New Britain herald., 1925-04-03
POOR POTATO CROP
 CAUSE OF FAMINE
Some Of Irsland's Population on
 Verge Of Starvation


 Ireland had poor potato haryes
 last fall, and as result parts of tn
 island are reported to bs on tn
 verge of famine. a
 Tt takes such tragic occurrence
 as Ireland's food shortage to brinl
 home to the average man the tre
 luendous importance of the potato.
 says bulletin from the Washing
 ton, D. C., headquarters of tn
 National Geographic society. Hal
 a dozen other coantries of Europl
 would be in similar plight if thel
 potato crops failed" continues tn,
 bulletin, although few centurie!
 ago potatoes had not ever beer
 heard of In any of these lands.
 One of America's Valuable Gifts
 The potato Is one of the many
 valuable gifts of America to tn, world. Most histories. busy
 chronicling wars and elections ant
 perhaps inventions, fail to em.
 phasize the introduction Of the DO.
 tato from America to Europe. ol
 else mention it quite incidentally
 Economists and sociologists. how.
 ever, could make 8 good case fol
 the potato as the New World
 product which has most deeply af-
 fected life in the Old World.
 - When Spanish and English sx-
 plorers and settlers found the po-
 tato 1t was grown in desultory
 sort of way along the Atlantic coast of parts of North America and tho Pacific coast of South America. It had probably spread, to those re- tgions from Peru, for it Is believed to have been developed into . do-
 nestle plant in the mountain val ieys of that land some thousands of years ago by Pre-Incan farmers. The world did not take to the po- tato at first either in America or Europe. Not until well after the American revolution did it become a crop of major importance in North America; and about the time of the French revolution . Parisian philanthropist, Parmentier, found it uphill work to induce the poor of the French metropolis to eat the tubers In free soup kitchens.
 Created Agricultural Revolution
 The popularity of this apple of the earth grew with a rush when its virtues once became known. Ireland was converted early, so much 50 that knowledge of the tuber spread from that island to other European lands and 1t thereby acquired the misnomer, Irish po- tato.' The potato created an axri- cultural revolution in northern Europe and soon became the domi- nant crop. It even made possible an increase in population In . num- Der of European countries. Now 1t Is to that part of the world what rice is to the Orient. It l. more truly the staff of life In large areas of the west than wheat itself. But for the potato Germany probably could not have remained in the Ereat war more than year or 50. X Europe has made much greater use of the potato than the land of It's discovery. Approximately sixl billion bushels are now growa in the 1 world each year. If this produc. ton could. bs brought to enc place | t would i'll a gigantic bin ten miles | long. q mile wide and 90 feet deep. | If & partition were placed across | such bin as the nine mile post the potatoes in the larger compartment ! would represent the production of Europe and Great Britain. Seven tenths of the potatoes in ths smaller division would represent the con- tribution of the United States s'the world crops and the remaining thres-tsnths would represent khess produced in the rest ef the world. Germany. Russia (ik had 6 great acreage than 0srnaany before the great war) ths lands mat made up Austria-Hunsary, and T1saeA ssch H produces mors pcesAoss shaa khe United States. Il
 Leads Bon yssoe axN Wheag { "ons of the outeeaading virtues of tho potato which has made ss the leading vegetable produce tn north ern Europe and northern Irnited States is thas 1t srows to perfection In regions too cool and soo rnetse for satisfactory wheat culture. An- other advantage is the tysmsndcus amount of food ma.sriaz pes asre contributed by potatoes 4 hun- fred bushels per acre is aa avsreSe yield in the United gtatsa but in 3ermany the average yield is nearly vice as great The greatsss yield n any country !s In the Netheriands where mors than $50 bushals per tcre are produced. Under sxcsp- ionally favorable conditions q single lcre has been known ka produce 100 bushelA
 "As a world crop the potato. ehs lpstart vegetable from the New World. has shouidsred it's way head of both rice and wheat. lore pounds of potatoes gre now |roduced than of any ether single Iomestic vegetable product. Pota- oes have won first place in the gorld, too, in the matter of diffusion. 'hey have become an important TOD In the temperate and cool DOT lons Of every contiuent-from rance to Scandinavia in Siberia. he Americas South Africa. Aus ralia, New Zealand.
 Play Important Part in Industry
 Potatoes are not alone a food egetahle. They already i'll an in- ortant place in industry and un-