238 THE POTATO 



two years. It was very subject to blight, however, 

 and a field of growing potatoes might be wiped out 

 by the disease in a few days. At that time it was 

 thought that potatoes could not be grown in the 

 interior valley of California. " 



It was not until the introduction of the Burbank 

 that large acreages of potatoes were grown in 

 California. 



On one of our visits to Mr. Burbank he told us 

 the story of the Burbank potato, and although 

 busy with the thousands and thousands of plants 

 involved in the bringing out of new and improved 

 varieties, and with the writing of the history of 

 his life's work, he has written the following for 

 this book: 



"In the summer of 1871, after I had had several 

 years of amateur experience in raising seedling 

 potatoes, I was on the lookout for some potato 

 which did not reproduce itself almost exactly from 

 the seed in form, size, color, and all other particu- 

 lars, as did most of the potatoes then known. 

 While searching for such a variety, I happened, 

 that autumn, to find on my place a single seed-ball 

 on an Early Rose potato vine, and was immediately 

 impressed with what later proved to be the fact, 

 that this must be something valuable, as the Early 

 Rose very seldom bears seed-balls. It was watched 

 with the utmost care until nearly ripe, my atten- 

 tion being upon it daily. When it was about 

 mature and ready to pick, the patch was visited 

 that morning with that intention, but to my great 

 consternation the coveted fruit had disappeared, 

 and the pain and disappointment were intense 

 when, after a careful search, I was unable to find 



