The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-10-28
Massachusetts Man Produces
Tubers of Great Superiority.
Spends Years In Experimenting with
Various Vegetables and Makes
Many Wonderful Discoveries
His Cantaloupes Are Fine.
light By cl,nedln.. Washington. d. {.

Montague, Mass.-Bug-proof pota-
to vines that show by analysis twice
the ratio of food products In them
over the average tuber,. cantaloupes
that run sixteen TO forty-eight pounds.
peas that will be ready for picking In
half the time that green peas usually
require. corn In half dozen coiors
and of attractive taste-these things
are some OF the achievements OF Rev.
Amos N. Somers. pastor OF the little
Unitarian parish here. who has spent
years delving into the chemistry OF
nature and has accomplished what he
believes is a valuable thing for mau-,
kind. especially in potato culture. tor
this is a necessity OF necessities.
Mr.. Somers tells his story by say
ing that the potato rarely natures
seed and notes that the great potato
raising companies In Maine offer large
sums for small measure OF seed.
"Of course, everybody knows" he
continued. that potatoes grow from
planting the eye OF the vegetable in
the ground In the spring. Hybridiza-
ton by mixing the pollen is not new
thing. but with the potato you cant
do 1t, for there's no pollen to mix.
| So. after many years OF trying. | have
evolved what call graft hybridi2a
ton. The problem was harder, as the
potato grows below the ground; while
fruits and many vegetables grow
above and the stalks or stems can be
In tho fo UNIV
so one day 1t occurred to me to
graft the sprouts together just at the
surface OF the ground. | took two
cuttings, sliced them off and then tas
tened them together with the bodies
of the tubers touching and the two
parts of the sprouts also lying close
against each other. Fastening these
together. | planted them with the TOD
of the graft just above the ground. Al
the juncture OF the two a new cellular
tissue body grew. and from this new
variety OF potato grew. | got this
new variey. which ! call the Standard.
from graft hybrid OF the Green
mountain and the Lady Somers.
named after my wife.
The Standard Is a very smooth
skin potato. with eyes hardly sunken
below the surface. This last fact
makes 1t an economical potato. for
there is less waste in peeling 1t and
the analysts shows 1t has just twice
the amount of foodstuff In II and
twice as much starch as the average
potato. The average one shows Il
to IS per cent. foodstuff. In body
weight 100 of my potatoes will greatly
outweigh 100 potatoes OF the ordinary
sort OF the same size, and on busne
measure the same difference occurs
The Lady Somers got from the Early
Rose and the old Delaware potatoes
1T was my study of Darwin thai
started me on this. have watched
the work of Prof. George j. Romano.
OF England. the author of 'Darwinisn
After Darwin and have correspondet
with him. and ! have succeeded In thil
where he failed. Profs. Geddes anC
Thompson of Edinburgh are also IL
the same line, but ! feel have sur
passed them in results. My results
were first definite four years ago
after 35 years OF trying.
The vine oil my potato has a pc
cnliar odor and is offensive to thu
potato bug. for II never goes nea
them. ] have taken bugs from plant
OF the usual type in the next row II
my potato patch and put them on tn,
new vines and in half an hour | can
find one. and really feel have so
hold OF a bug-proof potato. II &c
ahat's big thing in itself. for loo