The colored patriot., 1882-05-18
How New Varieties Of Potatoes are
Produced.

We must in the first place state that
the potato is not root at all, but a
short, thick underground branch of the
plant We have several times seen,
and no doubt many of our readers have
also, the branches of the potato-vlne
developed as potatoes above ground
We must start with the idea, then, that
the potato is really branch or stem. 1t
is a well-eStablished fact among fruit
growers and florists, that shoot or
branch of a plant may produce very dlf-
ferent fruits or flowers from the rest OF
the plant, and this occurs without any
assignable cause, and without any hui
man agency. These cases, by horticult-
urists called "sports," are very numer-
Gus. A late peach has been known to
produce a branch on which all the fruit
was early. Other peach-trees have
formed branches which bore only necta-
rines-merely a sport of the peach. Ger
tain 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 are 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, it may, like branch OF
peach, plum, or grape, vary. A nota-
BILE example Of this is the Late Rose. y
In q field of early Rose" a 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,
if is one of our valuable kinds. Other
varieties have been produced IN SINH
lar manner. We cannot cause this va
ration to take place, but as 1t may occur
anywhere, the careful cultivator should
take note of any marked differences III
the vines that may appear III his potato
field.
AS to raising new varieties from seed
we doubt if much actual croSS-tertlilza
ton has ever been done. To refer tt
fruits arain-the seeds of the apple:
or the peaches from any one tree, taEer
as they are, without any attempt at Ter
tilization, will give 4 great variety o
seedlings. and we know it to be th'
same with potatoes. That greatest Q
all modern pOtatOeS-greatcs IN ltScl
and in the varieties it has given rise t
the EARLY Rose" came from
chance seed ball Of the coarse, but pro
life Garnet Chill" A grower ha'
picked this seed-ball from his pate
without selection, and pinned it agains
his window to ripen. and finally CAV
it to Mr. Breese-of blessed potat
memorv-who sowed the seeds. Fror
~: ~, ha0 +nL- d
without selection, came the Ear
Z Rose" 'Breese'S Prolific and sever;
\ others, all of excellent quality. but yer
- different. some being white, others ret
e some long, others round, some early an
iiSS some late; indeed, from that one, an
ID now famous seed-ball, were raised pot;
7, toes differing among themselves
I; much as potatoes can differ. In vie
of the results from this single seed-bal
we doubt many of the stories Of dire
crossing. Still, if one wishes 10 eNpeI
: ment in this. the flower OF the pota
affords an easy subject, as the anthe
ISSs do not shed their pollen early, and
lon removed rs soon as the flower open
- the pollen from another flower car
.:- readily applied to the pistil. As TO "a
ing potatoes from the seed. the ba
are kept until the time for sowing, wh
-. the seeds are removed and treated 2!
ciselv IS tomato seeds. They ere sts
- ed in boxes in the greenhouse. the b
&C. bed. or in the kitchen window (N
,ast Breese followed the last named met
= - od). and the plants treated exactly j
lich tomato plants. save that they may
o. set in the open ground somewhat G
= lier Mr. Brec~c informed us that
Iwa- DrtglIai HEtnA tA f+44 II At'~r -ift -
q in sa.-sv.E rod -iraA FubaF~ ha trr--+ zA
IA HN'N4AA'
San and stated that MS rNTp~rgUpF. ii
War
T~~ see elA.nr potato ulQ NOS uN inns thp u
mre. season TX Nt1> Hok DIAu " HI4c tt ft
tS'' unue 10 grow it-Amtr.cGV Ayrirf
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