Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-23

pOiietln OF the u .. department VI
Agriculture. entitled Group Classiflca-
ton and varietal Descriptions Of Some
American Potatoes" This Is a profess
sionai paper and deals in detail with
each potato family considered.
A more intimate knowledge Of the
potato is much to be desired. not only
by scientists, but by the farmers who
grow them. If the latter can recognize
old varieties under new names, he will
not be deceived by the present practice
Of some seedsmen who manufacture
new varieties from old ones.
The bulletin does not claim to pre-
sent a completed classification Of all
American potatoes, but endeavors to
offer a list that may prove starting
point upon which to enlarge later on.
The bulletin gives the following 'clas-
sification key" briefly describing each
of II groups:
CLASSIFICATION KEY
GROUP 1-COBBLER
Tubers:f Roundish: skin creamy
white. Sprouts: Base. leaf scales. and
tips slightly or distinctly tinged with
reddish violet or magenta. In many
cases the color is absent. Flowers:
Light rose-purple; under intense heat
may be almost white.
GROUP Triumph
Tubers. Roundish: skin creamy
white, with more or less numerous
splashes Of red, or carmine, or solid
red; maturing very early. Sprouts:
Base. leaf scales and tips more or less
deeply suffused with reddish violet.
Flowers: Very light rose-purpie.
GROUP 3-EARLY MICHIGAN
Tubers: Oblong or elongate fat
| tened; skin white or creamy white,
occasionally suffused with pink around
bud EYE cluster in Early Albino.
Sprouts: Base light rose-purple; tips
creamy white or light rose-purple.
Flowers: White.
GROUP 4-ROSE
Tubers: Roundish oblong to elon-
gate -flattened or spindle shape flatten-
ed: skin flesh colored or pink. or lin
the case of the White Rose) white.
Sprouts: Base and internodes creamy
white to deep rose-lilac; leaf scales
and tips cream to rose-lilac. Flowers:
White in sections 1 and 2; rose-lilac
in section 8.
| GROUP 5-EARLY OHIO
Tubers: Round, oblong. or ovoid;
/ skin flesh colored or light pink, with
numerous small, raised russell dots.
Sprouts: Base. leaf scales, and tips
more or less deeply suffused with car
mine-lilac to violet lilac or magenta.
Flowers: White.
GROUP 6-HEBRON
/ Tubers: Elongated, somewhat fat
tened, sometimes spindle shaped: skin
creamy white. more or less clouded
with flesh color or light pink.
/ Sprouts: Base creamy white to light
/ lilac: leaf scales and tips pure mauve
! to magenta but color sometimes alb
sent. Flowers: White.
! GROUP 7-BCRBANk
! Tubers: Long. cylindrical to some
what iattened, inclined to be slightly
! spindle shaped; skin white to light
creamy white, smooth and glistening.
| or deep russell in the case OF section 2.
! Sprouts: Base creamy white or family
| tinged with magenta: leaf scales and
! tips usually lightly tinged with magsn-
ia. Flowers: White.
GROUP SCREEN MOUNTAIN
Tubers: Moderately to distinctly OBJ
long, usually broad. flattened; skin a
dull creamy or light russell color. fire.
| uuently having russell brown splashes
| toward the seed end. Sprouts: Section
| base, leaf scales, and tips creamy
white: section 2-base usually white,
occasionally tinged with magenta; leaf
scales and tips tinged with lilac to
magenta Flowers: White.
GROUP 9-RURAL
Tubers: Broadly round -flattened to
short cblong. or distinctly oblong fiat
| tened; skin creamy white. Sprouts:
Base dull white: leaf scales and tips
violet purple to pansy violet. Flowers:
| Central portion Of corolla deep violet,
| with the purple growing lighter toward
! the outer portion; five points OF corol-
| la white.
| GROUP 10-PEARL
| Tubers: Round -flattened to heart
shape fiattened: unusually heavily
shouldered skin duh white. dull rus
set, or brownish white in section / or a
deep blush purple in section 9.
| Sprouts: Section base. leaf scales,
| and tips usually family tinged with
lilac; section 2-base. leaf scales. and
| tips vinous mauve Flowers: White,
GROUP 11-PEACHBLOW
Tubers: Round to round -flattened or
round oblong; skin creamy white;
| splashed with crimson or solid pink;
| eyes usually bright carmine. Includes
some eariy-maturing varietie T.
| Sprouts: Base. leaf scales. and tips
more or less suffused with reddish vio-
let. Flowers: Purple.
In deciding upon the name by which
each group shall be known an attempt
has been made to select that Of the va
riety which seems most nearly to rep
resent the group as whole and which
at the same time. is most widely
known.
Each Of the groups is described in
greater detail in the bulletin, as for in
stance:
Triumph Group.
The Triumph group is composed Of a
few very early varieties having round
ish tubers and a dwarf habit Of growth.
Only one member Of this group. the
Triumph, can be regarded as having