Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-02-06

after a most thorough and rigid III
vestieation declares in the year DOOR
of the department of agriculture 'ha'
the potato Is a deserving and extreme
Nv valuable member OF the community
Scientific investigation has SHOWN
that the practice. which has become %
general. Of serving potatoes WIN nea'
ana other similar foods which contain
liberal amounts of protein Is DaSeu
upon correct principles, one Ioou sup
plying the deficiencies OF the o1noi.
Potatoes and other foods containing
carbohydrates are sometimes oDJec.eu
IN ON the ground that they are starchy
foods and do not supply much hl'los
epous material. 1t should be renhehi'
nered. however, that the potato uoeS
contain nv no means inconsideraDle
amount of protein and furthcr thas
carbohydrates are an essential part Oh
a we'll regulated diet. The digestion
experiment referred to shows tnat po-
tatoes properly cooked furnish such
material In a digestible form. lney
have been d staple article of diet TOT
many years without harmful results
and therefore the conclusion that I'M
der ordinary circumstances they are
other than useful and wholesome 1000
seems unwaranted.
An American Product.
The potato, called in different reg
ions white potato, irish potato, English
potato. or round potato, was hrst ihtro-
duced into Europe between 1897 ana
1856 by the Spaniards and afterward
by the English about the time OF Ra'
leighs voyages to Virginia. II is com
monty believed to be native OF Chin.
Wild potato plants closely resembling
those cultivated today are still found
there, though it a fact worthy OF men
ton that as the potato has been modl'
fed by cultivation 1t has largely lost
the power of producing seeds, and the
cultivated potato differs from the wild
In seldom producing seed-bearing
fruits.
when first visited by Europeans the
aborigines in Chill and adjacent cut
tiyated the potato for its edible tubers
and had apparently long done SO. II
was probably introduced Into the
United States, especially Virginia ana
North Carolina, toward the end of the
sixteenth century. It Is not surprising
that the new foodstuff should have
grown rapidly into public favor when
We remember its prolific yield, super
Tor keeping qualities, ease OF propa-
CATION and agreeable flavor.
Tie potato tuber is In reality a modi-
fed stem. being shortened and thick
ened to serve as storehouse for re-
serve material for the propagation OF
new plants. The outer skin. which Is
dry In appearance and usually gray or
brown in color, corresponds to the
bark of the rest of the plant. The por-
ton underneath the skin when exposed
TO the sunlight turns green and gives
the plant a. unpleasant flavor. The
outer and inner skin are usually re-
moved when the potato is peeled The
flesh makes up the bulk of the potato.
Its Value Recognized.
The valuable qualities OF the potato
were speedily recognized and there
are early records of attempts 10 deter
mine its food value by means OF
chemical analyses, In 1895 Pearson
reported experiments and observa-
tons on the constituent parts of the
-, l,Gh nA
analyses of the potato, as did also
Vauquelin In 1917, In America analy-
ses of the potato We're reported some
fifty years ago by Emmdns. These in
vestigatlons were useful at the time,
although they were not made by the
method usually followed today. This
was necessarily the case, as The sup
ject OF chemistry of nutrition is OF
comparatively recent growth.
Ia later years many studies of the
tato have been made in this aad other
countries. As shown by recent dnaly-
ses. the skin of the potato constitutes
en the average 2.5 per cent of the
whole and the cortial layer So per
cent.
II is difficult TO peel potatoes so that
the skin only is removed Whether
both skin and Cortial layer or only the
former should be called refuse in our
current sense Of the word is perhaps
question. As potatoes are common
ly eaten good deal Of the resh. or
edible portion is rejected with the
skins. When they are baked with the
skins on the amount of edible portion
thus thrown away may be small. When
they are pared for boiling the amount
wasted may he much larger. When
they are rough from defects IN growth
or from shrinking or shriyellng after
keeping over winter the amount OF
flesh cut OF in peeung is larger still
Just how much this loss OF tho edible
portion CT potatoes win average in the
ordinary household no one can say
sxactly. II may be estimates at 20
per cent of the whole.
Its Chemical Properties.
The edible portion Of the potato is
made up OF 7s.S per cent water. - per