.5^ -. 



THE NEW CIIINKSE I'OTATO. 



M-e can credit all that has been stated in favor of the new importation, has far more than 

 done 80. Certain it is that it holds the same place in the North of China, and is found to 

 comprise the game nutritive properties, as the potato in this country. Mr. Henderson, a 

 Devonshire horticulturist, by wliom it is introduced amongst us, designates it, in fact, a 

 potato, just because with us ordinary yams cannot be grown except by means of stoves. 

 31. de Montigny has stated that the Chinese, at taking up the crop, set aside all the 

 smaller roots for seed. It is well known that this is a practice now preferred by our 

 market gardeners to cutting large potatoes into sets, simply because they like ajuicysetj 

 and find the immature tuber most favorable for their purpose. This is, so far, fortunate 

 in the case of the new potato, admitting, as we shall presently learn, of its rapid and 

 unlimited propagation; for the Chinese place these tubers first in pits or trenches for 

 preservation (and they are said to keep far better than potatoes all the winter, covered 

 Avith straw and a coating of earth, never losing weight or developing exhaustive shoots); 

 and in spring, being laid out horizontally in beds of prepared mould, they speedily ger- 

 minate, and send forth long trailing stems, like those of the kidney bean. In six weeks' 

 time the stems attain six feet in length, and are planted out afresh, and layered — that is, 

 the plant is laid lengthwise along a slight furrow, on the top of a ridge, and all except 

 its leaves covered over with earth. Immediately after rain, it begins to take root, or in 

 dry weather is watered until it grows ; and in fifteen or twenty days it produces tubers, 

 throwing out at the same time long trailing stems, which are, however, carefully prevented 

 from taking root, and producing a second set of tubers, to the prejudice of the main crop. 

 Sometimes the shoots are simply pegged down, without removal of the plant, over the 

 sides of the ridge on which it grows, at intervals of six or eight inches, and there striking 

 root, throw out tubers. By this means it is stated that immense quantities of roots, of 

 the size of our early kidney potatoes of the garden frame, are raised on comparatively 

 small pieces of land. To obtain large-sized tubers, small ones, or portions of large, are 

 planted in ridges, at from ten to twelve inches apart; and the plants being allowed to 

 grow freely in autumn, the tubers thus attain an average weight of one pound and up- 

 wards. This is the plan which has been pursued at the Museum of France, the only 

 place in Europe where the new plant has hitherto been cultivated. And in the report of 

 ]M. Pepin on the subject, it is conceived that a few years must yet elapse ere we shall 

 know to what extent the roots left in the ground will acquire weight and bulk, and how 

 long they may remain in the sod without deterioration of their quality ; for it is one of 

 their peculiarities that, like the roots of the Jerusalem artichoke, they will remain in the 

 o-round several years, acquiring weight, size, and nutriment, instead of deteriorating, and 

 requiring, in fact, little or no cultivation, whilst yielding at all seasons aliment within 

 the reach of every one. A tuber taken up at the end of three years, in France, had its 

 cellular tissue healthy to the centre, where it was neither hard nor woody. A root was 

 also preserved in a cellar from Oct., 1852, to 30th May, 1853, without any development 

 of shoots, unchanged, without loss of weight, and might have been kept so nearly through- 

 out the year, which is not the case with either the common or sweet potato, since they 

 always sprout in spring. Moreover, Decaisne believes this Dioscorea richer in nutrition 

 than, and superior in quality to the potato; its roots are white as snow, having no visible 

 fibre or woody matter within, and, cooked by steam or roasted, look and taste like the 

 best potatoes. This is not their whole culinary advantage, either ; for two pieces of 

 tubers, the size of a hen's egg, of Dioscorea and Batate blanche, being put into boiling 

 water simultaneously with a Dutch potato of similar size, were " done " in ten minutes 

 whilst the Dutchman took twenty. 



