36 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



ally true among varieties of plants, as it is among races and 



even amono- individuals of the domestic animals and of man 



o 



himself. 



Our confidence in the fundamental likeness of life rela- 

 tions is such that we should expect corresponding differences 

 to occur with potatoes. While the existence of such is rec- 

 ognized in a rather vague way by potato specialists, the fact 

 has as yet had very little practical influence upon the selec- 

 tion or handling of seed potatoes in this country. But in 

 Europe, where greater dependence is placed upon the potato 

 crop, this question has received more attention. For over 

 twenty years in Great Britain and for at least a decade in 

 Germany both potato breeders and large growers have defi- 

 nitely bred and selected for this purpose, and potato growers 

 have learned to estimate the value of new varieties with this 

 clearly in mind. 



We had opportunity to inquire carefully into this matter 

 two years ago, and found that, in Great Britain especially, 

 every variety of potato is rated for relative disease resist- 

 ance just as clearly as it is for relative yield and marketa- 

 bleness. In German}^ almost as much attention is being 

 given to this matter to-day as in England and Scotland, but 

 the}" have not had the matter in mind so long. 



That we in America might profit from the experience of 

 European potato gTOAvers, authorization was given us by the 

 Department of Agriculture not only to make inquiries as to 

 potato diseases and remedies as known in Europe, but also 

 to secure seed of such varieties as were reputed there as 

 being especially disease resistant. As a result, seed of about 

 100 varieties was imported in 1904-05, and has been on trial 

 for two years under government supervision, not only at the 

 Vermont station, but at some other points farther south and 

 west. Alongside of these, some 50 of the American varie- 

 ties of most promise as to immunit}" have been grown for 

 comparison. The trial of these varieties in Vermont is in 

 charge of William Stuart, professor of horticulture at this 

 university, and the })reliminary results were published by 

 him recently in Bulletin 122 of the Vermont station. As 

 he there states, the trials of one year or even two must not 



