210 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



and at the present day is found growing from the Cape of Good Hope 

 to Iceland and Lapland. (Bouaningault and Sir J. Sinclair.) 



The Egg Plant (Solatium Melon gena ;) the Tomato ( Lycopcrsicnm 

 esculent urn,) and the Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum,) ns esculents ; and 

 Deadly Night-shade, (Atropa Belladonna,) a well known medicine, be 

 long to the same family. The Bittersweet of our own woods and fen 

 ces (S. Dulcamara,) may be mentioned as the Type in the Northern 

 United States. 



461. The plant may be propagated by seed, in which case a 

 vast number of new varieties is originated; or by the tubers, 

 which contain buds or germs from each of which a stem will 

 arise ; and the variety continue constant. The germ will grow 

 equally well if severed from the tuber, retaining merely a small 

 fragment of the skin and substance ; and it submits to desicca 

 tion by a hot stove without losing vitality. 



It has long been a disputed point whether it were better 10 plant the 

 entire tuber, or to cut it up into fragment*, but no accurate decision 

 seems to have beeu arrived at. In consequence, we may conclude that 

 the practical difference is very small. General custom leans toward* 

 the latter plan. &quot; It has been observed that &quot;eyes&quot; or germs taken from 

 tuber that have not been full) ripened are more vigorous than those that 

 have been taken from such as have been very fully ripened. Thirf leads to a 

 rule in practice, that the trbor to be planted shall be those which were 

 taken up before the stems had begun to decay in autumn.&quot; (Low.) 



The number of varieties is very great, and always increasing. 

 The chief distinction is that of early and late kinds. 



462. The peculiar characteristic of this root is the quantity 

 of starch that it contains in combination with much water, and 

 potash in its ash. The quantity of dry solid matter depends 

 much upon the state of ripeness to which it has attained. The 

 ripest leave 30 to 32 per cent of dry matter, the least ripe only 

 24 per cent. The quantity of starch varies according to variety 

 from lOf to 32 per cent; and, accordieg to Liebig, in the wild 

 state, this root is almost destitute of nourishing constituents. 

 Since the rot has prevailed, potatoes appear to have lost much 

 of the starch they previously possessed. The crop, also, other 



