soil united. We are proud Of our internal I'm.
provementa, aud justly SO; but where, ask,
would have been our canal and our thousands
Of miles OF railroads bnt for the potato? Echo
Indignantly answeEs--ttnoWheren Does the
traveller as he flies along tbs iron, track OF the
Central, at the rate Of thirty miles m honr, OF
on the Michigan Canal, with the speed Of sixty
minutes to the mile, enquire whose stalwart
arms built I'LL these stupendous worksp Echo
assnin replies. by pointing her finger to The
"gen Of the say," the "aase little island,''
whose sons have had taeiF bones, md einews,
and muscles made strong By the potato, There
il 10 other food that will give man The
strength Of Samson, like the murphy. hare
seen many a man maka his dinner solely upon
potatoes, with nothing Ia the world to was11it
down with' except merely a pint Of Il Jungle
foot" In fifteen minutes after he had dined,
he,was strong enough to~ylk through any
au4oTnt Of wildcats. Such Is the virtue Of q
diet Of that vegetable. -'->
:. il Is distressing to think what ravages, the
posato-rot has already made In Ireland, and
the same disease is beginning to be IS Atai to
that crop in illinois,, How It became intro;
duced into this stateI do not muw for Ger
tataty. R4t II is said to have been done By N
11iBhpan WHO alept qll night in potato patch
9 feW miles from Chicago. BE was Just from
ths Hos2d apt1, and probably brought the ip-
fection in his clothes,
We might well 1ook with disnaay upon the
rapid progress the potatorot is mixing Ii nltr
uois, 4 there had not recently been found q
aais,titgte for the: potato, equally valuable In
every respect % the potato itself: Such sub
stitute has indeed beep fenua, and I am the
happy finder. Twill giye hrtef History Of Its
discovery. - d: :;
Five years ago haa u valuable pony stray
from my PASTURE. I had raised him from a
foa1, ss dsd his mother before him, buthla
sire was Canadian horse, audi knew that the
pony had struck . bee:1iae fof Cinaan, ]; y the
howe Of bis paternal ancestors. :.
Last sqW@ef. Eas informed b. man Just
from Quebee that he sas hitphe4 to = market
cart In that city, pony exaetly the description
Of mine--a dark boz, with black name *nd tail,
and the hair worn quite short On the breast br
the collar: I determined to 60 at once t. Que
bee and reclaim my property. Putting new
bride into my carpet sack, sat out for Chi
,?as easg,o. Ffefe took passage On q propeller
bound for town or: the Canada side, through
which the railroad to Montreal aud Quebec
passes. One Of the passengers; % tbs propel-
Ter was Frenchluau, who resided hear Il
Pralrie.a q village several miles ahovo Montreal.
on the opposite sideeof the river" We were
both going together as. Ear as Montreal; and
1elthe ;ot Us having any aeqnalntance On
&c boafa . k:nd @ * friendship sP5uag np between
efa language. ..,,si :':iHF... =, -
: Arrived At Montreal, ho politely invited me-
to dine 9Th him at WHIT he calst5th6sW tsfla
4 d'Az9 g Ktthe HQtA d. Ntdtaees: Tho company
thaA st down .ySa5 -veiy. 1astse, shut Wese Ii