POTATO IMPROVEMENTS. 



45 



One of the first products of the Anglo-American Potato 

 crosses was that famous variety, Magnum Bonum. Its history 

 is pretty well known ; but in referring to the improvements in 

 Potatoes during the past twenty-five years, it would be impossible 

 to omit reference to a variety which has proved to be so 

 important a factor in the work of disease resisting, and 

 practically of conquering. Raised from the seed produce of the 

 Early Rose, assumedly crossed with the Victoria — a once famous 

 Potato, but now rarely met with — by Mr. Clarke, of Christ - 

 church, it became so widely known and grown in a few years, 

 that probably it made more noise than any other Potato ever 

 introduced to commerce. Fortunately for Mr. Clarke and the 

 community, tubers of it and other varieties were sent to that 

 once famous trial ground at Stoke Newington, over which Mr. 

 Shirley Hibberd was the presiding genius ; and so much was 

 that gentleman taken with the variety, that he introduced it to 

 the Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of Reading, who purchased the 

 stock. It is said of the University of Utrecht that over its 

 portals ran the inscription, " Utrecht planted me, Louvain 

 watered me, and Cresar gave the increase," to which some wag 

 is reported to have added, " God did nothing there." Now of 

 the Magnum Bonum it may be written, " Clarke raised me, 

 Hibberd selected me, Suttons distributed me, and God gave a 

 wonderful increase," for is not the variety at the present 

 moment more widely grown than any other to be found in 

 commerce ? 



But even in raising a variety which presented so formidable a 

 barrier to the progress of the Potato disease, there were not 

 wanting critics who railed at its quality. If half a loaf be better 

 than no bread, surely a whole one is better still ; and that much 

 did Magnum Bonum give to myriads of Potato consumers, to 

 whom in previous years the tender old kinds of Potatoes, under 

 the deadly effects of the disease, gave no loaf whatever. It is, 

 however, worthy of remark that, in spite of the critics, the Mag- 

 num Bonum is more largely eaten now than any other Potato. 

 But having found so admirable a barrier against the tide of fun- 

 goid decay, raisers have not been slow to take advantage of it 

 for the purpose of producing many other disease -resisting kinds, 

 and possibly of much superior quality. We have now not one, 

 but a wealth of disease resisters, and because of them have such 



