New Britain herald., 1917-03-19
s''+t'+ ~Na
 POTATOES. (By James Shepard).

(Conttnued From Saturdays :Herald.) Potatoes were first introduced into this vicinity in 1720, but. 1t was near
 ly one hundred years before they
 were extensively used. MT. Miner Smith,. of Harwinton, Conn, carried
 on the wagon making business there
 from 1915 to 1S31.~ One year, during
 that time. he raised four or five
 bushels of potatoes. His contract
 with his apprentices required them to
 eat potatoes as he served them for
 one meal each week at his table.
 This they considered hardship as
 potatoes were so little used then that
 they had not become accustomed to
 them.
 In 1S45 the potato rot came so sudden and was so general that it
 caused heavy losses to farmers and in
 Ireland, where the rural population depended largely on potatoes for food, the sudden failure of the crop brought with 1t severe famine and distress.
 The disease had before appeared to
 lesser extentf on both continents.
 During the California gold excite
 ment, about 1s4s. the miners there
 were afflicted with a disease called
 raw potatoes, for which the miners
 sometimes paid as high as $1.O0 for
 a single potato: About 1859 or 60,
 the potato bug began it's ravages in
 Colorado. fAnd. in~ fifteen years 1t
 spread to all the potato growing re-
 gions of the United States. The ex-
 pense of combating the potato rot and
 the potato bug had a tendency to ad-
 vance the price of potatoes, but in
 the year 1869 the potato crop of the
 United States was 146, ,736,00O bushels
 at an average price to the grower of
 53h cents per bushel. Tn that year Connecticut produced 2,5O0,000 bush
 els. valued at 63 cents per bushel.
 New York raised the most of any one state, its crop amounting to 2S.500.-. 900 bushels valued at 51 cents per bushel. The wholesale prices in New York city varied greatly from month to month. In January 1869. the prices were from $1.50 to $3.5O Der bushel. In June the prices for old potatoes were from $1.OO to $1.5O while new potatoes in July brought from $4.0O to 5000 per bushel but dropped down to S8 cents in August. From 1879 to 1888 inclusive, the low est value placed on the potato crop for any one year was 40 cents per bushel in 1884. and the highest was 91 cents per bushel in the year 1881. The largest crop reported for any one year was the crop of 1883. amounting to 2os.1e7.425 bushels. In 1891. much larger crop was reported.
 The Spanish or sweet potato. tBa- tatas edulis. has been so long culti- vated, in various countries. that 1t Is difficult to determine it's precise orig in. It was found in use by the Indians of Brazil in 1519 and was soon after wards carried to Spain. 1t was well known in England for a considerable time before the introduction there of the common potato. In Java, the tu- bers sometimes attain the enormous weight of fifty pounds each. They are now sold in New Britain for ten cents per pound. which would make one of these giants worth $500.
 Dioscorea is the typical genus of the order of yams which are often sold here under the name of sweet potatoes. They are used largely in various tropical countries and vary greatly in size and color. some attain ing a length of two or three feet. One species. Dioscorea batatas. from m>China and Japan, has been cultivated in England but not very largely as the tubers penetrate so deeply into the earth that they are hard to dig.
 Hc JuU6TS OI LIlC IlCiINhSIteao SAOCA osus were formerly cultivated and used largely, both here and abroad. It is a native of Brazil, but is perfectly hardy in New England. It was dis tributed from the Parnese garden at Rome, under the name of Jerusalum Artichoke, soon after it's introduction into Europe in 1917. The tubers are used either boiled and mashed with butter, or baked in pies. and when nicely cooked are not oniy we'll fla vored but are considered to be both wholesome and nutritious-more so even than the potato, as they may be eaten by invaljds when debarred from the use of other vegetables On the Continent they are in considerable demand for soups, and before the po- tato became plentiful, they were good deal in use in England. Parkin- son, writing in 1929. states that they were then so common in London ''that even the vulgar began to, despise them; they were baked in pies with marrow, dates, ginger, sack, etc.. and being so plentiful and cheap. rather bred loathing than a. liking for them.'' As the culture of the potato extended it gradually displaced the Jerusalum Artichoke, which is but little grown at the present time. l Other plants are used in various coun- | tries as we use potatoes, and in New Zea land they so use the roots of an l orchid, which they call Peri and which l is known botanically by as Gastrodfa Cunninghamii. The Micmac Indians | of Nova Scotia use the tubers of the l ground nest, Apios tuberosa as an es- | culent.