16 



When we look to the potato, with respect to political 

 economy, it will probably be found of more importance 

 than in any other point of view I have considered it ; for, 

 as this root is good food, both for man and his domestic 

 animals, it is plain, that by speculating on it steadily, and 

 more extensively as a food for the latter, we secure a 

 resource for ourselves on a failure of our grain crops. 



The most valuable property of the potato, is probably 

 the facility of its culture on coarse grounds, hitherto un- 

 touched by man, which are thus brought within the agri- 

 cultural pale, and in perfect preparation for other crops. 

 How many hundred, I might say thousand acres, of scrogg, 

 have vanished from the face of my country in my own 

 time ; by scrogg, I mean tracts covered with stunted 

 bushes, marks of ancient woods, once occupying these 

 grounds, which have never since been broken up. The 

 labour of preparing such stubborn soils for grain crops, 

 would be very severe, and the return intolerably slow ; 

 but the labour expended in May, and even June, in the 

 culture of the potato on these wilds, is abundantly repaid 

 in November. 



Barren peaty heaths and mountain skirts are rapidly 

 vanishing before the spade of the potato-grower, yield- 

 ing him most valuable crops of the food he is chiefly sus- 

 tained by. Deprive us of the potato, and see what a 

 tedious and expensive process would be required to 

 prepare the same ground for any farinaceous crop. 



The consequence of the potato, in a national point of 

 view, now appears ; it is the grand instrument for the fur- 

 ther improvement of our islands. Ireland shows, that 

 by the aid of the potato, the spade of the peasant out- 

 strips the efforts of wealth, and advances tillage to scenes 

 which the powers of man could not have reached without 

 the aid of this valuable root. The plough, we are told^ 



