The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-07-06
Composition Of the Potato.


took potatoes from North Carolina to
bis estate in Ireland about the year
1886.
Many amusing stories are written
regarding the attempts to use the
plant as food, and while these stories
may not be entirely authentic they
are interesting. The seed potatoes
were distributed among Sir Ralieghs
tenants without instruction as to what
part of this new world food was to
be eaten. When the potatoes came
up the high green tender looking tops
were taken to be some kind of salad
plant, but they were not found relish
able in raw state. AS the tops grew
larger it was supposed they were to
be used as green's and so were steWed.
One can readily imagine the house
keepers disgust at the disagreeable
dish. When the balls appeared on the
tops of the plant the people were sure
they had found the proper part of the
plant to eat. However, when many of
them were made i'll by eating stewed
potato balls they abandoned all at
tempts to cultivate the strange new
food. After a time the tubers were
discovered, but as there was a popu-
lar belief that the plant was poison
GUS many years elapsed before they
were cultivated as an article of food
Even then the potato came into favor
slowly and nearly two centuries
passed by before this much despised
product of the western world was
served as part of the daily diet of >ehe
common people.
Botanically the white potato be-
longs to the Solanum or poison Night
Shade family, and is related to the to-
mato and egg plant, as they belong to
the same family.
The potato gives slight Indication
that there is bad blood" in the fam
lily, in the fact that there is minute
quantity of poison acid in it's juices,
chiefly in the skin. The poison called
Solanin is, however, readily dissipated
by heat.
The potato contains large amount
Of starch that has commercial value
aside from it's food value. This potato
starch is used in the manufacture of
glucose, used in syrups and confec-
tionery, in the manufacture of alcohol
and in the preparation of British gum,
found on the backs of labels.
In certain parts of Bolivia, the
small wild potato is gathered by the
natives, allowed to freeze and then
dried. When bone dry these potatoes
are pounded into a meal, which is
moistened to dough and then baked
in thin cakes on hot stones.
In Russia and other European coun-
tries potatoes are dried and ground
into -four that is mixed with rye,
barley, millet, or peas, in the making
of bread.
The food value of the potato lies
chiefly in the starch it contains. The
following table gives the percentage
composition of the white potato:
Protein, or muscle building food, per
Starch, or energy food, per cent. 49,. .1S6
Fat, energy food, per cent. .002
Mineral matter, builds bone, per cent. 10
The accompanying cut taken from
a farmers bulletin, issued at Wash
ington, shows more clearly than the
figures do, the relative amounts of the
different substances found in the
average white, potato.
It will be. clearly seen that the po-
tato can not be called a. complete
food, as there is but little material to
build and repair muscular tissue.
If potatoes alone were eaten the
average adult would require about IL
pounds daily, to secure the needed
amount of muscle building food. :.
: The potato is almost entirely want
ing in fat: IN order to make the po-
E+ot0<a dosira h1n article IF dict II nc1lsf