50 IRISH POTATOES 



earth. They keep in this manner a long time, provi- 

 ded they are kept dry. Another plan is, to pile them 

 up in the form of a roof, to cover them as before with 

 straw and afterwards with earth. There are many 

 other modes of preserving potatoes ; these appear to 

 me to be the simplest and best. In Pennsylvania, 

 they are kept in a vault, under the barn \ but, accord- 

 ing to my experience, they become green when laid 

 upon a floor, or in any way exposed to the air. They 

 should in all cases be kept dry, and as much excluded 

 from the atmosphere as possible. Could they be pat 

 up in jars, and stopped tightly, I have not a doubt but 

 that they would keep good for years. It is said that 

 they are kept for sea stores, by slicing them, baking 

 them slightly, and then packing them down in jars. 

 A beautiful starch is made from Irish potatoes, far 

 superior to that which is made from wheat. The po- 

 tatoes are first rasped, after being peeled, and the 

 pulp placed in a cloth and subjected to pressure. 

 The juice, which is caught in a basin, is mixed with 

 an equal quantity of water, and set away in a shallow 

 vessel where it will not be disturbed. In a few hours 

 the sediment will be deposited at the bottom of the 

 vessel, which to render it beautifully white, should 

 be washed two or three times, to free it from the im- 

 purities which it may contain. 



