184 THE FLORIST AND 



called verrucosum, which may possibly be destined to perform an important 

 part in the regeneration of the Potato. 



It has long been known that in the west of Mexico there exist certain 

 Potato-like plants, producing tubers, and approaching very near to the cul- 

 tivated species. Some account of them was given in 1848 in the third 

 volume of the Journal of the Horticultural Society. Among the species 

 there mentioned, allusion was made to a Solanum verrucosum, which pro- 

 duced very small tubers, not exceeding 1J- inches in length, and which was 

 regarded as of no value in cultivation, although, even in the bad ^ear 1847, 

 it exhibited no trace of disease. It appears, however, as if, in the hands of 

 the French, it were destined to acquire some importance. 



A Monsieur Pargues states that, at Vesoul, in the Haute-Saone, he re- 

 ceived, in May, 1853, from the Horticultural Society of Ain, a dozen tubers 

 of this sort, about the size of walnuts. They were perfectly sound, the 

 skin was a clear rose color, modified by a slight yellowness appearing 

 through it. In quality they were mild and pleasant, and as good as the 

 very best varieties of the common Potato. They were the result of three 

 years' culture in the neighborhood of Ain, where they had been grown in 

 good, rich, well-worked land, without any material increase in size. 



It, however, proved far otherwise with M. Pargues. He states that his 

 tubers were planted early in May in common garden soil, which was cleaned 

 twice during the season. On the 6th of September he took up the produce 

 of ten of these tubers, and found they had each yielded from twenty -three 

 to twenty-five ounces ; some of the new Potatoes weighed as much as six 

 ounces ; but others were not larger than walnuts. It thus appeared that 

 while in the rich well-worked soil of Ain the Potatoes were too small to be 

 of any use, in the common garden ground at Vesoul they acquired a fair 

 size, and justified the expectation that by raising this Potato from seeds the 

 size would be gradually increased. What renders this a very important 

 consideration is, that the plants of Solanum verrucosum were quite free 

 from disease, although common Potatoes planted by their side were attacked 

 as early as the end of July ; and we have the evidence of Prof. Decaisne, 

 that in the Garden of Plants, at Paris, the same power of resisting disease 

 was remarked. 



Under these circumstances it seems desirable to procure sets of the Sola- 

 num verrucosum, which could be easily done by any of the English corres- 

 pondents of Messrs. Yilvorin, of Paris. Attempts might then be made to 

 improve the new kind, either directly by sowing its seeds, or indirectly by 

 crossing it with such sorts as the Fluke. Should this be practicable, it is 



