POTATOES. [PART n. 



housing, and threshing is, at pf esent prices, 10$, 

 less. The potatoes leave no straw, the wheat 

 leaves straw, stubble, and gleanings for pigs. 

 The straw is worth, at least, 31. an acre, at pre 

 sent prices. It is, besides, absolutely necessary. 

 It litters, in conjunction with other straw, all 

 sorts of cattle; it sometimes helps to feed them; 

 it covers half the buildings in the kingdom; 

 and makes no small part of the people's beds. 

 The potatoe is a robber in all manner of ways. 

 It largely takes from the farm-yard, and returns 

 little, or nothing to it ; it robs the land more 

 than any other plant or root, it robs the eaters 

 of their time, their fuel* and their health; and, 

 I agree fully with MONSIEUR T^SSOT, that it 

 robs them of their mental powers. 



283. I do not deny, that it is a pleasant 

 enough thing to assist in sending down lusty 

 Mrs. Wilkins's good half-pound of fat roast- 

 beef. Two or three ounces of water, earth, and 

 straw, can do her no harm ; but, when I see a 

 poor, little, pale-faced, life-less, pot-bellied boy 

 peeping out at a cottage door, where I ought to 

 meet with health and vigour, I cannot help 

 cursing the fashion, which has given such ge 

 neral use to this root, as food for man. How 

 ever, I must say, that the chief ground of my 

 antipathy to this root is, that it tends to debase 

 the common people, as every thing does, which 



