The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1905-06-22
IMPROVING THE POTATO.
Fresh work on Latest and Promis-
Ing Lines In Vermont.


Burlington, Nt.-The increasing eco
nom importance Of tie potato as an
article of food and It's seeming grea. CT
propensity TO disease. especially 10 the
late blight" have resulted III a wide-
spread interest rs TO the best methods
of combating the diseases affecting It.
For some years past rs we'll rs ut pres
ent this interest has manifested itself
in the development Of fungicidal sprays
designed 10 hold in check or wholly
prevent late blight. More recently,
however, another phase of this study
has presented itself, that Of develop
ing plant immune to disease. This
departure from the old methods is
largely due TO the results that have
been obtained along these lines with
the cowpea and cotton.
A belief in the Importance of intro
ducing new blood into our cultivated
varieties of potatoes and thereby in
creasing their vigor has led William
Stuart, the horticulturist of the Yer
mont experiment station, TO most val
liable and interesting work in this line
In fact he gives in a recent station
publication what is perhaps the first
definite information for the United
States as TO the Solanum commersonii
variety from Uruguay which has been
so extensively written NJ lately as dis
ease resistant. and also of some Mexi-
can varieties.
In 1903 out of nine varieties tested
Rust Proof showed greatest vine resist
ance. and Dakota Red stood next. In
1904. among twenty-nne varieties,
which included Sutton's Discovery
from England, a Peruvian variety of
the common potato. two common Varie-
ties cultivated in New Mexico (desig
mated in the test as Mexican and Mon
tereyI. Solanum commersonii obtained
from DR.. f. Hoeckel Marselles,
France: Solanum polyadenium obtain
ed from Mexico in 1903 by the veteran
hybridist Mr.. c. G. Pringle of the
State university and Solanum stoloni-
ferum from the same source.
Results of Two Years.
OF the varieties tested for two sea
sons Dakota Red showed the smallest
amount of rot and, with the exception
of Rust Proof, the best vine resistant
qualities. OF the accessions to the list
in 1904 the Mexican variety Monterey
showed the best disease resistance of
vine. followed with Solanum polyade
mum. Solanum commersonii, Suttons
Discovery, June and Mexican in the Or
der named All of these varieties
showed absolute freedom from rot
when harvested. All of the above men
toned Mexican varieties and Species
also Solanum commersonii. produced
but few tubers, and these were not of
merchantable size. Suttons Discovery.
possibly on account of its not being
accimated, gave very light crop of
rather small tubers, very few of which
We're marketable. AT present Mr. Stu
art does not feel justified in recon-
mending any of the more disease re
sistant varieties for commercial plant
ing.
New Varieties From Seed.
In 1903 few plants in the varieties
grown We're observed to remain green
longer than the others. Tubers from
these We're planted in 1904. As far as
could be noted no increased disease re
sistant qualities were transmitted to
the offspring Of these plants nor did
selection give any greater immunity
from scab.
a most instructive experiment was
conducted with 500 seedlings grown
from naturally fortified seed balls
This proved an object lesson in the ex-
IRENE yigor of some of the plants,
showing quite plainly that one of the
best sources for increasing the vigor
lies in the production of new varieties
from seed. Proper fertilization and
good tillage are also important aids In
increasing the vigor and disease resist
ance powers of the vine.
Latest ImpressiOna.
Among fair differences from the work
1t appears that naturalization and the
growing Of seeding plants, followed by
careful selection, seem to offer more
logical method of securing disease re.
sistant varieties than does selection.