53d AanieuLiURAt MusEuaJ 



iliem general!)' boiled and mixed with meal ; to such peo- 

 ple as hav^e !:)iit one or two cowsj for which they can at- 

 tend to boiling- and mashing the potatoe, it is excellent 

 feed, and produces very rich milk ; hut it is kno'.vn that 

 to mankind who have been under the necessity of usii^g 

 them raw, they have been very prejudicial, and yielded 

 no nourisliinr.nt. I agree with the re^ ere.nd u;enlleman, 

 that the culture of the [(Otatoe is an excellent p.reparatioii 

 of the ground for a wlu-at crop • it is indeed so for any 

 crop, particularly for iiax. Som'^ further informaiion 

 froia thai gentleman c:. tlie best method of sowiag arwi 

 apply jg tacn\ would be very gratidullv j eceivcd. 



I isavc often thought it strange that ;hc introduciion ai' 

 a plant so exten,sively i^seful to man and beast, and 

 iVJ'M^h in some counlriesi iiaa"<es the principal part of 

 the food of men, and even in great part of this country 

 where bread corn is so plenty as to be an article of ex- 

 port, the potatoe finds a place at dinner with the most 

 wealthy as vyell as the pox)r, is ao Utile known. I have 

 carefully enquired after it man}' years since, aud the best 

 ascertained (raditien 1 could obtain was, that in one of 

 the famous Sir Walter Raleigh's voyages from Ameri- 

 ca, he slopped at Tory Island, on the north coast of 

 Ireland, where he left some of the potatoes, which be- 

 ing planted, grew and produced apples on the top, whicli 

 could not be rendered agreeable by any mode of cook 

 ery. No more attenlion was paid to the plant, till on 

 ploughing the land in the Spring, they, to their astonish- 

 ment, found apples at the root also, which with boiling 

 or roasting made good food. They then took care to 

 propagate them. Those that he took to England, vvei'e 

 lost. Hence it was, that being propagated tlirough Eu- 

 rope, &c. from Ireland, where they still succeed wel^, 

 they weie '-aHcd the Irish potatoe. No such plant was 

 in Europe till early in the 17th century, very little more 

 than 200 years ago. They h^ve long been the principal 

 food of the numerous class of poor natives in the South 

 of Ireland, and have supported there an astonishingly 

 rapid increase of population. And the consuraptiosa- 



