THE POTATO 263 



vegetable, and the city people of moderate means 

 must inconveniently economize in the use of po- 

 tatoes or do without this article of diet. At such 

 times a heavy demand would be made for desic- 

 cated or evaporated potatoes were they common 

 in our markets. 



"Potatoes for storing for future use should be 

 firm and crisp when cut open with the knife. 

 The quality can only be definitely tested by cook- 

 ing. This test is best made by boiling in the skins 

 or baking. After removing from the fire hold in 

 a napkin and squeeze lightly, then break open, 

 and if the starch is abundant, you have a white, 

 flaky, uniform mass somewhat shiny and crystal- 

 Une in appearance. If the starch is scanty it will 

 be soggy and may have a watery core. This 

 condition may be discovered in the raw potato by 

 cutting a thin slice transversely from the middle 

 of the tuber. Hold it up to the light, and if the 

 core is large and many large arms branch out into 

 the outer section, and the outer ring, known as 

 the cortical layer, is thin, such a potato is not 

 likely to be light and flaky when cooked. There 

 is another quality of the potato which is neither 

 soggy nor mealy, and which is very agreeable to 

 most tastes, and is commonly described as waxi- 

 ness. This quality is found in the immature tu- 

 bers or early spring potatoes. In point of flavor 

 there is as much difference as in texture. The 

 immature potatoes contain a larger proportion of 

 albumenoids that gelatinize in cooking, giving 

 this moist consistency, and the larger proportion 

 of acids and mineral matter gives the richness of 

 flavor. In selecting potatoes for the table it is 

 a very difficult matter to judge the quality by 

 the outside appearance. A good, firm potato of 



