Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-05-12
How New Varieties OF Potatoes are
Produced.

We must in the first place state that
the potato is not n root at all, but n
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-vine
developed as potatoes above ground.
We must start with the idea, then, that
the potato is really branch or stem. 1t
is well-established fact among fruit
growers and florists, that shoot or
branch of plant may produce very diff
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 branch on which all the fruit
was early. Other peach-trees have
formed branches which bore only necta-
rines-merely sport of the peach. Ger
tain branches on yellow plum trees
have produced red plums, and shoots on
purple grape-vines have borne white
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"
In 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"
it is one of our valuable kinds. Other
varieties have been produced in a SINH
lar manner. We cannot cause this va
ration to take place, but rs it may occur
anywhere, the careful cultivator 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-fertiliza-
ton has ever been done. To refer to
fruits again-the seeds of the apples
or the peaches from any one tree, taken
as they are, without any attempt at fer
tilization, will give q great variety of
seedlings, and we know it to be the
same with potatoes. That greatest of
all modern potatoes-greatest in itself
and in the varieties it has given rise to
the Early Rose" came from q
chance seed ball of the coarse, but pro-
life "Garnet Chilli A grower had
picked this seed-ball from his patch
without selection, and pinned it against
his window to ripen, and finally gave
it to Mr. Breese-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, Others red;
some long, others round, some early and
some late; indeed, from that one, and
now famous sced-ball, were raised pota-
toes differing among themselves as
much as potatoes 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 expert
ment in this, the flower of the potato
affords an easy subject, as the anthers
do not shed their pollen early, and if
removed as soon as the flower opens,
the pollen from another flower can be
readily applied TO the pistil. As to rails
ing potatoes from the seed, the balls
are Kept until the time for sowing, when
| the seeds are removed and treated pre-
cisely as tomato seeds. They are start
ed in boxes in the greenhouse, the hot
bed. or in the kitchen window (Mr.
Breese followed the last named meth
od), and the plants treated exactly like
tomato plants, save that they may be
set in the open ground somewhat ear
lier Mr.. Breese informed 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, il was not worth while to con-
tinue to grow it.-American Agricult.
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