59 



24.— FEUIT OF POTATO. 

 Nat. Oed. — SolanacesB. 

 Solanum tuberosum. 



The existence of this, the most beautiful of 

 all Starches, does not seem to be generally known. 

 A preparation of Potato Starch, mounted by the 

 late Mr. Vance Smith, of Carmarthen, in order to 

 illustrate fig. 42 in Thome's Structural Botany, 

 was obtained from the Fruit and not the Tuber, 

 and the illustration in Thome's book appears to 

 be a copy of it, as it is quite unlike the tuber 

 Starch. The photograph which forms the fron- 

 tispiece was taken from the original specimen 

 prepared by the late Mr. Vance Smith, and the 

 accompanying illustration is from the Starch 

 obtained by the author, from the pulpy part of 

 the fruit when nearly ripe. 



The great size of the granules and the 

 characteristic breadth and distinctness of the 

 concentric lines make it a handsome object for the 

 Microscope, especially when examined by polarised 

 light. It would be the most suitable Starch on 

 which to carry out an investigation on the 

 physical structure of that substance. The fact 



