Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-12-17
:fmnnrs Jepartnrrlrt.
win Potatoes mix In the I'm

Ts iaft 70 scientific men to decide,
there would be no difference ofopin-
ion in relation to potatoes mixing in
the hill; the unanimous verdict would
be that they do not, aud that it is not
possible for them so to do "The
potato is not fruit, but q taberous
root, knob, an underground branch,
protuberance full of starch and nu-
tritious matter, to be sure, but no
seeds. 1t contains eyes or buds Ca
pable of producing new plant, or
rather continuation of the old one,
from which the eye or bud was taken;
the same exactly, as bud taken
from the limb of an apple tree, and
put into q new stock, will make a
new tree bearing just the same kind
of fruit or rapples as the parent tree
from which the bud was taken. 1t
could make no difference if fifty buds,
all of different varieties of apples,
were put in the same tree, each one
would continue to bear the same kind
Of apples as the original tree from
whence it came"
The proper fruit of the potato is
the ball, in which are found seeds,
as in other kinds of fruit These
seeds are the matured oYules, which
may be impregnated either with pol
len from stamens on the same flower
or from stamens en- different flowers
In the former case the seeds will
produce bulbs of the same variety
as those which are attached to the
stalks on which they are suspended.
In the latter case the seeds will pro-
duce potatoes partaklng ef the ma
ture of those which produced the
blossom that furnished the pollen
Now, as it is more easy to produce
hybrids among potatoes than among
most kinds of vegetables, and as the
stamens furnish a large amount of
this formulating dust, it is no:
strange that the seeds produced on
one hill of potatoes may be able to
produce as many varieties as are
grown in the whole neighborhood,
since the pollen may be waited by
the winds or carried by bees a long
distance; and also an indefinite num-
Der OF cross varieties. But, accard-
ing to all recognized principles of
science, this impregnatIon can exert
no influence beyond the seeds thus
fructifed.
Indeed, there would be less proba-
bility that the characteristics of the
bulb o: the potato would be changed
by this impregnation of tne seed in
the ball than that the peculiarities
of female animal would be altered
to correspond with the male that sir
ed her young. The probabilities
would De less for this reason: there
is fetal circulation constantly going
on between the mother and the EN-.
bryo animal; blood passes from the
unborn animal as well as to it. But
it is believed that no similar circula-
ton goes on in the plant Sap goes
frem the roots TO supply the embryo
seeds with the means Of nourishment,
but there are no grounds to believe !
that sap passes from the seed to the :
LQBer.
We are aware that volume Of tes- a
timeny could be collected from reli- {
able farmers, gong to show that sew I
eral varieties of potatoes when plant !
ed near together, so mix, or more {
properly, that they deteriorate and T
lose their distinctive peculiarities; ?
for we have never heard any one who
pretended to say that he had produ.
ced genuine half-breeds, or potato
that was half Rehan and half Lady te
Finger. Let us see, then, if some ra. b
uonal way cannot be found to ac- IL
count for these changes without sup
posing that great law of nature has
been violated. :.
We ali know that the characters. II
tics of all varieties of both animals =
and vegetables are the result to 3
considerable extent at least, of pecu-
liar tending. If we want early pota
toes or early chickens, we start them
in the first months ofthe season. If.
on the other hand, we wish them lat @
er, we adopt the contrary course. A
man who brings out new variety of
potatoes, quite likely plants them for !
several years in the same soil and G
adopts the same method of cultiva- "
tion. This peculiar culture on the b
same variety of soil for successive I
brings out and serves to fix VI
the distinguishing feature of the va Il
riety. The same is true to a certain al
extent with breeds of cattle. The rS
Alderney COW, taken from the rich
pastures of the South of England to
The scanty herbage Of the highlands :
Of Scotland, is no longer the dainty
feeder she was. So, also, if two va.
rieties OF sheep or cattle are kept
together and fed on the same kind of =
sood, there will be in time less mark 1
I'd distinction between them than at n
lrst. Now plant together early and o. o.
ate potatoes, and it is certain that a
here will be tendency for them to H
nearer to each other in
heir time of ripenIDg than if the for
ner was planted early in the season
on rank, quick soil, such as is usual n
y selected for early potatoes, and =
he opposite course followed in re-
'Feet to the late variety The same
soil and time of planting,
will serve to make them alike; the =
arge variety will become smaller. N
he small ones larger; the early kinds
will ripen lzter, and the late ones
earlier. In fact, as stock raisers
breed out the characteristics of Ger. /
ain animals, SO we may cultivate ont
he pecnliarities of any kind of yege
ables.
Another thing may account for Al
Fhat is supposed to be the phenomo-
len ofpotatoes mixing in the hill
Potato balls fall to the ground, are
'uried up by the plow or hoes; and if q,
ne same ground is planted to pota-
oes the next season, it is not unlike N
Y that