The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-21
OUR AGRICULTURAL coLUMy.

| Potatoes, Beets, Cabbage, Carrots
ParsniP-, Onions, 6e., 6c- laal-.
Few readers of the ISTEILIeKScER
on sitting down to their dinners, fully
realize the subject that at least nifty
distinct branches of trade and art are
requisite to make and set out a tai BILE
with its various appointments ofcloths,
crockery, plate, cutlery, &c, prepara-
tory 10 the reception of viands. Not
only this, but all parts of the world
are taxed to procure these necessities OF
comforts of life. Take the article OF
thread, for instanee-the staff of life
and trace it from the seed to the blade.
and from the blade to the fruit, and
from the harvest to the mill, and from
the mill TO the wholesale store, and from
this to the retail, and again from this
to the family-and what history we
have. The Sewburyport Herald, in
this wise, thus honors our National
Plant, Indian Corn, which nature has
given exclusively to North America,
and which furnishes directly as bread
stuff, or Indirectly as the food of our
beef, cattle, hogs, and poultry, the sta
pie of our entire population. We quote /:
at contains more absolute pouYisb-
ment of thsyarious forms necessary to
health and strength-as gluten, starch.
sugar and oil-than any other plant
known 10 man; which boiled, hnlled.
popped, cracked or ground, in hominy
or hoe-cake, or mush, fermented into
chiea or distilled into whisky, In the
wigwarn of the Indian, the log cabin of
the Western EnfflaF nF1 hn
OF the South and in the paIatial hotels
of the metropolis, over the table lands
OF Mexico, through the valley of the
Amazon and on the pampas of Buenos
Ayres, IS u staple article of food for
IUrty millions OF men. But its highest
feed hoosiers, furnish Juveniles with
cornballs, and fast men with
whisky, but it has inspired the poet and
artist as we'll. 1t is woven into many
a Wild Indian legend, il was the favor
ite subject of the Aztec and Peruvian
artists, who adorned the gardens of
thelr temples and palaces with its grace
iuI ngure, its leaves wrought in silver
and its ears in solid gold, while Joel
Barlow, tine epic poet OF America, has
sung its praises in the HastV Pudding
Song. which VIII be remembered when
his more pretentious Columbia is for
gotten. Various writers have claimed
that the maize was of Eastern origin,
Egypt, China and India all claiming
the honor OF its birth place, but we be-
lieve It'll now considered settled that il
is isindigenous to America, and has never
been found anywhere 9seii unless IL
were carried from our shores, In its
natural state, as still found among the
hocSy Mountains, every kernel is en-
closed IN husk, which disappears after
long cultivation. There is but one dis
tinct species, though it embraces more
than twenty well marked varieties of
various colors-white, black, yellow
and red, like the four principal races of
men-and of all sizes, from the old
iashioned New England ears, foot and
a half long, to the tiny rice corn as big
as the fore fingers, the rows VARYING
from eight to sixteen, and the chemical
constituents varying still more from
the pop corn and sweet corn, in which
respectively, oil and sugar are greatly
in excess, to the Tuscarora, which is
composed entirely of starch"
The following upon the Potato, Beet,
Cabbage, Carrot, Parsnips, Beans, Peas,
ETC., will also be read by our country
readers, if not by those in the CITY.
And, as We may expect spring bye and
bye, those of rural tastes will be glad
to be reminded in what part of the
world all these valuable plants had
their origin:
THE POTATO
is next entitled to mention, both as be-
ing the next sample article of vegetable
food, and as being also q native OF this
continent, corn and potatoes" being
old friends on this soil, long before they
were planted side by side in the field of
the Yankee farmer. 1t is still found
in its wild state In South America.
where it is foetid, poisonous root, with
little or no inclination to form tubers,
though its specific name is tuberosurn.
1t belongs TO the genus Solanum or
Hi0htshdde, every member of which is
more or less poisonous. Sir Walter
R9leigh introduced it into England be-
tween two and three centuries ago,
along with that other poisonous Amer
lean plant-tobacco. 1t is a valuable
and healthy article of food when com
oined with other and more condensed
and stimulating kinds.
THE BEET.
Is native of the river Boetis, In Spain.
from which it takes its name, where il
grows hardly to the size of the little
finger, though cultivation has increas-
ed II to an average of ten pounds in the
Mangel WurZel, It is the best root for
cattle; and doubtless the most profits
Bile that can be raised, whether for feed
"a VI AOA Anc OIL SUGAR.
DR.. Lettson, who introduced the Man
gel Wurzel into England, says he rails
ed one hundred and twenty tons of
roots and tops, both of which his cattle
ate with avidity, TO the acre."
THE CABBAGE,
with all its varieties and species. inclu-
ding turnips, caulifowers, brocolis.
kales, DC, comes from the shores ofthe
Mediterranean It has undergone ma
ny notifications by cultivation, and is,
under Whatever name, desirable ad
dition I o the table. Chemists saw that
1t contains more heterogeneous or muscle
iood. than any other pIant-a
fact which the Irish seem to have dis
covered xperimentaIly.
THE CARROT
grows wild in England, where 1t is
called the birds nest, from the form of
the umbel, or cluster OF flowers. It is
priced for horses above all other kinds
of food, as means of keeping them
sleek and In good condition.
THEPARsSIP
is also a native OF Great Britain, as well
as OF this country, and is poisonous in
its wild state. 1t contains large pro-
portion OF potash, and hence is very
appropriately boiled with corned beef.
from which that salt, which is absolute.
ly necessary to perfect nutrition, has
been abstracted by the brine. The
IRISH brew them with their beer, in
stead of malt, for which their saccha-
rine qualities render than good sub
stitute.
THE ONION
is also very wholesome vegetable. and
has ever been held in esteem from the
earliest ages. II is native of Egypt,
where 1t was popularity supposed 10 be
an OBJECT OF worship. This notion
has been kept alive in modern times by
finding the onion in Egyptian tombs,
In the hands of mummies, and sculS-