HISTORY AND BOTANY 5 



and Claret potatoes. The Bermuda potato was the 

 only one that had a white flower, the flowers of all the 

 other kinds being purple. This was the only variety 

 that had a white skin, and was white fleshed. It was 

 round in shape, more tender, and more delicate to raise 

 than the others, and did not keep so well. 1 



George Don, in 1831, enumerates several English 

 early varieties, and says that ' ' none of the above sorts, 

 when true, produce blossoms." 



At Wyoming Experiment Station, 3 in 1895, out of 

 56 varieties grown 14 did not bloom, but in 1896 but 4 

 varieties failed to bloom out of 56, and only one va- 

 riety, Blue Victor, failed to bloom in one of the two 

 years. In other parts of the State all the varieties 

 grown came into bloom. In New York, during 1904, 

 the variety Blue Victor was profuse in its bloom, and 

 bore abundance of seed-balls. Out of 300 varieties I 

 have followed closely, having grown many for several 

 years, I find that it is seldom that a variety will not 

 bloom at some time in its life, and I am sure that many 

 of the heaviest-yielding varieties bloom as freely as 

 those of inferior merit. At Wyoming Experiment 

 Station the ten heaviest yielding varieties all came into 

 bloom both in 1895 and in 1896, in experiments con- 

 ducted in various parts of the State. 



The fruit, or seed-ball, is a globular or short oval 

 berry, either green or green tinged with violet, brown, 

 purplish, or yellowish in color, and from three-quar- 

 ters to one and a half inches in diameter. It contains 



* " Nat. His. of Carolina," by Mark Catesby, F.R.S., 2d ed. 



2 Don's "Gardener's Dictionary," 1831-8, Vol. IV., pp. 400-406. 



3 Wyo. Bui. 32, pp. 54-63. 



