November, 1913 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



27! 



Starch Protein Water 



f)er cent, per cent, per cent. 



Cortical Layer ..19.42 1.99 74-79 



External 

 Medullary Area .16.29 2.14 77-44 



Internal 

 Medullary Area .11.70 2.31 82.16 



These figures represent the average 

 percentages found, but potatoes vai>y 

 much. 



INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS 



On starchiness, quality in America 

 chiefly depends. In Europe, what Cana- 

 dians would call a sticky, soggy potato, 

 is prized ; but in America mealiness is 

 sought and obtained. Mealiness is de- 

 pendent upon the percentage of starch. 

 It follows that mealiness, starchiness and 

 quality are intimately associated. 



When a potato is cut the starch dries 

 on the cut surface. From the amount 

 found there, a fair estimate of the starch- 

 iness of the specimen may be obtained. 

 For very exact work sections are stained 

 with iodine and placed under the micro- 

 scope. Each starch grain so stained be- 

 comes a deep blue color. 



It will be noted by referring to the 

 table that the cortical layer (that is the 

 part next to the skin) is the richest in 

 starch. The other areas are slightly richer 

 in protein, but the digestible protein in 

 these areas is not greater than that found 



in the cortical. The cortical layer is 

 most prized because of the food (starch) 

 found there. This layer varies in thick- 

 ness. Other things being equal a potato 

 with a thick cortical layer wins. From 

 this it becomes apparent why smooth po- 

 tatoes with few eyes are most prized. In 

 peeling rough specimens the most of the 

 cortical layer is cut away with the con- 

 sequent loss of the most nutritive por- 

 tion. 



All vegetable tissue is composed of 

 cells. These cells are boxes with wooden 

 walls. The box contains a large amount 



of water and other substances. One of 

 the principal of these, in the pHDtato, is 

 starch. When starch comes in contact 

 with heat it expands wonderfully. If 

 these starch grains are numerous enough 

 the expansion is so great that the cell 

 wall is ruptured, producing that meali- 

 ness so much desired. In some cases 

 the starch is so much greater on the out- 

 side that it becomes mealy and "cooks 

 away," while the interior remains hard. 

 This happens only when the cortical layer 

 is very thin and not ideally blended with 

 the deeper seated layers. 



Advertising Vegetables 



W. H. Munday, London, Ont. 



Why don't we advertise our vege- 

 tables? The product is fresh from the 

 workshop of nature. It is pure, undilut- 

 ed, unexcelled, and capable of keeping 

 the system in tone. Doctors tell us that 

 asparagus is good for the kidneys, toma- 

 toes are stimulating for the liver, onions 

 for the stomach, spinach for the blood, 

 and so one. Well, why not advertise our 

 vegetables when they have such recom- 

 mendations? 



CHANGE THE DIET FASHION 



There are thousands of people in Can- 

 ada who fare on meat, and pie and cake. 



GinteDg; Beds of Dr. MacKendrick, Gait, Ont, 



r MacKcmlrick commenced growing ginsong a fow yeans ago. "By raising your own 8e64 and planting them," says Dr. Mac- 

 ••ndrick, "ea«b three-yearold plant will give about fifty, a four-year-old seventy -five and" ft 'dve-year-old about one hundred seeds." 



who never realize what health-giving pro- 

 perties are contained in fresh vegetables. 

 Properly cooked they digest easily, and 

 are assimilated rapidly. Plenty of vege- 

 tables means pure blood, good appetite, 

 freedom from disease and long life. 

 These thousands of people must be told. 

 If necessary these facts should be con- 

 stantly held up before their eyes through 

 advertising. Our business as growers of 

 vegetables makes this a matter of duty. 

 Let us not only advertise our product, 

 but let us grow a better article and more 

 of it. By all means let the people know 

 about it. There is 

 a secret in grow- 

 ing good vegeta- 

 bles ; there is also 

 a secret in selling 

 them. Notice how 

 the Californians ad- 

 vertise thieir r^ais- 

 ins, oranges, and 

 celery. 



Don't you think 

 that if our apples 

 were advertised 

 they would sell bet- 

 ter? Good adver- 

 tising starts a fash- 

 ion. If there is a 

 fashion in dress, 

 there is also one in 

 diet. Start a fash- 

 ion in eating vege- 

 tables and fruit, 

 and it will mean 

 larger sales if not 

 higher prices. 



We are told to 

 put up our pro- 

 ducts in neat, clean 

 and attractive pack- 

 ages. That is all 

 right, but it is not 

 s u ffi c i ent. We 

 must impress the 

 public with the 

 fact that we have 

 the goods. 



