The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-05-25
FRUIT FROM POTATOES
Pomato the Luscious Creation
of Luther Burbank.
DECLARED TO BE VERY PALATABLE


Pomato Is Pronounced Excellent.
Luther Burbank, the California hor.
ticulturist, is making some wonderful
experiments to produce new potatoes,
tubers that may eclipse any other yet
given to man, says the Santa Rosa
(Cal) correspondent Of the San Fran
cisco Examiner. 1t may seem almost
incomprehensible to the average reader
should q statement be made that Mr..
Burbank has at this present moment
more than 10000 varieties Of potatoes
with which he is experimenting Yet
such is the fact. And out of these thou
sands Of all sorts and conditions Of tu-
bers are to come the newer and better
varieties that may completely revolu-
tionize the potato world.
Another wonderful creation and pro-
duction Of Burbank which will come
In under the head Of the potato exper-
imentS, but Is even more wonderful, is
this: Burbank has produced a potato
fruit" Briefly summarized, the evolu-
ton is matter of planting tuber and
gathering from the potato vine lus-
cious Write fruit, one that is delightful
~ palatable and makes excellent pre-
serve. There are people in Santa Rosa
who have eaten the potato fruit and it's
preserve and are delighted with it.
Mr. Burbank has named the potato
fruit ''pomato." When compared with
8 tomato the pomato is smaller in size
and its meat is white instead of red. 1t
Is higher favored. In other words, it's
favor is that Of a fruit rather than a
vegetable. Burbank speaks Of the Gre
alton Of the pomato as resulting from
the turning Of the plant life In an oppo-
site direction.
Instead Of cultivating tubers we
now cultivate fruit, and the tuDers are
of secondary consideration" he says,
''the fruit on the vine being the main
object"
The pomato has not been sent out as
yet. 1t must be more nearly perfect
before 1t leaves Its creators hands for
the world at large.
But to return to the potato expert
ments. Chief among the experimental
work with the tubers was and Is the
crossing of the Solanum cOmmersoni, a
wild species of the potato which grows
on the Mercedes river, in South Amer
lea, with the common potato. The
aforenamed potato was discovered some
ten years ago, and specimens were tax
en- to Paris, and for almost decade
DR.. Heckel studied and tried to by
bridize It. Finally he sent Luther Bur-
bank a single eye, and twelve months
menced his experiments he had Sc
cured 120 hybrid seedlings from it.
Burbank Is also experimenting with
another new species of tuber-the So
!anum magli, which grows on the west
coast Of South America in the high
mountains. He also has other varie-
ties, including the hardy potatoes that
grow in some parts Of the mountains In
Arizona, in Central America and In the
high mountainous country Of old Next
co. The hardy qualities of these wild
potatoes, sc to speak, are being COM
bined with the ordinary tuber, which
has to a certain extent almost run its
race Of service.
Here is the kind Of new potato Mr..
Burbank will produce: It will be better
in quality, better In flavor, more pro-
ductive and Of more even size, SO as to
do away with small potatoes altogeth-
er, and, then, reserving the best quality
and most important to the last, pota-
to that will resist the various diseases
known to these tubers. The resistant
feature, Mr.. Burbank said, is the most
difficult of the creative work.
Mr.. Burbank further explained that
the common potato, the Solanum tu-
berosum, has practically lost the power
to produce seed balls. Crossing the old
varieties with the new ones will neces-
sarily result in the introduction Of new
varieties that will have new qualities.
about how many varieties of pota-
toes have you on hand now, Mr.. Bur
bank" was asked, with which you
are experimenting to produce the new
potatoes?"
"Over 10000" was the ready re-
sponse Most Of the 10000 varieties
are hybrid seedlings of Mr.. Burbank S
own creation. These have been pro-
duced by crossing, followed by careful
inspection, testing and selection. Mr..
Burbank recently commenced the
planting Of the 10000 varieties on his
experimental grounds. The potatoes
are Of all kinds and shapes, some
round, some square, some long, some
short, of all colors Of the rainbow.
There are pure white tubers and black
ones. Pink, red, crimson, purple, vel
low, are among the colors Of the pota-
toes that IRE being planted. When the
harvest fine comes in the fall possibly
all but I hundred varieties out Of the
10000 may be rejected, and the follow
ing year probably this number will be
reduced two-thirds, and SO on until per-
lection Is attained.
It will take two or three years at
least, Mr.. Burbank said. to produce the