THE IDEAL POTATO. 



97 



THE IDEAL POTATO. 



By Walter P. Wright, Hon. Secretary of the National Potato Society. 

 [Lecture given on October 24, 1905.] 



The ideal potato has not been found. It must be : (1) a heavy cropper ; 

 (2) a good cooker ; (3) a disease-resister ; (4) a large tuber. 



Nature has not given us the combination we require, and the cross - 

 fertiliser apparently finds it difficult to overcome her reluctance to do so. 



In modern times the famous ' Up-to-Date ' has come as near as any 

 variety to the standard. It did not, however, cook very well in its early 

 years, and now that it has remedied that defect it is becoming yearly 

 more a victim to blight. The hybridist's difficulties are enhanced by the 

 fact that cultivators are not agreed on one very important point : namely, 

 whether heavy cropping or flavour is the more desirable property. The 

 market grower cries out for bulk of crop, the private cultivator for table 

 quality. This divergence of view is explained by the simple fact that the 

 one grows for other people to eat, and the other for his own palate. Since 

 we cannot find in one potato the combination of qualities we require, it 

 behoves us to make a selection from among those varieties which possess 

 one or other of the requirements in the most marked degree. Let us take 

 flavour first. 



The six best cooking potatoes that I know are : . 



Factor Langworthy Up-to-Date 



Golden Wonder Peacemaker Windsor Castle 



' Factor ' is a splendid variety of the ' Up-to-Date ' class, a large, hand- 

 some tuber, and a heavy cropper. ' Golden Wonder,' ' Langworthy,' and 

 ' Peacemaker ' are all of the ' Maincrop ' type. They are neither large 

 tubers nor heavy yielders. ' Up-to-Date ' and ' Windsor Castle ' are too 

 well known to need description. Both are past their best as disease- 

 resisters. 



Our next point may be disease-resisting powers. I regret to say that 

 I know of only two potatoes which show almost complete immunity from 

 blight. They are Findlay's ' Evergood ' and Sutton's ' Discovery.' 

 1 Evergood ' is a handsome tuber and crops well, but is defective in 

 flavour on many soils. 1 Discovery ' cooks well, but is a light cropper. 

 As a matter of fact, the superabundant vitality which makes it keep on 

 growing late, in spite of all the assaults of disease, militates against heavy 

 bearing. Many varieties which are described as disease -resisters are 

 only so in comparison with certain very blighty sorts. They do not 

 succumb to slight attacks, but a severe trial finds them wanting. 



It may be well to name a few selected varieties for special purposes or 

 qualities. 



H 



