Chap, VII.] Potatoes. 165 



and artizan's families in towns, who can lay in no store, 

 and who must buy by the ten pound or quarter of a 

 hundred at a time ? When broad-faced Mrs. Wilkins 

 tells Mrs. Tomkins, that, so that she has " a potatoe" 

 for her dinner, she does not care a fartlting for bread, 

 I only laugh, knowing that she, will twist down a half 

 pound of beef with her " potatoe," and has twisted 

 down half a pound of buttered toast in the morning, 

 and means to do the same at tea time without prejudice 

 to her supper and grog. But when Mrs. Tomkins 

 gravely answered, " yes, Ma'am, there is nothing like 

 " a potatoe ; it is such a saving in a family," I really 

 should not be very much out of humour to see the t6te- 

 i-l(^te broken up by the application of a broom-stick. 



280. However, Sir, I am talking to you noAv, and, 

 as I am not aware that there can be any impropriety 

 in it, 1 now call upon you to show, that I am really 

 •wrong in my notions upon this subject ; and this, I 

 think you are, in some sort bound to do, seeing that you 

 have, in a public manner, condemned them. 



281. But, there remains a very important part of 

 the subject yet undiscussed. For, though you should 

 be satisfied, that 300 lbs. of potatoes are not, taking 

 every thing into consideration, more than equal to about 

 SOlbs. of flour, you may be of opinion, that the dispro- 

 portion in the bulk of the crops is, in favour of potatoes, 

 more than safficient to compensate for this. 1 think 

 this is already clearly enough settled by the relative 

 prices of the contending commodities ; for, if the quan- 

 tity of produce 'was on the side of potatoes, their price 

 would be in proportion. 



282. I have heard of enormous crops of potatoes ; as 

 high, I believe, as 10 tons grow upon an acre. I have 

 heard of 14 sacks of wheat upon an acre. 1 never saw 

 above 10 grow upon an acre. The average crop of 

 wheat is about 24 oushels, in this part of England, and 

 the average crop of potatoes about 6 tons. The weight 

 of the wheat 1,440 lbs. and that of the potatoes 13,440 lbs. 

 Now, then, if I am right in what has been said above, 

 this bulh of potatoes barely keeps place with that of 

 the wheat ; for, if a bushel of wheat does not make 56 lbs. 



