4 QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 



ties to which custom attaches the name of gourd have a hard, woody, dry 

 shell and a flavor so bitter as to render them unedible. 



Potatoes. 16. Q. Is the Irish potato a native of Ireland ? 



A. No ! It is a native American, improperly called Irish because the 

 Irish people cultivated it to such an extent at one time as to be the prin- 

 cipal article of food. No American should call it Irish. Its true name 

 is the potato, simply the potato, be it white, yellow or red, round or oblong. 

 The sweet potato is not a potato at all ; it is called so through an errone- 

 ous custom. 



SweetPotato. 17. Q. If the sweet potato is not a potato, what is it ? 



A. It belongs to the same race or family as the yam, which family is 

 not native to America, but is found in Africa and India. 



-^ij,i 18. Q. Can good potatoes be developed from the wild sorts of Arizona 



Potatoes. and Mexico ? 



A. Yes, the writer developed several fine sorts after four years' culture 

 and selection, unfortunately losing them by frost during winter. 



Potatoe ^^' ^" ^^^ long will it take to develop edible-sized potatoes from the 



from the true seed ball ? 



seed. A. About three years. Of course it is all a speculation, for nineteen 



out of twenty of the seedlings are inferior to present standard sorts, 

 those of good form and quality being like prizes in a lottery ; but when 

 they are good they often pay handsomely. 



Potatoes, Size 20. Q, Which size seed potatoes produce best results all things consid- 



for Planting. Qred ? 



A. Medium size cut into halves. 



Cutting 21. Q. If my potatoes for planting are all large size, how small should 



Potatoes. I cut them ? 



A. None smaller than a black walnut. 



Potato Skins. 23. Q. Why are the skins of my potatoes eaten and scaly ? 



A. Sometimes from worms, which lime will drive off. Sometimes from 

 excessive moisture bursting the skins, which nature attempting to repair 

 results in scales. 



Bermudas. 23. Q. Why are Bermuda potatoes always smoothskinned ? 



A. Because grown on coral or lime soil, and because largely fertilized 

 with sea weed, the salt and lime both being obnoxious to insects. 



Potato Seed. The potato, as ordinarily propagated, is not grown from the seed, but 

 from the tuber, a cutting of which resembles a graft or bud from a tree, 

 and perpetuates the good or bad qualities of the parent. The true seed, 

 which is borne in a seed-pod following the blossom, is very seldom seen, 

 is very difficult to gather, and consequently is very expensive. In ap- 

 pearance resembles a tomato seed of about one-tenth development ; the 

 potato belonging to the tomato family. The seed germinates very easily, 

 and the plants can be cultivated by any one, producing tubers the first 

 year about the size of buckshot ; these, planted the second year, double in 

 bulk, and after about three or four years, become of edible size. As en- 

 tirely new sorts are thus produced, the cultivation is very interesting and 

 often profitable. Per pkt. 30c. 



