Reviews Redcliffe Salaman, The history and social influence of the potato. Revised impression, edited with a new introduction by J. C. Hawkes. Cambridge University Press, 1985; 685 pp. Price s 35.00 ($ 49.50) hardcover; s 12.50 ($ 16.95) paperback. It gives me great pleasure to announce to the readers of Potato Research that a new edition of Salaman's 'The history and social influence of the potato' is now available. Glancing through it, and reading again several chapters with even more interest than when I r~ad them in the first edition, I came to the same conclusion as Dr J. G. Hawkes, that this is indeed a monumental work, covering an impressively wide field ranging through anthropology, archaeology, botany, potato breeding, agricultural husbandry and economic and social history. We must be very grateful to Cambridge University Press for reprinting it and to the Editor also for confining himself to correcting small textual errors, adding footnotes and writing an introduction so that the original text is unimpaired. I agree with Bourke, the well-known late blight specialist in Ireland, that every criticism is dwarfed by the stature of Salaman's work. In his introduction, Hawkes presents additional information on the history of the potato and he makes some valuable comments on several chapters. For example, it is interesting to read that the potato has been cultivated in the Andes for no less than 8000 years. Dr W. G. Burton has also added very useful information in an appendix to the chapter 'The industrial uses of the potato' that he wrote for the original edition. It is impossible to review a book like this in a few words, and even in many words I would not be able to write an adequate review of a book dealing with such a wide field of topics. I will, therefore, confine myself to one subject that has struck me more forcibly now than many years ago when I read the first edition. Salaman gives a comprehensive account of the well-known, disastrous consequences of the potato famine in mid-nineteenth century Ireland. Much less wellknown is how this influence then newly introduced crop had already profoundly influenced in quite different ways the social life in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland on the one hand and in England and the Lowlands of Scotland on the other hand. The poverty and misery of most of the population in Ireland is usually attributed to and thought to be a consequence solely of the outbreak of late blight. What Salaman makes quite clear is that before the outbreak o f late blight the introduction of the potato had already wrought profound social changes. Even before the middle o f the nineteenth century it produced about three times more food per acre than wheat and it was this very productivity that had made the mass of the people poorer and poorer whilst it had stimulated improved techniques and diet in others. Salaman concluded that in Ireland, where in some regions at the end of the eighteenth century the quantity of potatoes eaten by an adult man must have been more than 5 kg per day, the potato both stabilized and perpetuated the misery of the masses. He states that 'in an environment poisoned by religious jealouses, undermined by political discussion, where industry was hamstrung at the dictate of an alien power, all the factors were to hand which made it inevitable that the use of the 273

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potato, cheapest of food, would reduce the standard of living to the lowest level ever attained in Europe'. In the Highlands of Scotland, in the 'absence of competition associated with a high degree of isolation, the potato became the perfect instrument o f exploitation, an exploitation so ruthless that it ended in the emigration of the greater part of the local working population'. In England and in the Lowlands of Scotland, where an increasing industrial development caused also an increasing demand for food, the potato was not only grown on a domestic scale for consumption in the home but it also became a valuable crop for the market and, in so doing it stimulated agricultural husbandry and 'served as a valuable dietetic asset in the life of all classes of people'. From the foregoing it is clear that the sudden outbreak of late blight had far more disastrous consequences for the poor masses in Ireland and in the Highlands of Scotland than in England or in the Lowlands of Scotland. The last two sentences of the Epilogue by Salaman may guide us in our endeavours to stimulate the production of the potato in some parts of the world 'Thus man's wisdom, or his lack of it, alone decides whether even the richest of nature's gifts shall serve as a blessing or a curse. It is but a league that separates the mountains of Gerizim and E b a r . It may be clear that your reviewer is of the opinion that all who are interested in the potato should purchase at least the paperback edition of this book: it is not often that one has the chance to obtain so much for so little. However, the potential buyer should note that Salaman describes the social influence of the potato only as it affected conditions in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England and not its influence on the mainland of Europe, or in other parts of the world. D. E. van der Zaag Paul H. Li (Ed.), Potato physiology. Academic Press, Inc., New York, etc., 1985; 586 pp. Price hardcover $ 85.00/s 73.50, paperback $ 49.95/s 43.40. Much research has been done on the physiology of potato during the last few decades and this has resulted in a considerable accumulation of knowledge. A comprehensive reference book on basic potato physiology is therefore desirable and it should provide an important addition to existing potato handbooks. The range of topics covered in this book includes physiology and biochemical aspects of photosynthesis, photoassimilate partitioning, respiration, tuberization, carbohydrate and protein metabolism, rest period, tuber disorders, environmental responses, frost hardiness and tissue culture. The 15 chapters, each dealing with a special aspect o f potato physiology and written by well-known specialists, give in general a clear and up-to-date survey of the most important research results. It is not feasible to discuss all these reviews and the fact that I make a few comments on some o f them probably says more about my interest in these topics than about the quality of the other reviews. The review on 'Photosynthesis and photoassimilate partitioning' by Robert B. Dwelle is an interesting chapter and, in my opinion, this topic forms the heart of potato physiology: the 15 pages o f text could easily have been doubled. The wellwritten review on 'Cuttings and simplified models of the potato plant' by Elmer E. 274

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Ewing is also a valuable addition to help our understanding the growth o f the potato plant. In this book, so little attention has been given to the effect of high temperature and drought on various processes in the potato plant, that I feel it is almost an omission; the more so because the opening chapter in particular is devoted to potato production in warm climates. Moreover, in a chapter on physiological response to drought there would probably be some comment to the effect that the efficiency of water use by the potato when compared with other food crops is quite moderate and not very efficient as stated in the forword. The chapter on 'Physiological disorders o f potato tubers' by Larry K. Hiller, David C. Koller and Robert E. Thornton will be appreciated by many practically oriented potato specialists, although the large number of references sometimes makes reading difficult. The review on 'Potato frost hardiness' by Paul H. Li and Anne Fennell shows perspective for breeding for frost resistance. This is important not only for the potato in cool climates but in some warm climates too, e.g. in Saudi Arabia where frost occurs in winter. Despite the use o f a simple modern printing technique the hard cover edition of this book will probably be too expensive for many investigators and specialists, although this book would be valuable to many of them. Hopefully, the cheaper paper back edition may reach a wide audience. D. E. van der Zaag

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