APRIL. 



119 



REVIEWS. 



The Chinese Potato {Dioscorea Batatas), and Holcus Saccharatus. 

 A Pamphlet descriptive of the Nature and Progress of these Plants, 

 with Directions for Culture. By John Henderson, Kingswerswell, 

 South Devon, \s. 

 The author treats on the history and culture of two plants which 

 are just now the subject of much enquiry with the pubUc. Our 

 readers will, no doubt, have heard of the West India Yam, which 

 is the tuber of various species of Dioscorea. The present species 

 is indigenous to the north of China, from whence it was introduced to 

 France some five or six years back, where it has been the subject of very 

 careful trial, to ascertain its productiveness, &c. ; and which, from the 

 reports published in this country, we learn is superior to the Potato. But 

 to prove this satisfactorily, a much wider range of experiments is neces- 

 sary. The culture of the common West Indian Yam had years ago been 

 tried in France and failed, being too tender for the climate ; added to 

 which, it is too close and waxy ever to enter into competition with the 

 Potato as an article of food. That the Chinese Yam, or Potato, is 

 hardy, we believe theie is no doubt. Of its nutrition and edible quahties 

 our readers must judge from a report on it by Professor Decaisne, 

 which is given in the work before us, wherein, after giving the results 

 of various modes of culture, speaking of its qualities, he says, — " I do 

 not hesitate to regard it as superior to the Potato, although I have not 

 yet any comparative analysis between the two ; I believe the Dioscorea 

 much the richer in point of nutritive principles. Its roots are as vfhite 

 as snow, in the interior they neither contain any visible fibre nor 

 woody matter : cooked by steam or roasted they look and taste like 

 the best Potatoes. But they have one advantage which every one will 

 appreciate — viz., the short space of time required for cooking. Two 

 pieces of tubers of the size of a hen's egg, one the Dioscorea, the other 

 the Batate blanche, were both put into boiling water simultaneously 

 with a Dutch Potato of the same size ; the first and second were done 

 in ten minutes, the third in twenty minutes. And we must recollect 

 that the facility with which the Potato may be cooked is one of the 

 causes which has contributed to its popularity in a culinary point of 

 view, as it requires so little fuel ; but this advantage we see is still 

 greater with the Dioscorea Batatas. There is another point of great 

 importance to cultivators — the facility ^^^th which it preserves from one 

 year to another, and perhaps longer. We all know the Potato is certain 

 to sprout in the spring; the Dioscorea is wholly free firom this disadvantage, 

 it is affected neither by cold nor heat, and perhaps not even by moisture. 

 Left in the ground it remains alive through the winter without injury, 

 as has been proved by a root which was tried the last severe winter, 

 and pushed freely in the spring ; so that it is a hardy plant in the 

 widest acceptation of the term." That the Chinese Dioscorea will 

 prove an agreeable article of food we doubt not, and as such, is a useful 

 addition to our list of hardy roots. The tubers vary in size from an 

 ounce in weight to two pounds and upwards ; the mean average per 

 tuber, taken from the report noticed above, is about ten ounces. 



