Evening star., 1940-01-14
Crosses Sea and Mountains
To Track Down LowIy Potato
{. K. Balls, British
HortieuIturist, Has
Travelled WideIy
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

Those who are still under the
impression that the so-called Irish"
potato, most popular and widely
used vegetable In the world today,
Is indigenous to ireland have much
to learn from Edward K. Balls,
distinguished British horticulturist
and lecturer, at present on a visit
to Washington.
Interviewed at 34O6 Lowell ct
NV, home of his American c. in,
DR.. A. K. Balls. famous engine
chemist of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, Mr.. Balls
had a fascinating story to tell of
tracking the now universal dietary
favorite back to its parent home in
South America.
With tyical British reserve. Mr..
Balls is extremely modest about his
plant collecting for experimental
work under the auspices cf the
Imperial Agricultural Bureau of the
Crown. Like our own Agricultural
Department, this institution is
Britain's bureau for co-ordinating
agricultural experimental work
throughout the far-fung dominions.
Starting on March 2. 1898, from
his home at Oakflelds, KnebWorth,
England, in the county of Hertford-
shire, seat of Lord Lyttons estate,
Mr.. Balls journeyed by mule and
pack train through portions of
Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador,
Bolivia and the north of the Argen-
tine to find out under which con-
ditions the potato best fourishes in
the New World whence it came.
Sought Variety of Data.
He was, interested prj narily,"
he revealed in the condition. affect
ing disease, frost resistance, quantity
production, quality. flavor ant shape
OF the plant that ranks next to the
cereal crop in the temporal zone
OF every civilized country. was
unknown until Columbus disc, red
America and early explorers ook
some of the curious plants ba { to
the old world probably via Spai
Its popular name. Irish" p tato
came about because the introdu ton
OF potato culture in Ireland we'd
its people from the terrible ia, mes
that often devastated that ~ try
and not because the potato Is .r I'VE
to the island.
In the course of his recent u
pedition to Mexico and South Am
lea, Mr.. Balls collected more t
500 varieties of wild and cultiva
potatoes and shipped back to Eng
land about 1900 numbers" or
samples of potatoes in addition to
many rare specimens of other native
plants.
The little wild Mexican potatoes.
scarcely larger than peas" Mr.. Balls
declared" are extremely valuable
as parent stock because of their
high disease resistance qualities.
crossed with larger strains they
should produce an excellent potato"
Mexico" Mr. Balls further en-
pnaslzed, lis very fertile field for
the horticulturist, because of its
wide range Of plant life under an
equally wide climate variance.
Found $4,000 Feet Above Sea.
The highest point at which Mr..
Balls found potatoes growing in
South America, was in Bolivia at
an elevation Of $4,000 feet" although
his expedition pushed on to the
l6,00O-foot elevation Of Mount An
tlsana In Ecuador. The lowest was
at about 5000 feet in Bolivia and
approximately 1000 feet in Co.
lumbia.
The average South American
potato" Mr.. Balls said, lis ant to
be gelatinous after long cooking
rather than mealy in contrast with
the varieties of potatoes most highly
favored in North America"
Mr.. Balls, quiet and modestly
spoken Quaker that he is, has a
hashlng sense of humor. His sue
cess in collecting plant material for
the British Museum and for the
Royal Britannia Gardens of Kew. as
Wen as for many botanical in
stltutlons in various countries. o1r
own included, he largely attributes
10 "a digestion that so far has
oeen able to cope with any demand
put upon it. Its a jolly good thing
TOO ne added, ito have an appetite
that is not too squeamish or balkv
when confronted with native food
This plant collecting bug" he
dryly commented, lis the sort of
thlng you never get away from.
once you are bitten with it. AS soon
as you get back from one expedition,
Whatever your resolves to the con-
trary, the next thing you know YOU