SC - OT Where are Mordonna's Priorities?

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Cariadoc wrote:
><< Do we know how fast potatoes went into use in the countryside? My
general
> impression is that where new food crops had a substantial advantage over
> old ones, as potatoes in some areas clearly did, they could go into use
> pretty fast. Peasants may be conservative, but they are also hungry.


In Iceland, potatoes were first grown in 1758. Their cultivation spread very
slowly for the first 100 years, despite the famine in 1783-5 that killed 20%
of the people, and several near-famines in the 19th century, and despite the
fact that it was one of the few vegetables that could be easily grown here.
In some areas, potatoes were not commonly grown until around 1900. Up until
the last decade of the 19th century or so, many people had not even seen or
tasted a potato. Turnips, introduced at about the same time, seem to have
spread somewhat faster and been more common throughout the 19th century, in
some regions at least; they have now almost completely disappeared again.

Nanna

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