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The peculiarity of the Irish potato, so called, is in the fact that it is not Irish,” observed one of the potato experts of the agricultural de partment. “The potato originally grew wild in the fields of Chile, Peru and Mexico. Sir John Hawkins did not take it to Ireland until 1565. Sir Francis Drake took it to England 20 years afterward. It did better, how ever, in Ireland than anywhere else and got its name, no doubt, because of its early and extensive cultivation in Ireland. Botanically it was origi nally known as the Batata Virginiana, but in after years it was properly identified and classified as the So lanum tuberorum. As the winter stock is now being laid in, it may be well for the inexperienced to be able to select good potatoes. * Cut the raw potato in two and rub the halves together. If the mois ture on rubbing is soft and liquid enough to drop, the potato will be soggy and set when cooked. Rub The halves briskly around on each other. A potato that will be dry and mealy when cooked will give out a good, rich froth, while a poor one will show only a watery froth by the same action. The pieces will stick together if the potato is a good one. Of course the whole thing is to test the amount of starch in the potato, for the more starch the better the potato. If, however, a person intends to lay in a very large supply, the best plan, of course, is to cook them, and there will be no chance of mistake. — I Wash ington Post.
Newspaper Details
Bloomsburg Columbian
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Jan 28, 1897
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Kelley L.
USA 11 Jul 2026
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