Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-09

VeStSatlOn or the potato with view
to determine the exact food value Of
the familiar vegetable and the re-
suit as given in a portion of the year
book of the department shows the
murphy to be perhaps the most
valuable member of the root family.
The investigation has shown that
the practice, which has become so
general, of serving potatoes with
meat and other similar foods which
contain liberal amounts of protein, is
based upon correct principles, one
food supplying the deficiencies of the
other. Potatoes and other foods con-
tanning carbohydrates are sometimes
objected to on the ground that they
are starchy foods and do not supply
much heterogeneous material 1t should
be remembered, however, that the po-
tato does contain by no means in
considerable amount of protein and
further that carbohydrates are an es-
sential part OF well-regulated diet.
The digestion experiment referred to
shows that potatoes properly cooked
furnish such material in a digestible
form. They have been staple article
of diet for many years without harm
full results and therefore the conclusion
that under ordinary circumstances
they are other than a useful and
wholesome food seems unwarranted
. The potato, called in different
regions white potato, Irish potato
English potato, or round potato, was
first introduced into Europe between
1880 and 1856 by the Spaniards and
afterward by the English about the
time of Raleigh's voyage to Virginia,
1t is commonly believed to be a native
Of Chilli. Wild potato plants closely
resembling those cultivated today are
still found there, though it is a fact
worthy of mention that as the potato
has been modified by cultivation it
has largely lost the power of pro
ducing seed-bearing fruits.
When first visited by Europeans the
aborigines in Chill and adjacent
regions cultivated the potato for it's
edible tubers and had apparently long
done so. It was probably introduced
into the United States, especially
Virginia and North Carolina. toward
the end of the sixteenth century. 1t
is not surprising that the new food
stuff should have grown rapidly into
public favor when we remember its
prolific yield superior keeping
qualities, ease of propagation and
agreeable flavor.
The potato tuber is in reality a
modified stem, being shortened and
thickened to serve as a storehouse
for reserve material for the propaga.
ton of new plants. The outer skin
which is dry in appearance and
usually gray or brown in color, cor
responds to the bark of the rest of
the plant. The portion underneath
the skin when exposed to the sun
an unpleasant flavor The outer and
inner skin are usually removed when
the potato is peeled. The flesh makes
up the bulk of the potato.
The valuable qualities of the potato
were speedily recognized and there
are early records of attempts to de-
termine it's food value by means of
chemical analyses. In 1875 Pearson
reported Experiments and observa-
tons on the constituent parts of the
potato root" Einhof in 1905 pub
lished analyses of the potato, as did
also Vauquelin in 1917 In America
analyses of the potato were reported
some fifty years ago by Emmons.
These Investigations were useful at
the time, although they were not
made by the method usually followed
today. This was necessarily the case.
as the subject of the chemistry of
nutrition is Of comparatively recent
growth
In later years many studies of the
composition and food value Of the
potato have been made in this and
other countries. AS shown by recent
analyses, the skin of the potato con
stitues on an average 25 per cent. Of
the whole and the cortical layer SIS
per cent.
It is difficult to peel potatoes so that
the skin only is removed. Whether
both skin and cortical layer or only
the former should be called refuse in
our current sense of the word is per-
haps question. AS potatoes are
commonly eaten a good deal of the
flesh, or edible portion, is rejected
with the skins. When they are baked
7dfble portion thus thrown away may
De small. When they are pared for
boiling the amount wasted may be
much larger When they are rough
rom defects in growth or from 8
or shriveling after keepingl
,ver winter the amount of flesh cut
IF in peeling is larger still. Just how
much this loss of the edible portion
# potatoes will average in the or.
inary household no one can say
xactly. It may be estimated at 20 ,
'er cent. of the whole
Its Chemical Properties. {
The edible portion of the potato Is
made up Of 1873 per cent. water, 20
er cent protein Total heterogeneous
1atter), L per cent. fat, 1874 per
ent. carbohydrates, per cent. is
lade up of crude fiber and materials
hich in some Of their notifications =
Onstitute the cell walls Of plants and
i've them rigid structure These /
cures, like others for composition Of u