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| Between ]-], a ] blight ] struck across ]. It turned this important food staple into a black, soggy, and inedible mess. In ], the lower classes were particularly dependent on the ] as their primary and sometimes only foodsource. It is estimated that the initial population of ], about 8 million, was reduced by a quarter, with 1 million dying and 1 million emigrating, primarily to ]. During this time, ] forced the Irish to export corn (and other crops) which could have saved the lives of many Irish. | Between ]-], a ] blight ], or ] struck across ]. It turned this important food staple into a black, soggy, and inedible mess. In ], the lower classes were particularly dependent on the ] as their primary and sometimes only foodsource. It is estimated that the initial population of ], about 8 million, was reduced by a quarter, with 1 million dying and 1 million emigrating, primarily to ]. During this time, ] forced the Irish to export corn (and other crops) which could have saved the lives of many Irish. | ||
| Potato blights continued in Ireland, especially in ] and ]-]. These killed few people, partly because they were less severe and partly because Irish-Americans contributed to relief efforts. They did lead to reform in the British agricultural and land-owning laws and to continued emigration. By the 1890s, the Irish population had fallen to around 4 million, about the same as the population in 1800 and 2000 and only a half of its peak population. The same mold ('' |
Potato blights continued in Ireland, especially in ] and ]-]. These killed few people, partly because they were less severe and partly because Irish-Americans contributed to relief efforts. They did lead to reform in the British agricultural and land-owning laws and to continued emigration. By the 1890s, the Irish population had fallen to around 4 million, about the same as the population in 1800 and 2000 and only a half of its peak population. The same mold (''] infestans'') was responsible. When people speak of "The Irish potato famine", they nearly always mean the one of the 1840s; there is much less awareness of the later ones. | ||
| The fact that only 4 types of ] were brought from ] was at the root of the ]. In fact the lack of diversity in the food made it possible for a single ] to have those devastating consequences. | The fact that only 4 types of ] were brought from ] was at the root of the ]. In fact the lack of genetic diversity in the food made it possible for a single ]-relative to have those devastating consequences. | ||
| For more on the pathogen see http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/mar2001.html | |||
Revision as of 11:44, 18 March 2002
Between 1845-1850, a potato blight water mold, or Oomycete struck across Europe. It turned this important food staple into a black, soggy, and inedible mess. In Ireland, the lower classes were particularly dependent on the potato as their primary and sometimes only foodsource. It is estimated that the initial population of Ireland, about 8 million, was reduced by a quarter, with 1 million dying and 1 million emigrating, primarily to America. During this time, Great Britain forced the Irish to export corn (and other crops) which could have saved the lives of many Irish.
Potato blights continued in Ireland, especially in 1872 and 1879-1880. These killed few people, partly because they were less severe and partly because Irish-Americans contributed to relief efforts. They did lead to reform in the British agricultural and land-owning laws and to continued emigration. By the 1890s, the Irish population had fallen to around 4 million, about the same as the population in 1800 and 2000 and only a half of its peak population. The same mold (Phytophthora infestans) was responsible. When people speak of "The Irish potato famine", they nearly always mean the one of the 1840s; there is much less awareness of the later ones.
The fact that only 4 types of potatoes were brought from America was at the root of the famine. In fact the lack of genetic diversity in the food made it possible for a single fungus-relative to have those devastating consequences.
For more on the pathogen see http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/mar2001.html