14 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



the testing constitute two most interesting pursuits, and are the 

 life of the potato fancy. Lately considerable interest has been 

 excited by the assertion that the proper way to produce new sorts 

 is not by seed but by grafting ; a very good kidney called Yorkshire 

 Hero being reported to have been raised in this manner by Mr. 

 Almond. The first systematic account of the grafting process was 

 made public by Mr. Taylor, of Fencote, in the " Gardeners' Maga- 

 zine " of March 28, 18G8, and considerable discussion ensued, in 

 the course of which we expressed our opinion that grafting would 

 never produce new varieties, and to this day there is not an 

 authenticated case known, save and except, we believe, that referred 

 to above, the genuineness of which may be questioned without the 

 slightest imputation on the good faith of Mr. Almond, who no doubt 



fW^^^IOMmm^ 



WOOD'S SCAItLET PEOLIFIC. 



believed he had produced a new variety, when probably he had 

 simply perpetuated an old one. 



In America there is as much interest taken in potato culture as 

 in this country, as may be judged by the fact that in 1868 Messrs. 

 Bliss and Son, of New York, sent out the Early Rose potato at one 

 dollar per pound, and the price rapidly advanced to five dollars. 

 Eighty bushels w r ere sold to one party for 8000 dollars. Mr. Bresee, 

 the raiser of the Early Rose, actually sold fifty tubers of his King of 

 the Earlies at fifty dollars per tuber, and 500 dollars were offered 

 and refused for one peck ! Amongst the trade growers, we believe 

 Messrs. Sutton, of Reading, may fairly claim to represent the 

 potato in this country, for their collection is one of the largest, and 

 they exhibit extensively at all the great agricultural and horticultural 



