Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-11-14

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The almost universal scarcity of
potatoes in every section Of the
country this year, and the conse-
quent large and rapid advance in
price, which has already reached
such dimensions as to place this or
dinarily abundant and cheap article
OF food in the list Of Injuries. be.
yond the reach of the poor, has nat
urally set practical minds to work
to find out substitute. An extract
from long and interesting article
on this subject in the Inter- Ocean
will be found below. The substi.
tute suggested as more nearly pos
sessing the ingredients of the pota-
to, than any other, is the sugar
beet. The only trouble about it
would be that in many sections the
beet is as scarce as the potato. We
apprehend that in considerable
portions of Iowa an adequate sup
ply OF the substitute would prove
as embarrassingas the scarcity of
that for which it is substituted.
The Inter Ocean sarticle is as fol-
lows:
The question is an interesting,
and may, before spring, become a
serious one with those OF limited
means; and while 10 perfect substi-
tute is known, there are vegetables
that may be used instead to
greater or less extent. OF the high
value of potatoes, when used in con-
nection with other food, there can
be no doubt. Analysis shows that
they surpass in the fat producing
principles, and that alone they could
not sustain the composition of the
blood, for enough could not be
used to supply the blood without in
terruptlrg digestion and producing
y superabundancc of fat beyond
the power Of the oxygen to con-
sumo. 1t is, then, when combined
with other and differently constitu-
ted foods that the potatoe is of the
greatest value. The potato con-
tains Of water seventy.flve parts, of
flesh-formers one part, and of fat
formers eighteen parts, with other
accessories. To preserve the natu-
raj correspondence of food it is nee
essary that the substitute for
the potato should con-
tain substantially its leading ingre-
dients, and in nearly the same pro-
portion. The carrot contains near
ly the same amount Of water as the
potatoe, but has only six one-hun.
dredths OF one part of flesh produc
ing, and only six parts of fat form
ing material. The parsnip has of
water eighty-two parts, but is near
ly destitute IN flesh and fat produc
ers as the carrot. The white tur-
nip contains over ninety parts of
water, and is too deficient in other
ingredients to render it valuable to
take the place of the potato. The
sugar beet is most like the potato of
all the roots. 1t contains 80 parts
of water, 90 of one part of the
flesh formers, and Is parts of the
fat forming essentials. OF all the
roots, then, the sugar beet is to be
preferred to take the place Of the
potato, and, with many kinds of
meat-like salt fish, salt beet aud
pork-it is to be preferred to the
potato, as the chemical properties
Of the sugar Of the beet harmonic
better with the sodium OF the salt
than does the starch of the potato.
The varieties Of ways in which the
beet may be cooked is also to its
advantage. Generally it is boiled,
and this should always be done
thoroughly. After being boiled it
can be fried like potatoes, with
enough vinegar added to counter
act its saccharinc taste, Of which
one soonest becomes tired. With
salt meats and fish it may be hash
ed, and in such 4 dish it is prefera-
bic to the potato, especially SO if
tart apple be sliced with the beet
while the hash is in the frying pan.
Sometimes preparations of the
various grains are used like rice,
and the delicious hasty pudding
from the corn. While these may
be palitablc, they contain too little
water and too great prepondcr-
encc of the flesh over tie fat pro-
ducing materials. Maize has Of
starch sixty-seven and a half
parts and nine parts Of fatty mat
ter, while rice has eighty-nine parts
Of starch and almost no fat produc-
ing ingredients. They both cen
tain nearly the same constituent
parts as whca, which we find in the
bread. The beet is the best vcge-
table to supplant the potato, and
may be had in nearly all localities
at much less prices; and SO gener-
ally does each one raise his own
supply that they are not quoted in
any of the markets. While the
substitute is not perfect one, it is
the best that can he had.
Tho Terrible Two Months of Life in
ShrNvanort