THE POTATO ITSELF 301 



by multiplication of the original single hill of 

 tubers that grew from the one best vine among 

 the twenty-three seedlings of the original potato 

 seed ball. 



That the enormously multiplied product of 

 to-day maintains everywhere the characteristics 

 of the original, offers an interesting proof that 

 varieties do not "run out" if grown under suit- 

 able environments. 



How Explain the Burbank? 



But how shall we account for the original 

 variety itself? 



The story of its development has been told 

 without offering any explanation of the in- 

 teresting phenomena observed. It remains to 

 account not alone for the Burbank but for the 

 twenty-two other varieties of potato that were 

 its seed-ball sisters, but which were allowed 

 to perish, because they did not, on the 

 whole, possess qualities that justified their 

 preservation. 



Our studies of plant development through hy- 

 bridization, in connection with numerous species 

 of flowers and trees and orchard and garden 

 fruits, supply clews that make the explanation 

 of the origin of the new potatoes relatively 

 simple. 



