28 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Au^ist 8, 1«32. 



From the Massachuselts Agricultutal Rcpusilory and Journal. 



THE ARRACACHA. 



Some notice of the Airacaclia, and of the laudaUe 



efforts to introduce it intd the United Slates. 

 To the Publishing Com. of lire Mass. Soc for promoting Agriculture. 

 Gentlemen— As the first attempt to iiitrodiice 

 this valuable esculent root into the United States, 

 as an object of garden, and possibly of field cul- 

 ture, has been made since the last number of your 

 journal was published, it seems to nie, that it 

 ■would be unpardonable in the directors of your 

 journal to omit any notice of this plant, and of the 

 meritorious eftbrts to introduce it into our list of 

 esculent vegetables. This plant is considered in 

 tlie new South American state of Colombia, "as 

 the most useful of all the edible roots, being su- 

 perior to the common and sweet potatoes." In 

 using this language, I must be understood to quote 

 the expression of those, who have tasted it in its na- 

 tive country, and by no means to admit, that much 

 of this preference, and of its reputation, is not due 

 to the prejudices of persons who do not see the 

 Irish potato in perfection. It is not certain, that 

 the arracacha, could it be raised in perl'ection in 

 the United States, would hold as high a raidi here, 

 . as it does in Colombia. Still there can be 60 

 question, that it is a very pleasant and \\ holesome 

 vegetable, and if susceptible of successful andp-o- 

 fitable culture in the United States, it would merit 

 great attention. It has, for some years past, en- 

 gaged the attention of European cultivators, rather 

 as a desideratum, than as an object of decided 

 hope, and assured culture. It has been introduced 

 into Jamaica with, as it is confidently asserted, 

 perfect success. 



Although it had been tried in the state of New 

 York, and the indefatigable proprietors of the 

 Flushing Linnajan Garden claim the merit of cul- 

 tivating it with perfect success for several years 

 past, yet it was due to Gideon B. Smith, Es(i. ed- 

 itor of the American Farmer, printed at Ualtimore, 

 to say, that he made the first extensive experiment 

 to introduce this plant into general culture in the 

 United States. We shall have occasion to refer to 

 the experiments of the proprietors of the Linna;an 

 Garden, in the close of our remaiks. 



Mr Smith is unquestionably entitled to the mer- 

 it, and it is no small one, of importing this plant, 

 on a great scale, not for his own personal benefit, 

 (for he seems to be superior to any selfish motive?,) 

 but for the advantage of his country. He distrib- 

 uted his plants most liberally, with a view of test- 

 ing their adaptation to the various sections of our 

 country. While he transmitted a reasonable pro- 

 portion to r.Iassachusetts, he, at the same time, ju- 

 diciously sent a share of theni to South Carolina. 

 It is my own private opinion, that if they shall be 

 eventually found to flourish, and to attain a solid 

 value, it will be in the two Carolinas, Georgia, 

 Florida, and Louisiana. The reasons for this opin- 

 ion, besides those which are obvious, I shall stale 

 hereafter. The Massachusetts Horlicultura! Soci- 

 ety did me the honor to transmit three plants of 

 the arracacha to me, probaVily from the knowledu(^ 

 that I feel a deep interest iu the cause of horti- 

 culture, and enjoy a great and unfeigned delight 

 in new experiments, which promise, however 

 faintly, the improvement of these invaluable arts. 

 I tried these plants. They arrived in the best pos- 

 sible order. They were iu the highest state of 

 health and vigor. They were planted in excel- 

 lent soil — watched with the greatest care. Their 



growth was rapid, vigorous, indicating the highest ] 

 state of health. I felt assured, that the arracacha 

 was adapted to our climate. I pointed it out as a ] 

 successful experiment. Yet suddenly, without 

 frost, or cold, or any perceptible cause, the leaves ' 

 I)erished. Tenderer plants, ])lauts cjf tropical' 

 countries, continued to flourish ; but these fitiled. 

 I could only indulge in loose conjectures as to the 

 cause. I struck upon the heavy rains, as a possi- 

 ble cause; and knowing that South America was 

 subject to severe and long continued droughts, 

 perhaps my conjecture was not a very absurd one. 

 Still it was but a conjecture, and I dhl not valite 

 it much. Long and repeated experiments, much 

 patience, and great coolness, are required to the 

 acclimation of plants — that is, in introducing into 

 new climates and new soils, plants born and culti- 

 vated under others essentially diverse. Slill, a8 a 

 person entrusted with a new experiment, or a 

 plant entirely new, and deemed of great value, a 

 report from me, of my ow'n exi)eriment, was dae 

 to the Society, who had shown such a mark of its 

 confidence. It was made, — the failure was detail- 

 ed at large, and certain loose conjectiuT-s or sug- 

 gestions were made as to the causes of failure. I 

 was grieved, when I found that Mr Smith, whose 

 exertions I so much valued, seemed to consider 

 my remarks, as, in some degree, an impeachment 

 of the value of his exertions. Most assuredly no 

 Such intention existed. I considered the eflbrt 

 which he had made as entitled to the thanks of 

 every friend of horticulture and agriculture. But 

 I have always considered it as solemn a duty of 

 every cultivator, to announce to the |)ublic his fail- 

 ures, as his successes. 1 have thought, after thir- 

 ty years' e.xperience, that more evil has result<Ml 

 from too precipitate reconmiendation of new 

 plants, and new processes in agriculture, than from 

 the opposite defect — the cautious, even incredu- 

 lous dis]iosition of cultivators to admit nev/ ami 

 manifest improvements. 1 really believed that my 

 experiment on' the arracacha had been so fair a 

 one, and the season was so favorable, better than I 

 bad known for iwcntyfive years, that the failure 

 must be attributed to the utter incapability of our 

 soil and climate to mature this plant. Let us now 

 see, how far the evidence before the public, sup- 

 ports, or defeats or contradicts, the opinion thus 

 formed. 



