A Potato Glossary A Potato Glossary by Richard

Introduction This glossary has been prepared as a companion to A Potato Chronology. In that work, a self-imposed requirement to limit each entry to a single line forced the use of technical phrases, scientific words, jargon and terminology that may be unfamiliar to many, even to those in the potato business. It is hoped that this glossary will aid those using that chronology, and it is hoped that it may become a useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about potatoes, farming and gardening. There was a time, a century or more ago, when nearly everyone was familiar with farming life, the raising of potatoes in particular and the lingo of farming in general. They were farmers themselves, they had relatives who farmed, they knew someone who was a farmer, or they worked on a nearby farm during their youth. Then, nearly everyone grew potatoes in their gardens and sold the extra. But that was a long ago time. Now the general population is now separated from the farm by several generations. Only about 2 % of the US population lives on a farm and only a tiny few more even know anyone who lives on a farm. Words and phrases used by farmers in general and potato growers in particular are now unfamiliar to most Americans. Additionally, farming has become an increasingly complex and technical endeavor. Research on the cutting edge of science is leading to new production techniques, new handling practices, new varieties, new understanding of plant physiology, soil and pest ecology, and other advances too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say, it is becoming difficult to understand the newest findings and advances without at least a rudimentary understanding of the terms and phrases used in the business. Indeed, many farmers do not know the technical jargon of their own field. This writer must admit that even though he grew up on a potato farm, still has close relatives working it and still dabbles in it from time to time, he has had to look up many, if not the majority, of these words and phrases because the nuances of each were not clear or indeed were completely unfamiliar. Extrapolating this to the general public leads one to conclude that there must be a huge gap of understanding between farmers and consumers. This writer can only conclude that this work ought to be useful, if not valuable now, and will only become increasingly valuable as time goes on. This writer welcomes clarifications and corrections for he is sure mistakes and misrepresentations have crept in. This continues to be a work in progress; revisions will be issued periodically. Please forward any corrections, edits, new information and special requests to [email protected] Readers will note some entries have no definition. This is not an error or problem with your computer; these are place holders for items yet to be researched.