THE POTATO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 December 1939, Page 3

THE POTATO

ITS STRANGE STORY. The potato was first introduced into Europe and grown in Spain. It appears to have found its way from there into Italy, where it was extensively cultivated. Its introduction into England is | said to be due to Sir Walter Raleigh. lln 1584 the latter, under a patent I granted him by Queen Bess, sent out a number of colonists to Virginia, and the ships which conveyed these thither.l on their return the following year, brought home some potato tubers. Whether these were planted in England is doubtful, but history tells us that Sir Walter planted the first, tubers on his estate at Youghal. in Ireland. The Irish took up' potato culture in earnest and the tubers were largely used as an article of food long before they were appreciated in England. Another legend says that the first tubers which were introduced into England were washed ashore near North Meoll, in Lancashire, from a wreckage. Gerarde, the old herbalist, gives an illustration of the potato in his ■•Herbal,” published in 1597. and describes the tubers as delicacies for the confectioner, and not as common food. In the reign of James I the potato was regarded as a great delicacy. The quantity available in 1619 appears to have been small, tubers fetching one shilling

per pound. In 1662-3 the Royal Society urged its members to plant potatoes to provide the masses with food in cases of famine. Early in 1718, according to a writer named Bradley, the potato was not considered of much importance. The first account we have of the noble tuber having been grown extensively for market, appears in the writings of the late Arthur Young. the agricultural writer and traveller. He says that in 1807 a farmer named Pittman, of Barking, in Essex, grew 300 acres and sent to market, washed, ready for sale, no less than 3000 tons. Mr Pittman was reputed to be the largest grower in the kingdom.

The potato was not introduced into Scotland before 1725. The first person to plant potatoes in the field in Scotland was Thomas Prentice. So great was the success of his experiment that every farmer and cottager promptly followed his example. Such is a resume of the early history of what may justly be described as the king of vegetables.

Its history during the latter part of the last century to the present time needs no description, since it is well known. Practically scorned and regarded as a vegetable of little importance a century ago, today its latest varieties are appraised at a value almost equal to their weight in gold. The uses to which the noble tuber may be put as human food are too well known to need a detailed description here. A French savant, named M Parmentier. gave a banquet at the end of the eighteenth century to celebrated men of the day, including Benjamin Franklin, at which every dish consisted of potatoes cooked and dressed in a variety of ways. It is also said that even the liqueurs drunk on this occasion were prepared from the potato. His idea in carrying out so novel a project was to familiarise the world with the great utility of the potato. Apart from its use in a cooked stafe for food, the potato yields a spirit or alcohol, also dextrine, which is a form of gum and starch. At one time the pulp, after the starch was extracted, was dried to a horn-like substance, and converted into snuffboxes.

USE THE RIGHT MANURE. Potatoes have been the subject of more experimental work than any other horticultural crop, and much information is now available. Under most conditions a moderate dressing of dung, supplemented by a mixture of fertilisers balanced to meet the requirements of the soil, is now regarded as the most economical and productive method of manuring potatoes. There is a close relationship between the amounts of phosphate and nitrogen, any excess of the former appearing to hasten maturity and so to reduce the crop. More phosphates are required by potatoes on the types of soil containing much organic matter. On the other hand, on sandy loam soils and silts large amounts of phosphates are not required. Potash greatly influences the yield of potatoes, and the supplies of this plant food should be varied to suit the soil type. The edible quality and storage

capacity of the tubers are also influenced by the source of potash employed. There is evidence to support the view that it is advisable to use the purest form, i.e., sulphate of potash, in preference to muriate of potash, or potash salts, where the highest quality is needed for consumption by boiling, baking or steaming. For main-crop potatoes sulphate of ammonia appears to be the most satisfactory nitrogenous fertiliser. Experiments at Rothamsted and at Wye College have proved that nitrogen and potash work in close relationship in the nutrition of potatoes. According to these results, it is of little value to increase the supply of one without the other, but where both are given in the right proportions it is possible under high-yielding conditions to apply per acre as much as 4cwt sulphate of ammonia and 4cwt sulphate of potash, and still secure an economic increase in yield without detriment to quality. To get good crops of potatoes it is not only necessary to have' good soil, and use the right kind of manures, but also to exercise great care in the selection and preparation of the tubers intended for planting. THE BEST SOILS. The best soils for potato culture are those of a loamy, calcareous, or sandy nature, and the worst, heavy clays or peat.

Even old garden soils, though rich and well managed, are not always suitable, since they are apt to communicate disease or scab to the crop. Still, no one need be deterred from growing potatoes because the soil is not of an ideal character. Heavy, damp soils, for. example, may be greatly improved by deep digging in autumn, adding plenty of road grit and decayed refuse, and old garden soils pul in good condition by the use of lime.

For early and second-early crops, it is not necessary to.be quite so particular. To sum up heavy soils should be trenched or ridged in autumn, and the surface left rough all the winter. This will put them in good heart. It must always be remembered that the yield of the potato crop is closely related to the type of land on which it is grown'the variety of potato grown, and the kind of “seed” planted. As is well known, certain seed may be relied on to give consistently higher yields than that from other sources.

TREATMENT OF LAWNS A FRESHENING HINT. After the first mowing or two in spring many lawns have a withered appearance. This is due to the exposure of the old basal decaying leaves which were hidden by the new top growth. To freshen up the appearance of the lawn, remove this as quickly as possible. First scarify the grass with a fine tootli rake, then brush with a stiff broom. After the lawn has been stimulated to fresh growth, apply fertiliser. The first ounce should be weighed, then poured into a tin and a mark made on the tin so that it will be easy to measure the correct quantity as required. If each square yard is treated separately in this manner there will be no possibility of unequal distribution.

Mossy lawns will benefit if the moss is scraped with a spring tooth rake, then swept off and a dressing of powdered charcoal applied. When mowing in very dry weather, refrain from using the grass catcher. The cut grass covers the surface with a thin mulch and affords protection to the roots. After wet weather, when the grass is growing vigorously, the catcher can again be used. All soils do not require the same amount of rolling. Light soils require it most frequently.