is 
MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
SUBSTITUTE FOR THE POTATO. 
Under this title considerable attention has 
been excited in the public journals, respect¬ 
ing the growth of a new description of yam. 
We extract from a New York paper, a des¬ 
cription which has been largely commented 
on, and has raised considerable expectation 
as to its usefulness here : 
“ Successful Culture of the Japanese 
Potato-Plant in New York. —A few 
months ago we called attention to the fact 
that Mr. D. Bell, the well-known florist, 
corner of Fifty-street, and Broadway, had 
planted some of the roots of the Dioscorea 
Japonica or Dioscorea batatas, a substitute 
for the potato, in his garden. He first planted 
them in May, we believe in pots in his hot¬ 
house. They grew rapidly, and as soon as 
warm weather set in he transferred them to 
his garden in the open air. Here they 
flourished and spread during the summer, 
and gave indications that the florist Mould 
reap a harvest. Mr. Bell had between 
twenty and thirty roots in the ground. 
During the first week in October he con¬ 
cluded his Dioscoreas were quite large 
enough, and so he dug them up. To his 
great delight he found that some of them 
Mere turn feet long, and allhadgroum finely. 
In fact he was satisfied that he had been am¬ 
ply repaid for his trouble and expense in im¬ 
porting the roots from France last spring. 
Some of the roots were exhibited by Mr. 
Bell, at the recent fair of the American In¬ 
stitute, at the Crystal Palace. They grow 
long, similar in shape to the su T eet potato, 
but much greater in size. One of the roots, 
measuring over two feet in length, M as boiled 
by the florist's wife. She says it possessed 
the flavor of the common potato, and is an 
exceedingly nice vegetable for the table. 
Mr. Bell has now a few roots in his garden, 
where he intends to keep them during the 
winter, to see how they stand our weather. 
He is sanguine of succeeding in winter as 
as well as he had during summer in raising 
these roots. They are the first and only 
Dioscoreas that have yet been raised in the 
United States. The demand for the root 
been so great that Mr. Bell sent to France 
for a large quantity to supply his friends. 
The vessel having them on board is daily 
expected to arrive at this port. The Dis- 
corea, it is thought, may advantageously 
replace the common potato. It grows fast, 
can be cultivated in any climate, and it is 
said will do well in any soil, though sandy 
loam or sandy soil is preferable.” 
At the May Meeting of the Horticultural 
and Agricultural Society, enquiries were 
made by a member, as to the probability of 
its being useful if introduced into this 
Colony. Some discussion ensued, and one 
of the members offered to produce a paper 
on the subject, at the June Meeting. 
Accordingly, on June 1st, 1857, the fol¬ 
lowing paper was read on the 
Chinese Yam, or Dioscorea Batates, 
by Mr, John Gelding. 
“ According to the promise I made at the 
last meeting of this society, that I would 
furnish some account of the Dioscoroea, I 
now redeem it by stating what facts I have 
been able to ascertain concerning that useful 
esculent, for such it will, no doubt, eventu¬ 
ally prove itself to be ; for the wanner the 
climate, the greater success appears to attend 
its cultivation. I may state in the first 
place, for the satisfaction of my botanical 
friends, who appears to have some doubt 
about the proper name of the tuber, that it 
is the Dioscorea Batates, or the Chinese yam. 
Different botanists have different specific 
names for it, but the name that it is recog¬ 
nised, both fn England and France, is the 
one that I have mentioned. It is necessary, 
in the first place, to state that the tuber is 
long and slender, averaging from four inches 
to two feet in length, and with the exception 
of a few small axil tubers, is single rooted 
like the carrot, &c. Premising that the true 
sort is obtained, the best way to propagate 
it is—That the tuber should be cut into 
pieces, no matter how small, for it is covered 
with minute eyes or buds, and placed in a 
box, in a warm pit to start them into growth, 
for the shoots, till they have grown to the 
height of four or six inches, arc very ten¬ 
der, and as such are liable to be eaten off by 
insects. 
Mliile they are establishing themselves, it 
would be advisable to prepare the ground 
their reception. The plan adopted is this— 
take a piece of highly manured ground, 
ridge it up, at from fifteen to eighteen inches 
apart, at the top of which plant the tubers, 
from four to six inches apart, and when they 
once begin to gron', no further trouble need 
be taken with them, for they will soon cover 
the ground and defy the rise and progress of 
any u-ecds. I may as well state, that the 
reason why they are planted on ridges, is, 
that it is much easier to dig them up, as you 
have not so far to delve after them, whereas 
were they planted on the even surface, it 
would be a matter of some difficulty and ex¬ 
pense to reach the bottom of them.” 
