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The food produced by a field of potatoes is not inferior in

quantity to that produced by a field of rice, and much superior

to what is produced by a field of wheat. Twelve thousand weight

of potatoes from an acre of land is not a greater produce than

two thousand weight of wheat. The food or solid nourishment,

indeed, which can be drawn from each of those two plants, is not

altogether in proportion to their weight, on account of the

watery nature of potatoes. Allowing, however, half the weight of

this root to go to water, a very large allowance, such an acre of

potatoes will still produce six thousand weight of solid

nourishment, three times the quantity produced by the acre of

wheat. An acre of potatoes is cultivated with less expense than

an acre of wheat; the fallow, which generally precedes the sowing

of wheat, more than compensating the hoeing and other

extraordinary culture which is always given to potatoes.