CHAPTER XVIII 

 POTATOES 



Among the vegetables, the potato, in this country at least, is the 

 most generally used. It has of late been decried as having no good 

 value. This is far from true. ALICE NORTON. 



178. Importance and Origin. If all the land of the United 

 States devoted to the 

 growing of potatoes were 

 combined into one field, 

 it would cover an area 

 of about five thousand 

 square miles, 9r the en- 

 tire state of Connecticut. 

 Our main potato belt ex- 

 tends from Maine south- 

 ward to Maryland and 

 westward to Kansas. 



The potato is native 

 to America. Sir Walter 

 Raleigh introduced it 

 into Europe in the year 

 1584. It became popular 

 there at once, and to-day 

 it is grown even more 

 extensively abroad than 

 in this country. About 

 one tenth of the world's 

 supply is grown in the 



YOUNG POTATO PLANT. 



243 



