The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-05-20
How New Varieties of Potatoes are Made.

How New Varieties of Potatoes are Made.
We must in the first place state that the pc
tato Is not root at all, but u short, thick un
derground branch of the plant We have sew
eral times seen, and no doubt many of oul
readers have also, the branches OF the potato
vine developed As potatoes above ground. We
must start with the idea, then, that the potato
is really branch or stem 1t is a well.estab
llshed fact among fruitgrowers and florists
that shoot or branch Of plant may produce
very different fruits or flowers from the rest OF
the plant, and this occurs without any assign.
able cause, and without any human agency
These cases, by hOrtlculturists called sports, u
are very numerous. A late peach has been
known to produce a branch on which all the
fruit was early. Other peach trees have form.
ed branches which bore only nectariHes-
merely sport Of the peach Certain branches
on yellow plum trees have produced red plums,
and shoots on purple grape vines have borne
white grapes In flowers, especially roses,
these variations arc very numerous. We only
cite these cases to show what may take place,
indeed has taken place, IN the potato The
tuber being really branch, 1t may, like a
branch of peach, plum or grape, vary. A no
table example Of this Is the Late Rose" In
"a field of early Rose" single plant was
found to be green, and still growing long after
the vines In the rest of the field were dead and
ready for the harvest The owner had the good
sense to save and perpetuate the product OF
this vine, and now, as the Late Rose" il is
one of our valuable kinds. Other varieties
have been produced in similar manner. We
cannot cause this variation To take place, but
as it may occur anywhere, the careful cultiva-
tor should take note OF any marked differences
in the vines that may appear In his potato
field.
AS to raising new varieties from seed, we
doubt If much actual cross fertilization has
ever been done. To refer to fruits agaln-the
seeds of the apples or the peaches from any
one tree, taken as they are, without any attempt
at fertilization, will give a great variety of
seedlings, and we know 1t to be the same with
potatoes That greatest of all modern pOta-
toes-greatest in itself and in the varieties it
has given rise to--the early Rose" came
from chance seed ball of the coarse, but pro.
life Garnet Chilli" A grower had picked
this seed-bal from his patch without selection
and pinned 1t against his window to ripen,
and finally gave 1t to MIR. Breesc-of blessed
potato memory-whO sowed the seeds. From
these seeds IN this chance ball, picked without
selection came the Early Rose "Breese's
Prolific" and several others, all of excellent
quality, but very different, some being white,
OllcTS Tcu, Soulc iOnB, oluclS IOuHu, SoiHc
early and some late; indeed, from that one,
and now famous secd.ball, were raised potatoes
differing among themselves as much as pota.
toes can differ In view of the results from
this single seed-ball we doubt many of the
stories of direct crossing. STILL, if one wishes
to experiment In this, the flower of the potato
affords an easy subject as the anthers do not
shed their pollen early, and if removed as sooH
as the flower opens, the pollen from another
flower can be readily applied to the pistl AS
to raising potatoes from the seed the balls are
kept until the time for sowing, when the seeds
are removed and treated precisely rs tomato
seeds They are started in boxes in the green
house. the hot-bed, or in the kitchen window,
(Mr Breesc followed the last named method
and the plants treated exactly like tomato
plants, save that they may be set in the open
ground somewhat earlier Mr. Breese inform
ed US that the original plant Of EARLY Rose"
gave him several good sized tubers the first
year, and stated that IN his experience, if a
seeding potato did not do this the first season,
it was not worth while to continue to grow it.
-AmeracDn AgricaAturist