T-E TOMATO-POTATO PLAXT. 



55i 



THE TOMATO-POTATO PLANT. 

 Prof. SamT B. Green, at the ^:i::::e^::a Srare Experiment Sta- 

 tion, has lately conducted a rather novel and interesting^ experiment in 



grafting the tomato upon the 

 potato vine and producing fruit 

 of the tomato on the top and 

 potatoes in the roots at the same 

 time. The accompanying illustra- 

 tion shows the two plants as grow- 

 ing together and the result of the 

 experiment. He described the 

 method of the work as follows: 

 "A good thrifts- potato is started 

 in a 6-inch flower pot and when 

 about ten inches high is cut off at 

 about eight inches, and a top of 

 ^^ a thriftA' tomato plant is inserted 



' JSt^'d^a^^^ ^" ^^- ^^^ "^h's insertion we use 



dK.in|/ the ordinary cleft-grafting, making 



^jfs iT 'Tf '^ about one and one-fourth inches 



' nicely tied together, and the 



whole wound is wrapped with 

 clean, moist moss, which must be 

 kept wet until the scion has grown 

 to the stock, which will be in the 

 course of several weeks. For the 

 first week the plant must receive 

 some extra shade or the scion 

 will wilt." 



The plant about which the 

 papers said considerable not long 

 since was set in moss so that the 

 I)otatoes could be seen on the 

 roots by raising a corner of the 

 moss. This particular plant was 

 for a time in the governor's office, 

 in St. Paul, and at one time 

 had on it several ripe tomatoes, 

 the plant being about four feet 

 high. Prof. Green says, -'We have 

 made grafts of this sort for.I think, 

 six or seven years and occasionally made the reverse, in which 

 the potato is grafted on the tomato vine. The method of pro- 



