St. Tammany farmer., 1901-08-03
EXTINCTION OF THE POTATO.
Threatened Through the Budding
Process Carried On Through
Many Generations.

If there should be no more sugar
cane in the world, beets might be
cultivated to take it's place entirely
but if there were no longer any po
tatoes, the domestic economy of thou
sands of humble homes would be seri
ously deranged, and the deprivation
would be considerable even on the
most luxurious table. That the sugar
cane and the potato are in danger OF
becoming degenerate and finally ex.
tinct has for some time been recogs
niZed in botanical laboratories all over
the world. In this country the botani
cal department of Harvard university
has gone into the matter with good
deal of thoroughness, and expert.
ments have been undertaken to per.
petuate these valuable species, says
the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The danger lies in the fact that both
have been propagated for so many
generations from buds-the sugar
cane from the joints of stalk, and the
potato from the eyes of the tuber-
that they have almost lost the power
of producing fruitful seeds. For a
duction from buds can be successful
ly continued, the fact that the seeds
themselves become sterile or dwindle
away and disappear, does not seem
particularly important. Finally, how
ever, there comes time, like the
x1-ho
signs of the deterioration which pre-
cedes extinction, and it is then only
by crossing one plant with another
plant, or one variety with another va
riety, that the life of the species can
be renewed. But if the plant has lost
its seed-producing faculty, such cross
ing is evidently impossible, and the
degenera ton must continue to it's
logical result.
Sugar cane is, of course, one of the
most valuable and important of agri-
cultural products. 1t is at present
grown in all warm countries, and the
plants for so Or 100 plant genera tions
have been started from the buds
which spring from the joints of the
cane. A section of the stalk contain
ing one of these generative joints is
planted and new stalk or group
springs up, the plantation being thus
by a portion of it's prod
ucts. Meanwhile, as the plants ma
ture, they put forth blossoms, which,
though as beautiful as they ever were,
perhaps, are meaningless and unfruit-
full. When it was discovered by the
botanists that the sugar cane was los
ing it's power to produce fruitful seeds,
it was realized that such loss meant
as it would be called in the
case of animals, and that, unless some
artificial means of restoration could
be employed, the species would
eventually run out.
The potato is among the cheapest
Of all the cultivated foods, and while
It is generally known that it is re-
produced by budding, pieces of the
tuber containing "eyes" being plant
ed in the ground, most readers will
be surprised to learn that potato seed
is an almost unheard-of curiosity. In
The museum of economic botany at
Harvard there are models of potato
plants including the pink and white
blossoms and the grape-like fruit, but
his seed-containing fruit has become
so nearly extinct that few people, even
rom the agricultural districts of the
have ever seen it. In the
however, it is clearly shown
hat the potato is closely related to
he tomato, and the two-celled ar
of seeds is very similar in
he original fruit of both plants. .,
The first years crop of tubers from
! planting of seed is generally too
small for commercial use, SO that the
eeding process has of late years been
almost entirely discontinued. The
method of propagation has
'een carried on to such an extent that 4
is rule for the blossoms to wither
Without fructifca ton, and even in
he exceptional eases where fruit APP
,ears it is generally seedless and bar
en. AS a rule the small amount of
eed which now survives the degenera-
ltion of the plant is likely to rot away
SO that the greatest care
md skill are required to secure the
.rowth of seed plants. However, as
n the case of the sugar cane, as the
ommon varieties are shown, by con-
rast with the hybrids, to be less val
able, the warning of the botanists is
eing needed and science is being
allied upon to point out the means of
eIef.