256 



POTA'. 



much as possible. And, third^ that thej' f irface should be 

 kept moist, and the atmosphere, which surrounds, as little 

 above the point of freezing as possible." 



Potatoes maybe kept during winter in a cellar, free from 

 frost, or in pits or caves in the held. In the latter case, they 

 must be so situated on a dry knoll, or the side of a hill, as 

 to be secured from the possibility of the pits being pervaded 

 by water ; and they must be so covered, first with straw 

 and then with loam, as to prevent the intrusion of frost. 

 They may, likewise, be placed in barrels, casks, or boxes^ 

 and if packed in moist sand, or the loam of the field in 

 which they grew, they will be preserved better than in al- 

 most any other situation. If they are exposed to the sun 

 and air till the upper side acquires a green colour, they be- 

 ■^.ome poisonous. 



Use, — The use of the potato, as an article of diet both 

 for man and beast, is, probably, more extensive, and more 

 common, than that of any other vegetable production. 

 From having no peculiarity of taste, and consisting chiefly 

 of starch, it approaches near to the qualities of the flour of 

 grain ; " and for this reason,'' says Loudon, it is the most 

 universally liked, and can be used longer in constant suc- 

 cession by the same individual without becoming unpalat- 

 able, than any other vegetable, the seeds of grasses ex- 

 cepted." Neill observes^ " so generally is it relished, and 

 so nutritious is it accounted, that, on many tables, it now 

 appear? almost every day in the year." 



An Essay on the Solamim Tuberosum^ by H. C. Wor- 

 snam, from the Philadelphia Journal of the Medical and 

 Physical Sciences^ gives the following summary view of the 

 excellent qualities of this superlative root — " Having its 

 origin in a warm climate, it was supposed to be intolerant 

 of cold, and upon that account incapable of cultivation in a 

 more northern clime. But experience has shown the con- 

 trary, and the potato is naturalized almost in every region. 

 With the lower classes of people, it is one of the greatest 

 blessings which the soil produces, forming ' flour without a 

 mill, and bread without an oven f- and, at all seasons of the 

 year, an agreeable, wholesome dish, without expensive 

 condiments. What resources does the potato present to us ? 

 Its stalk, considered as a textile plant, furnishes in Austria 

 a sort of flax — when burned, it yields much potash — its ap« 

 pies, when ripe and crushed, ferment, and give spirits by 

 distillation— its tubercles, made into a pulp, are a substitute 

 ^or soap, in bleaching. Cooked by steam, the potato is a 



