122 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



fORRESPONDENCE 



^ ■— "~ and Information 



Potato Seed Balls. 



Orient, Long Island, New York 

 To the Editor: — 



Was much interested in what you 

 said regarding the potato seed in April 

 issue, and your request for same. Will 

 send you some in August or Septem- 

 ber. 



For more than ten years I have noted 

 the seed balls on our home fields here 

 at Orient, Long Island. In August of 

 1908, I collected a quart of balls from 

 the Green Mountain variety. These 

 were opened when green and the seed 

 removed and dried near a stove. On 

 January 1, 1909, the seed was planted 

 in a shallow wooden box, slightly cov- 

 ered with soil and placed in a south 

 bay window. In three days the young 

 plants were above ground and grow- 

 ing rapidly. They more nearly 

 resembled young tomato plants than 

 anything else I could think of. 



After reaching an inch high they 

 grew very slowly. The largest plants 

 never exceeded three inches in height 

 or contained a leaf more than half an 

 inch in length. The last plant died the 

 second week in July. Several small 

 while tubers about the size of dried 

 peas were found on the roots of the 

 few largest plants. These were again 

 planted, but pressing work at that busy 

 season caused the experiment to be- 

 come neglected. 



I noted that the life of the plants 

 from seed was much longer than that 

 of those from tubers. The latter when 

 planted in fields hold green usually 

 about five months, while many of the 

 plants from seed remained green for 

 seven and a half months. 



Seed was also collected from the 

 Early Rose and the Early Ohio vari- 

 eties. These two have been very pro- 

 lific to the growers for years back, but 



have now run their course and are sel- 

 dom planted. 



The late varieties, as a rule, seem 

 to be more generous bloomers than 

 the early, but we have an elegant 

 exception in the Irish cobbler, a newer 

 variety, with large, round, wdiite tubers 

 and large, thrifty vines and luxuriant, 

 dark-green foliage topped profusely 

 with clusters of splendid purple flow- 

 ers. Fields of these are a magnificent 

 sight. 



There has a very recent variety been 

 introduced known as the Norotton 

 beauty . We have tested it four years 

 on Cedar Lee farm, and have failed to 

 detect a blossom or even a bud thus far. 



As a farmer and amateur naturalist I 

 find the potato a fascinating study. 

 There is truly much of interest in it 

 beside the necessary matter of dollars 

 and cents. 



Roy Latham. 



Glass Cheese Cover for Aquarium. 



Duluth, Minn. 

 To the Editor : — 



Am much in sympathy with your 

 trials with all glass aquaria, but wish 

 to put in a plea for one which I think 

 might be left out of the general curse, 

 and call your attention to it in the hope 

 that it may prove as great a comfort to 

 you as it has to me. I have a square 

 tank of good size, which is the regular 

 goldfish aquarium, but that does not 

 begin to be enough. The 8-inch bat- 

 ter)- jars answer fairly well for the 

 temporary abode of the spoils of a col- 

 lecting trip, for though "they crack in 

 the end, they last quite a while and 

 are cheap; but wanted ^another large 

 tank and the square ones are expen- 

 sive; so when opportunity offered to 

 purchase one of the old fashioned glass 

 cheese covers from a grocery store, I 



