Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-06-10
Interesting Potato Facts.


tribute to man s food, none is of so
general and universal use as the po-
tato. Its actual origin is unknown, but |
it is generally believed to have been
native of the tropical regions of (
South America, Chile and Peru, -four
ishing there long before Columbus
started ON his eVentful voyage, says
Produce News.
The Spaniards who took the plant to
Spain early in the sixteenth century,
are also credited with introducing 1t
into Florida, whence it was taken into
Virginia. From Spain it found its way
into other continental European coun-
tries, but it was many years before it
acquired any great Importance.
1t is claimed to have been brought
into England from Virginia by Sir
John Hawkins in 1868, and later by
eolonists under Sir Walter Raleigh in
1886, and grown on his estate near
Cork, becoming known as food in Ire
land long before it was cultivated in
England.
1t was not until 1868 that its valu-
able properties became generally under
stood, and still longer before it was
grown to any great extent. Not until
the middle of the eighteenth century
did it attain so much Importance in
Europe outside of Ireland, and even
> as late as 1771 they were considered
chiefly as food for cattle and hogs in
England.
In France a prejudice existed against
them for long period and they did not
become popular there until within the
nineteenth century.
| | ! W..
ginia, and seem to have been unknown
in New England until brought there
from Ireland in the latter part of the
eighteenth century. The fact of their
being so much longer cultivated in
Ireland than elsewhere accounts for
their being styled the "Irish potato >"
and as the "white potato,'' to dis
tinguish them from the yellow or sweet
potato.
In the vegetable kingdom the potato
is allied to several narcotic plants, as
3. tobacco, henbane and belladonna, as
also to such esculents as the tomato,
eggplant and capsicum. In some coun-
tries the tender tops of the plant are
eaten as spinach, and the unripe berries
T. picked, or when ripe prepared like
those of its ally, the tomato. The fruit
or seed ball is goblular and purplish,
and about the size of the gooseberry.
Potatoes are hardy and thrive in most
t all countries. They yield best in north
ern parts of the United States, par
s ticularly in New York and New Eng
+ land and also in Canada. One of their
leading qualities is extraordinary pro-
o ductiveness, an equal amount of ground
z often yielding thirty times more weight
in potatoes than wheat. They are
propagated by cuttings from the tubers,
p by which means only can particular
varieties be secured, the seed of a single
J. ball often producing many varieties,
:, and cannot be relied on to propagate
y the parent stock.
!; Like other vegetables, the potato has
its enemies and diseases. What is COM
monty known as the "disease' is the
most destructive. This appeared in
America about 1s4042, and in England
3 in 1s45, and so great was its destruct-
iveness in Ireland in 1916 that it was
L the main cause of the great Irish fam
inc, through the loss of the potato crop
/ on which the people almost entirely
depended for food. Since that period
d it has caused immense destruction an
nually, and no effective remedy has yet
been discovered.
The general belief is that the potatoes
,s are cultivated solely for food, and while
10 this is in the main correct, for there
is hardly a home in all the civilized
world where it is a stranger to the
- table, yet there are vast quantities useC
>. for other purposes, it being one of the
I, leading factors in the production o.
% starch, both in America and Europe
and generally served to cheaper tina
7 article. In the north of Europe a spirit
~ for drinking purposes is made by dis
~ tillation, called "potato brandy" anC
in Germany alcohol is produced, whicl
y somewhat accounts for the immens
production in those sections.
q From statistics of the past five year
it would seem that the average yearl.
production of potatoes throughout tn
world reaches the immense quantity o
o. over 5000 900, GOO bushels, which, at a
- estimated value of so cents, would shoy
a valuation of So, 100000 ,000 Allowin
an average yield per acre of $50 busf
n els, would indicate the cultivation o
about 35,O0O,000 acres in the productio
y of a years potato crop.
IN, The leading potato producing cour
tries and their yearly crops are abou
ii as follows:
- North America-United States, 300
- 100000 bushels; Canada, 100000
N, bushels; Mexico, 100000 bushels
"a South America, 100000 bushels.
IN, Europe-Germany 100000 bushels
Russia, 100000 bushels; Austria an
Ireland, 25O,OOO,OOO bushels; Belgium
10000, 900 bushels Sweden, 100000
as bushels; Spain, s0,OOOOOO bushels; re-
ro- of Europe, 3OO,O0O,OOO bushels.
ty Africa, 100000 bushels.
Asia, 35,OOO,OOO bushels.
,so Australia, 15,500,OO0 bushels.
- The imports of foreign potatoes in
Va the United States-on which there is
40 duty of 25e per bushel-have range
IN during the last ten years from 100000
GU 600 to 100000 bushels, according
so the quantity of domestic productio
MIA The exports, ranging from half m
so lion TO one and a half million yearl
o. average about 75c per bushel. Judgil
80 from the records and the general
ian crease of production, it is probable tn