THE POTATO. 179 



sets may be, that whole tubers, if in a sound state, 

 or if left in the ground during the winter, neve'r fail 

 to sprout, which proves that the skin can resist in- 

 juries that are fatal to the uncovered pulp ; and that, 

 " whenever ' maggots' have been found in the decay- 

 ed sets, they have been a consequence, and not a 

 cause, of the partial or entire decomposition of the 

 sets." 



As an article of food for man, the value oHhe po- 

 tato is greater than that of any other root that can 

 be grown in temperate latitudes. Mr. Cobbett made 

 a ferocious attack on the potato ; and he attributes 

 the wretched condition of Ireland to the introduction 

 of that root. We should imagine, however, there 

 were causes at work in that island sufficiently ac- 

 tive to produce the intense misery of the wretched 

 peasantry there, without calhng in the aid of pota- 

 toes. According to Davy, 1000 pounds of wheat 

 contain about 950 pounds of nutritive matter, and 

 the same weight of potatoes about 250 pounds ; 

 though different varieties vary much in this respect, 

 those kinds that produce the most farina or starch 

 being of course the most valuable in this respect. 

 One pound of wheat is therefore equal in nutriment 

 to four pounds of potatoes ; but, as experience shows 

 that land which will produce from 20 to 25 bushels 

 of wheat per acre, will grow, when properly culti- 

 vated, from 175 to 225 bushels of potatoes, it follows 

 tiiat an acre of land in potatoes will yield as much 

 nutriment as two acres of wheat. Jt is probable, 

 from the relative proportion which the actual nutri- 

 ment should bear to the amount of food necessary 

 to produce a proper distension of the stomach, that 

 potatoes would be more suitable for food, if used 

 alone, than wheat. 



As food for animals, for feeding horses, fattening 

 cattle, and particularly for making pork, potatoes 

 are most valuable. In all cases, however, where 

 their full benefit is expected to be realized, they 



