THE POTATO ITSELF 307 



of the vines grew so prodigiously that they 

 reached eight feet in every direction from a single 

 root; and the potatoes they bore grew on long 

 stems or runners which spread nearly as far. 



In other cases the vines were compact, in strik- 

 ing contrast with their straggling sisters. 



As to the potatoes themselves, some were quite 

 small, and the larger ones revealed the most 

 curious colors bright crimson, scarlet, bright 

 yellow, white, black, and purple; the various 

 colors being sometimes intermingled in the same 

 tuber in the most curious way. Some were black 

 from skin to skin, others had a red center with an 

 outer layer of purple about a quarter of an inch 

 thick. Others were white or yellow, with purple 

 veins radiating from the center of the potato to 

 the eyes. 



In yet other cases the flesh of the potato was 

 variegated with crimson and yellow, purple and 

 white, blended into every imaginable form and 

 figure; so that when the potatoes were sliced the 

 effect was grotesque and sometimes fascinating, 

 as the cut surface revealed landscapes, faces, geo- 

 metrical figures, cloud effects, varying kaleido- 

 scopically with each new slice. 



Notwithstanding the great interest of these 

 hybrids, I did not think them worthy of intro- 

 duction, as they were curiosities rather than a 



