Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-05-13

That it has future before it he thinks probable; but it is not yet certain whether this may be reached sooner by cultivation and selection, or by cross ing with the ordinary variety As 1t stands at present the species, the hardy, is too bitter to be edible. Says M. Rudolph:
 .'The plant is not new one, having been described by Dunal in 1922. A native of Brazil .. it is very vigor- ous and reaches the height of about 60 centimeters (two feet, producing numerous subterranean creepers, throw ing out at intervals aerial stems, each bearing tuber at the base. -. These tubers are of variable form, spherical pear-shaped, or egg-shaped; hitherto they have varied in size from that of . nut to that of hens egg. ... These tubers are soft, and of a yellowish tint; the eyes are we'll marked, but not deep ly sunken. The proportion of starch is from F to 20 per cent.
 Tt is to Dr. Heckel, director of the Marseilles Botanic garden. that we owe the introduction of this new Eolanum to cultivation. He has grown 1t since 1896 without having observed other variation than progressive de- velopment of the tubers, which inf creased in weight from three to 150 grams.
 "In the Solanum Commersoni we have . spontaneous type, from which culti- vation has already removed its natural characteristics, as it long ago removed those of our ordinary potatoes, of which we have now more than 500 different varieties and forms. =.
 "The plant is vigorous, resists dis ease, may remain in the ground all win ter, grows in most soil, and is very productive. The yigor of the plant is real, but it is great runner, which is not a good quality. It does away with milling. or course. but from the point of view of the digger it is a great la bor to search for potatoes over the whole surface of a field. not daring to leave . single corner untouched.
 Its resistance to disease seems cer- tain at present 1. but plant disease do not usually appear until after they have been long cultivated; and there is nothing to show that this species will prove more refractory than others.
 "One of the best points would seem to be its rusticity; that is. its abil- fty to winter in the earth. which is es- pecially valuable in mild climates, where 1t can thus be dug as needed.
 Its ability to flourish in moist or marshy places is also one of its best qualities for our ordinary potatoes pre- fer a light. dry soil. This will enable the farmer to place under cultivation soils that have hitherto remained un- productive, and is possibly its great est merit
 "The most important question re- mains-the quality of the product Of this little has been said, except that 1t may be eaten by cattle. but that the tubers are bitter and Eat several more years of cultivation are needed before
 
 they will become really edible. This may easily be realized: for 1t is impos- sible to change in short time the food value of a plant 90 as to adapt it to our tastes.
 This is the plant: let us see now what may be made of it. Two ways are open before 1t. that of selection and that of hybridization. Both are good practically.
 "To sum up. we have here a spon- taneous type of potato that it is our business to try to improve. for it Is perhaps possible to obtain favorable results: but in cases like this ve must be careful not to be carried away by the magic of nur.bers and by the sup posed merits of a plant before being able to control the exaetitude of the
 ''In any case. this impartial study has for it's object to let our readers know what has been said since 1sss about this potato. in which ve may see. in the course of time. a new element in ths development of one of our bess eoods."