Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-05-05
POTATO FRUIT NEXT.
POMATO. THE CREATION OF A
SANTA ROSA WIZARD.

| ties OF Tubers Used to Produce q Vegetabl
That Will RevoIutionize the World.
\ Santa Rosa dispatch to the En-
dminer, of the eth ult., states tina
Luther Burbank is making some won
derful experiments to produce nev
potatoes, tubers that may eclipse an!
other yet given to man. 1t may seen
almost incomprehensible to the aver
age reader should statement be mad,
that Mr.. Burbank has at this presen
moment more than 10000 varieties O
| potatoes with which he is experiment
ing. Yet such is the fact. And ou
Of these thousands of all sorts an(
conditions Of tubers are to come th'
newer and better varieties that MAJ
completely revolutionize the potato
world.
The Examiner correspondent Learned
to-day of another wonderful creation
and production Of Burbank which will
come in under the head OF the potato
experiments, but 10 even more wonder
full. tits this: Burbank has produced
"potato fruit" Briefly summarized
the evolution is a matter of planting {
tuber and gathering from the potato
vine luscious white fruit, one that i,
delightfully."- palatable and makes ex
cellent preserve. There are people
here who have eaten the potato frui
and its preserve and are delighted with
it.
Mr.. Burbank has named the potato
fruit "pomato." When compared
with tomato the pomato is smaller
in size and its meat is white instead oil
red. 1t is higher favored. In other
words, its flavor is that OF fruit rather
than a vegetable. Burbank speaks oI
the creation of the pomato as result.
ing from the turning Of the plant life
in an opposite direction.
Instead of cultivating tubers we
now cultivate fruit, and the tubers are
of secondary consideration" he says,
"the fruit on the vine being the main
object"
The pomato, as stated, has been pro-
duced by Mr.. Burbank, but it has not
been sent out as yet. 1t must be more
nearly perfect before it leaves its crea.
tors hand for the world at large.
But to return to the potato expert.
ments: Chief among the experiment.
tai work with the tubers was and is the
crossing OF the Solanum Commersoni.
q wild species Of the potato which
grows on the Mercedes river, in South
America, with the common potato.
The aforenamed potato was discovered
some ten years ago. and specimens
were taken to Paris. and for almost a
decade DR.. Heckel studied and tried to
hybridize il.
Finally he sent Luther Burbank q
single eye and twelve months after
the distinguished scientist commenced
his experiments he had secured 120
hybrid seedlings from it.
Burbank is alec experimenting with
another new species of tuber, the So
lanium Magli, which grows on the
west coast of South America in the
high mountains. He also has other
varieties, including the hardy potatoes
that grow in some parts OF the noun
tsins in Arizona, in Central America
and in the high mountainous country
of old Mexico. The hardy qualities o.
these wild potatoes, 90 to speak,
are being combined with the ordinary
tuber. which has to certain extent
almost run its race Of service.
Here is the kind of new potato Mr.
Burbank will produce. 1t will Ii
better in quality, better in flavor
more productive and of more ever
size, so as to do away with small pota
toes altogether and then, reserving th'
best quality and most important t.
the last, a potato that will resist th'
various diseases known to these tuber,
The resistant feature, Mr.. Burbanl
told the Examiner interviewer, is tn,
most difficult of the creative work.
Mr.. Burbank further explained tha
the common potato, the Solanun
tuberosum, has practically lost tn
power to produce feed balls. Crossin,
the old varieties with the new one
will necessarily result in the introduc
ton of new varieties that will hav
new qualities.
"About how many varieties OF pota
toes have you on hand now, Mr.. Bur
bank, with which you are experiment
ing to produce the new potatoesW h
was asked.
"Over 10000" was the ready re
sponse. Most OF the 10000 varietie
are hybrid seedlings OF Mr.. Burbank
own creation. These have been pro
duced by crossing, followed by careful
inspection, testing and selection.
Yesterday Mr.. Burbank commence
the planting of the 10000 varieties Of
his experimental grounds. The pota
toes are OF all kinds and shapes, som
round. some square, some long, som
short, of all colors of the rainbow
There are pure white tubers and blac
| ones. Pink, red, crimson, purple, yel