THE POTATO. 139 



into Sweden, and in a few years they not only grew 

 potatoes among their mountains in abundance, 

 but 'had likewise learnt the art of drying them, 

 grinding them into flour, and making them into 

 bread. A traveller in 1730 relates that the miller 

 of Untersen had scarcely anything to grind but po- 

 tatoes ; and in 1734 a peasant was so well aware of 

 the profit arising from this culture, that he bought a 

 small field situated near the Swiss mountains, and 

 in only two years after paid the purchase-money by 

 the produce of his potato crops.* 



It is said by another writer,"!" about the same 

 period (1770), that during the twenty-five or thirty 

 years preceding, the culture of this root in some parts 

 of Switzerland had so much increased, that it con- 

 stituted the food of two-thirds of the people. In the 

 present day it still forms a principal article of food 

 among the peasantry of that country. 



It likewise makes a very prominent figure in the 

 husbandry of Poland, where it is cultivated to an ex- 

 traordinary extent. In 1827 as much as 4,288,185 

 korzecsj of potatoes were produced in that country, 

 while 4,439,399 korzecs of rye were reaped, 3, 183,023 

 of oats, 4,506,062 of barley, and 751,076 of wheat. 



The cultivation of the potato has been of late 

 years introduced into some parts of India with every 

 prospect of success. In Bengal, especially, it has 

 been attended with the most satisfactory results. 

 Bishop Heber, in his interesting Journal, notices in 

 several places the progress of this culture, the crops 

 becoming by degrees more and more extended. 

 These roots were at first very unpopular, but they 

 have gradually gained favour, and are now spoken 



* Traits de la Nature, &c. 



t Dictionnaire de Bomare, Art. Pommes de Terre. 



j One korzec is nearly equal to two hundred weight. 



Foreign Quarterly Review, No. xiv, p. 531. 



