396 
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
acres, averaging 8 tons 15 cwt. 2 qrs. 20 lbs. per acre, or a total of 
4,662,147 tons grown in the United Kingdom, besides a large 
quantity imported (for 1893 the figures were 14,140 tons). 
Reckoning the entire population as 37,880,764, this would allow 
about 2^ cwt. for every man, woman, and child per annum ; but 
these figures make no allowance for the quantity annually con- 
sumed in feeding cattle, which is always considerable, and varies 
in proportion to the market value of Potatos ; nor do they take 
into account the large quantity planted as seed. 
Monsieur H. de Yilmorin has very kindly sent me the figures 
for France, and he tells me that the area under cultivation is 
annually about 3,342,500 acres, and the total yield for the 
whole of France is 10,100,000 tons, or, making allowance for the 
quantity exported and imported, the consumption amounted to 
10,000,000 tons. Whilst in England Potatos are grown almost 
entirely for use as an esculent. Monsieur Vilmorin estimates that 
about two-fifths, or 4,000,000 tons, are annually used in France 
in the manufacture of starch and alcohol. 
I also learn from my friend Herr Fritz Benary, of Erfurt, who 
has placed in my hands very valuable statistics, that the area 
devoted to Potatos in the German Empire in 1893 was 7,592,165 
acres. The total quantity of Potatos harvested amounted to 
32,277,851 tons, or, allowing for the quantities imported and 
exported, 32,376,497 tons, which was the total quantity avail- 
able for use. Out of this total 6,074,732 tons were reserved to 
plant the crops of the following year, leaving 26,301,765 tons for 
consumption as food and for manufacturing purposes. Of this 
immense quantity, Herr Penary says that 1,313,584 tons were 
employed for distilling ; but he is unable to state what propor- 
tion of the remaining 24,988,180 tons was used in the manufac- 
ture of starch, as no statistics are obtainable. 
From the figures quoted we get some idea of the enormous 
commercial and economical advantages which have accrued from 
the introduction of the Potato into Europe. 
iMriiOVEMENT AND DkTEUIOKATIOX. 
It would now be interesting to trace tlie steps by which the 
great improvement in tin; cuUivated forms of the Potato has been 
brought about. Fortunately, in this instance the old rule that 
