The National tribune., 1904-05-12

Almost l8ersdiUas Prices Paid for New Va
r1eties.

| sss IHE FOJA1O IN ENGLAND.
Almost l.ersdiuae 1ricss Paad for new Va
| T1etiss.
| (From United States Consul Mahin, Not
| tingham, England.)
| In the United Kingdom about 200, 900
acres are devoted to growing potatoes.
mostly of varieties which readily succumb
to disease and therefore yield little profit.
4 This fact has ted to the propagation Of
hybridized disease-resistng varieties with
extraordinary results.
The principal potato-erowing section Of
England is Lincolnshire, lying between
this County (Nottiagham) and the North
Sea. Recently .solse new varieties have
been introduced there, the most note
worthy being the Eldorado and Northern
Star, which have been sold at auction and
at ordinary sale for prices incredible to
one who has not studied the subject. The
history of the latest Of the new varieties
will serve as generally descriptive of all.
| Mr.. Archibald Findlay, of Markinch.
Scotland is the originator of the Eldorado.
Tie has long been an expert in hybridiza-
| ton Of the tuber, and has heretofore given
to the world several varieties. However,
every variety of potato, as agriculturists
ping and disease-resisting powers till it
reaches a point where it can no longer be
prOfitably raised. This point is generally
reached, growers state, in a few years,
and in IL or Is years at the very utmost.
There is, however, one "stayer' recorded,
which has been proftably yielding now for
about 30 years. But the rule is that vigor
can be maintained only by the constant
bringing forward of new varieties by
cross breeding. Following this rule Mr.
Findlay brought out the Eldorado after
| tests which convinced him that it had
great possibilities. A sample was at once
introduced into Lincolnshire, the purchaser
paying Mr.: Findlay one guinea ($5.1D a
pound for it.
This would seem to be a rather high
price for handful of potatoes, but it is
| nothing to what has been realized by sub
| sequent sales i'll Lincolnshire from the
aforesaid samples. One of the first record
ed sales was 10 small potatoes, weighing
about half pound, for f1OO ($4S6.65), or
sale OF IA potatoes the aggregate price re-
allied was 1854 los. ($1 ,23S.52). The
prices per potato ranged from fS ($38 93)
| to t49 ($23S. 46). This f43 potato weighed
10 ounces. The fS tuber was about the
size of an average hickory nut
Another case is recorded where one FL
dorado pOtatO-weight not stated-brought
fused t2OO for it-neary $1,000! This
was probably very large potato, for the
record price so far paid in Lincolnshire is
said to be ESQ ($2, 1922 for one pound
Even at this prodigious price-which
works out at about $5,00O,OOO per ton
the purchaser, it is said, expects to reap
big profit during the coming year. OF
course, 1t will be some years before this
potato is marketed as an edible, and
meantime it is predicted it's price will 20
even higher than at present.
IL Is calculated that i'm expert hands q
small potato of this variety weighing n
couple OF ounces. will produce about 20
plants. each yielding about two pounds. or
about 40 pounds return from two ounces
it IS related that farmer near Boston
the Lincolnshire seaport-realized 81
cwts. 4.144 pounds) from a single stone
va pounds of these potatoes, Which indi-
Gates that this potato can reproduce itself
3Ulfold in weight in one season.
The EldoradO is of kidney shape and
darkIsh-green color, with metallic
sheen, and appears from the foregoing fig
ures 10 be worth more than its weight in
goid. 1t may he added that this fabulous
value is traceable, in a large degree. to
systematic cornering, the originator of the
variety letting out samples in small uuan-
titles to only two persons, so far as is
known. He will dispose of no more ot
present. it is said. even ut the extraordi-
nary prices now rnhng, preferring to plant
what ne has refainedAabont, two tons
ana sell the product in 1905 at three
guineas l$15.33) pound, which he ex.
poets will be readily paid An enthusiast
predicts that with favoring conditions the
yle!d from the two tons OF seed potafoe
viii be such that this price will realize n
total of about f3,000.OOO ($14.590, 500.
mere are several older varieties of seed
potatoes which have recently sold in Lin
c0lnshIre at prices that would be remark
able were it not for the amazing sales of
the Eldorado. For instance, the Evergood
mas brought $40 a ton; the Sir John
l.iewellyn, 500; the Northern Star. 81 5OO
Inc latter ranks next to the Eldorado and
mas yielded in different cases. according to
q statement furnished me- Y pounds and
1 laa pounds from one pound and three cwts.
t550 pOunds) and five cwts. (5GO ponndsl
from two pounds.
AT the present moment no Eldorados
are Tor sale. The few let ont by the orig
| lnatOr are in the hands of growers Win
would part with them for no considera
tlon. except, perhaps, the price which they
expect to realize from the 3OO-fold crop
| to be produced by them
While deliberate cornerinp and the innoto
taste for speculation have had much to do
with the extraordinary price of the Edo
rados, an important factor has been tho
failure of the potato crop in this country
III l:NS: The abnOrmally wet weather pro.
duced diseases which the tuber could not
resist: the total yield shrank enormously
and the imports Of potatoes have domhlej
in comparison with a year ago. Besides
the potato has become the staple agricnl.
tural crop of this conntry-a fact which
invests it with great Importance, sufficient
even for the recent organization OF the
National Potato Society. with headqnar-
| ters in London. This body expects to give
special attention to all new varieties. and
to tabulate, for practical uses, the results
OF trials In potato growing which shall be
| made in different parts of the country
Its favorable soil makes Lincolnshire
the chiet pOtato-grOwing section of the
Kingdom. The land is mostly reclaimed,
and the soil is a rich black with subsoii
of clay.
Experience Enough.