In the first place, we will take Mr Smith's own 

 ex|)criinents, as detailed by him last autumn. We 

 are (iromised new particulars, which he flatters 

 himself will show, that the arracacha may be raised 

 as easily as the parsnip — he might have said, as 

 well as the common potato. Now what was his 

 success ? Did he raise one bushel fit for the ta- 

 ble ? If so, wliat was the quality and value of the 

 root ? Look, then, at Mr Legare's minute and 

 very clear and intelligent statement of his very 

 careful and cautious experiments? Did he raise 

 enou^li to make presents to his friends of this in- 

 valuable root? No. But any vegetable, to be of 

 permsnent value, should at least yield eight fold. 

 The sweet potato, even here, yields ordinarily 

 t\ven:yfive fold, or one bushel yields twentyfive. 

 The Irish potato yields from ten to fifteen fold. 

 If, then, this new ac<)uisition had yielded even 

 eight fold, — and if it did not, it would not merit 

 cultivation, — why have we not the evidence of its 

 goodness and abundance for the table ? But, says 

 Mr Legare, the Chevaher Soulange Boudin states 

 that it has been cultivated with success in Mont- 

 pelier and Geneva! Ah I is this so? Could the 



potato be successfully cultivated in Montpelierand 

 Geneva, and not be soon cultivated in Paris, if its 

 products are sufliciently ample and abundant to 

 render it an object of prof table culture ? This 

 iact, (if it be one,) makes me distrustful of the ])rob- 

 able success of this plant. ]3ut the most discour- 

 aging fact, which has as yet atrrai'ted my notice, 

 is this. When I stated my total failme in the cul- 

 tivation of the arracacha, William It. Prince, Esq. 

 inuncdiatcly came out with a declaralion, that their 

 estiiljlishment had cultivated the arracacha with- 

 out difficulty for several years past, and that lie 

 had transmhted many plants of it, raised by them, 

 to Europe. If this be so, and we cannot doubt it, 

 it is clear, tliat it never can be cultivated v.ith suc- 

 cess as a common culinary vegetable. It would 

 have spread before this time throughout the state 

 of New York. I knew a quantity of the common 

 ])otato which was brought from Philadelphia in a 

 silk handkerchief, and in two years I received a 

 bairel of it for seed, which gave ine nearly fifty 

 bushels. 



Will it be said, that the Messrs Prince reserved 

 every i)lant for profit, and could not spare even a 

 mess for the Horticultural Society of New York 

 to test its ^ aluc in our climate ? My answer is, 

 that the tuberous parts of the root, if in our cli- 

 mate if ever produces any, are not necessary to its 

 ].ro])agation. It is only the crown and eyes which 

 are employed. You may cut off the edible part, 

 as iu the Dahlia, without diminishing its powers 

 of reproduction. 



What then, it may he asked, are your views up- 

 on 1 his subject ? Would you discourage the ex- 

 piriuient? By no means. We rejoice that Mr 

 Sniiih has so much ardor and confidence. We 

 wish we had a little of it. But we would respect- 

 fully suggest the cxpetliency of planting some of 

 the rdots in pots and tubs, and ])lacing thetn in a 

 hot-hoiisc and endeavoring to raise seeds from 

 them. Seeds sown here, will be gradually accus- 

 lomed 10 our climate, and niay become hardy. 

 Plants raised south of the equator, it is of littlo mo- 

 ment whciher in a high or low latitude, r etain for a 

 long tim,- their natural habits — that is, they grow 

 in our V. inliT, and perish iu our summers. This 

 is so true, that it is extremely diflirult to change 

 these habits even in plants which are now common 

 10 both hemispheres. 



I will state one remarkable example. I receiv- 

 ed the golden i)0tato of Peru, very celebrated in 

 that country. Three successive years it has been 

 fully and fairly tried by the aid of artificial forcing, 

 and every advantage of location, but it obstinately 

 refuses to bend its habits to our climate. It will 

 start either in the fall, or if put in the hot-bed in 

 Apdl, it will not produce its tubers till October. 

 1 have often reflected upon the curious fact that 

 ihe potato should have been so easily acclimated 

 in Europe, w hen we now cannot acclimate the 

 Peruvian, or even the California i)otato, both of 

 which I have tried for three successive years. My 

 explanation of it is this, that the potato spread by 

 slow degrees from Chili to Virgini.i, during a pe- 

 riod of perhaps one thousand years, and became 

 gradually inured to a northern latitude. It is clear, 

 that the potato never was found in a wild or nat- 

 ural state in North America, and yet equally clear, 

 that it was transmitted first from Virginia to Eti- 

 rope. 



One of the Trustees of the Massachusetts 

 Society for provuiling Jlgricviture 



